EdTech Articles

Intrinsic motivation is an area that Edward Deci and Richard Ryan were exploring in the late 1970s. Intrinsic motivation is defined as “motivation where we do something just because it’s inherently interesting to us” (Ryan, 2015). Deci and Ryan were interested in what facilitates and what undermines intrinsic motivation. At the same time, they understood that most adult motivation is extrinsic, and wondered how they could help people become autonomous and volitional in the performance of actions that may not be inherently interesting or enjoyable. Their research showed that the conditions under which people became both intrinsically motivated and volitional in extrinsically orientated actions were related to the conditions that also promoted good health and a sense of wellness. This produced several theories on motivation and well-being, which are collectively known as Self-Determination Theory (SDT).

In this essay, I discuss the potential application of a blended approach to Business English teaching. As a corporate trainer, delivering in-company training, I have come to accept that learners are often unable to attend lessons regularly due to professional commitments and the need to travel for business purposes. I begin with a case study, which is a typical scenario in my teaching context. In this example, I note that it was the writing element of the course that suffered mostly from attendance issues. My reflection on this instance suggested that face-to-face lesson time could be maximised for speaking activities and that the writing element of a course could occur away from the training room. Now, writing is a time-consuming exercise, and writing practice is often set by teachers as homework. However, this does not imply blended learning. What appeared viable was to move the entire writing element of a course to a virtual learning environment (VLE), including the presentation of content, the writing practice, and the feedback. I discuss my course design decisions in terms of context, technology, and learning theory below. In conclusion, I turn to the subject of assessment and consider how this could be approached in my proposed course.

Academics who think about education recognise that not all the enforced changes have been good. Covid highlighted how critical the social aspect of learning is, and that something extra happens when students and their teacher share a physical space. The experiment also played out differently in schools and universities, in part because the benefits of “co-present” learning may vary by age. The tension now is between those who see the pandemic as an opportunity to overhaul education and those who are impatient to return to “normal”.

Back in March, universities worldwide moved almost completely online in response to the pandemic, with only small classes still being taught face-to-face. This teaching experiment has lasted eight months but now, as we move into 2021, the next step is to think critically. Is blended learning, which combines online and in-person teaching, the future of universities post-pandemic?

Primary school-aged children may need help bridging the gap between what they view on screen and applying it in the real world. Parents should give them the space to get on with their school work, but regularly check in on them to ensure they understand what they are doing, as well as asking them about what they have learned afterwards, says Rachel Barr, a professor of developmental psychology at Georgetown University in Washington DC.

China unveiled a sweeping overhaul of its $100 billion education tech sector, banning companies that teach the school curriculum from making profits, raising capital or going public. Beijing on Saturday published a plethora of regulations that together threaten to up-end the sector and jeopardize billions of dollars in foreign investment. Companies that teach school subjects can no longer accept overseas investment, which could include capital from the offshore registered entities of Chinese firms, according to a notice released by the State Council. Those now in violation of that rule must take steps to rectify the situation, the country’s most powerful administrative authority said, without elaborating.