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THE IMPACTS ON INTERACTING THE BLENDED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Balmagambetova G., Tanybergenova S.S.
Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda state university
Information and communication technology has pervaded the fields of education. In
recent years the term “e-learning” has emerged as a result of the integration of ICT in the
education fields. Following the application this technology into teaching, some difficulties have
been identified and this have led to the “Blended learning” phenomenon. The aim of this work is
to investigate the advantages of blended learning over face-to-face instruction.
The present work revealed that blended learning is more favorable than pure e-learning
and offers many advantages for learners like producing a sense of community or belonging.
Blended learning can be considered as an efficient approach of distance learning in terms of
students’ learning experience, student-student interaction as well as student instructor interaction
and is likely to emerge as the predominant education model in the future. “We are living in an
ever-changing world” [Sethy, p.29]. Through the past decades, the world of education has been
varied by the fast and rapid revolution in computer and the
Internet technologies which
according to Sethy “new findings are generated and become established at breathtaking speed”
[Sethy, p.29]. This has revolutionized teaching and learning particularly distance education. The
arrival of World Wide Web (WWW) has increased the demand for distance education and
concepts like online learning or e-learning has emerged, as a result. The system of online
learning has been largely used in higher education, and a lot of studies have been done to
discover both its strengths and weaknesses [Wang, 2010].
Since e-learning environments present some disadvantages such as inhibiting the
socialization process of individuals resulting in lack
of face-to-face communication, a new
environment has surfaced. This new environment combines the e-learning and the classical
learning environments. It has been termed as blended learning, hybrid or mixed learning. The
foremost goal of blended instruction was to overwhelm drawbacks of pure online instruction.
Since either pure e-learning or traditional learning hold some weaknesses and strengths, it is
better to mix the strengths of both learning environments to develop a new method of delivery
called blended learning [Azizan, 2010]. The application of blended
instruction has quickly
increased because varied delivery methods can increase students’ satisfaction from the learning
experience as well as their learning outcomes [Lim, & Morris, 2009]. The three most common
definitions of blended learning:
1. a combination of instructional modalities (or delivery media)
2. a combination of instructional methods
3. a combination of online and face-to-face instruction
However, the third definition is mostly accepted by scholars. Some scientists declare that
there are two significant elements in defining blended learning and those are online and face-to-
face instructions. Blended learning is a mixture of online learning and classroom that contain
some of the facilities of online courses with the presence of face-to-face communication. Parallel
with the growing use of ICT in the educational setting, blending learning approach can be
contributing tools to complete face-to-face experiences.
Besides, blended instruction offers an active learning environment with flexibility in
using resources for the students and provides more time for faculty members to spend with
learners in small groups or even individually. In addition, blended learning has the potential to
change students’ experiences and outcomes through learning another
advantage of blended
learning environments is its potential to offer many sources for learners. The application of
technology in physical classrooms offer extra resources for the students and this is expected to
enhance learners’ confidence and competence as well as improve the quality of learning. There
are other advantages of blended learning such as deep understanding of topics by using web
based resources as well as active participation of students in class. Furthermore, online learning
engagement provides an interactive setting for communication among teachers and students in
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the classroom and may facilitate cooperative activities even beyond the classrooms. The major
benefit of applying blended instruction is to overcome the shortcomings of online instruction and
exploit various instructional process and delivery strategies in order to increase learners’
satisfaction as well as boosting the learning outcomes.
Teachers and students communicate virtually via e-learning and this is the predominant
feature
of such a learning process, different from traditional classes in which instructors and
learners engage in face-to-face interaction. Generally, all the terms which describe distance
education via computer technology have a unique significance that is learning takes place while
teacher and learner are separated. It is assumed that engagement in e-learning and virtual classes
hinders e-learners from community interaction. By adding the human interaction to online
learning, the educators have considered the human need for socialization which in turn will help
the process of learning [Sethy, 2008]. This sense of belonging to a community which its absence
in online learning may disturb improvement of common emotions and feelings among learners
and instructors. Online or web-based learning environment offers the effectiveness and the
flexibility that cannot be guaranteed in a classroom environment
while face-to-face classes
provide the social communication that students need for learning. So, the integration of these two
environments into blended format reserves the advantages of both learning platforms. Hence, it
can be concluded that one of the principal benefits of blended learning is providing a sense of
community among learners.
Vocabulary is the backbone of any language. Without extensive vocabulary knowledge,
even those who show mastery of grammar might experience the failure to communicate. Many
foreign language learners know the feeling of not being able to remember the right word
instantly in a conversation because of the limited range of vocabulary they know. This feeling of
inadequacy often hinders further development of the language. On the other hand, vocabulary
does help language learners to form sentences and express themselves in meaningful ways.
Mastery of vocabulary can only be achieved with the teaching strategies that appeal to
various learning styles. Recent studies have proven many benefits of different technology-based
instructional materials for effective verbal and written communication [Pazio, 2010]. Therefore,
many higher education institutions today are using blended learning as a supplementary means in
developing students’ vocabulary knowledge. Blended learning approach
in teaching foreign
language has become a matter of considerable interest to language teachers all over the world.
As opposed to pure e-learning which refers to using only electronic media to learn, blended
learning supplement traditional face-to-face teaching and learning environment with different
kinds of technology-based instruction.
Blended learning focuses on optimizing achievement of learning objectives by applying
the right learning technologies to match the right learning styles to transfer the right skills to the
right person at the right time. Teaching vocabulary through web-based tools is not totally a new
trend. We have always used a “blend” of teaching approaches in order to provide as rich a
learning environment as possible for our learners. What is new is the “expectation” of our
learners to use technology in and out of the classroom as part of the learning process.
So, learners can expand their range of learning strategies and thus develop greater
flexibility in their ways of approaching language learning. Thus, various instructional materials
including videos, blogs, online forums and other digital tools provide
students opportunities to
practice the language outside the class.
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