Using Padlets in an ESOL class Description of the group

The following case study looks at an ESOL group based at a Children’s Centre in March. Due to time constraints, teacher contact time was limited to 1 hour and 30 minutes instead of 2 hours a week. This was then viewed as the ideal opportunity to try to integrate some blended learning into the course.

The group consists of nine learners at a beginners level. There are four people from Bangladesh, two from Portugal, one from Iran and two from Poland. There are eight ladies and one gentleman. All of the students have lived in England for a number of years, but do not have the opportunities to use their English regularly, due to lack of exposure and/or confidence. They are all motivated to learn by their variety of different needs – some wish to gain employment or improve their current positions at work, most want to be able to help their children with school work and communicate with their children’s teachers, and all want to feel empowered and independent.

Exposure is a large hurdle for most of the learners. Due to their limited language skills they may have become isolated or lack the confidence to use the skills they already possess, and therefore, are not able to expand upon their reservoir of knowledge. The aim of using blended learning was to allow students to have further access to material studied in the classroom and encourage them to practise and reinforce this material.

When considering the element of blended learning in the course, we anticipated there may be a proportion of the students that would not have access to a computer and an internet connection, and students who may never have had the opportunity to use a computer. These issues were raised and discussed with the students in the first lesson and their willingness to take part was noted.

This is my Padlet dashboard. I added to this weekly so learners could review the previous lesson or use the links to gain further practice.

We discussed the use of technology in the class, the learners all had access to a computer (or other device) and an internet connection, but some had no experience of using a computer. These learners said they would get help from their children. They did and said their children were happy to help teach their parents for a change.

This was all new for me too, so I tried to start simple. All handouts used in the class were posted on the Padlet , which meant there was less need to photocopy. I also wrote the vocabulary that was used and any points that had been discussed in class. I gave the learners the URL address for them to access the Padlet, and they eagerly went home and tried to use it. It wasn’t until one learner approached me in town to tell me she couldn’t find the site that I realised I hadn’t used the correct settings. I hadn’t made it ‘public’ and pressed ‘submit’. In the following class I learned that this mistake had dented the learners’ motivation, and it took quite some time to restore it.

It was then I felt I had to ‘up my game’ to stop from losing the learners interest. This Padlet was set up before the class and was required by the learners, to be able to do their homework. The learners would have to use the sentence stems to write the necessary phrases for a spoken timeline activity done in the session.

Two of the areas in which I knew the use of technology would be an advantage were to reduce the need for photocopying, and time wasted on taking notes in class time (which may not even be accurate).

But I hadn’t realised what an impact it would have. This was a very important Padlet for me and the learners. The verb list was produced by the learners, and the links had been requested by learners to continue their study at home. I took this opportunity to let the learners explore the links as part of the class, believing that this would be the final push for anyone who had been wary and not joined in so far. This is the only class where I have experienced any disruption. I had to forcefully insist the learners stop doing the activities and quiet their giggles and laughter. It was amazing to see.

Conclusion This term, I will be able to give this group the full two-hour sessions, which the learners are

very pleased about. I will still be continuing to use Padlets because I feel they have been a great learning resource. I will also be developing its use in class and spending more time to encourage learners to use it themselves, to give feedback and post things they find interesting.

From this experience, I have seen how learners who never work together, have come together and shared laughter and learning. I have had learners coming to me to show me the reams of work they have done at home. I have been stopped in the street to be asked when the Padlet will be updated. I believe that using technology has added an extra and very interesting element to this course that has motivated learners and kept learners motivated.

I cannot recommend it enough. It has not taken a huge amount of extra time. I have not produced anything on top of what I have done for the classes. It has been an excellent way for the learners to stay connected to the learning. Please give it a go.

(I have produced a PowerPoint presentation on how to get your Padlet started. If you want a copy, I am very happy to email it to you.)

shortbyname@gmail.com