Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced educators around the world to move from face-to-face (F2F) to remote learning contexts. In Singapore, the 'circuit breaker' went into effect in early April 2020 and educational institutions suspended F2F learning. For one group of primary student teachers planning to attend a 9-day intensive language enhancement course, this meant a quick pivot from a blended course to a fully online version.

Until 2020 the course had been conducted with a focus on a collaborative documentary journalism project designed to enhance English language skills. The question the course designer faced was how to redesign the course quickly to adhere to the spatial distancing requirements of the 'circuit breaker' while maintaining the overall goals and main components of the course to enhance English language skills.

This presentation will describe:
(1) the resulting design of the course (with a new project focus);
(2) how the original blended sequence of synchronous and asynchronous activities were maintained; and
(3) the technological tools used to support and engage the students' in their learning experiences.

The presentation will show how elements of the course align with Lim's (2020) suggestions for designing online learning.

References:
[1] Lim, F. V. (2020, June 3). Digital Learning in the Time of a Pandemic. Singteach. https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/vsl-digital-learning/

Keywords:

Remote learning, English language enhancement, pre-service teacher education.