{"id":16654,"date":"2021-11-11T12:59:41","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T19:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/?p=16654"},"modified":"2026-03-11T14:48:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T20:48:46","slug":"the-new-frontier-of-teaching-english-interactive-global-virtual-and-innovative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/the-new-frontier-of-teaching-english-interactive-global-virtual-and-innovative\/","title":{"rendered":"The New Frontier of Teaching English: Interactive, Global, Virtual and Innovative!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Online instruction made its presence known in the world of education decades ago. However, mobile applications, originally purposed for productivity assistance, are now being used for more than just playing Candy Crush or Words with Friends. The educational technology, or EdTech, industry linked a few gems of their own and found that learning English online or through a mobile application, or app, can help children and adults learn languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel Hutchinson is Cambridge University Press\u2019<\/a> Global Learning Solutions Director in the English language teaching (ELT) division. As one of the giants in the education arena, Cambridge is a global learning and assessment organization in addition to being a publisher and an elite university. Hutchinson says he sees the English language teaching industry as a changeable picture that was accelerated by the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Daniel Hutchinson, Cambridge University Press\u2019 Global Learning Solutions Director in the English language teaching (ELT) division<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think that whilst we would never have wanted the situation to be the backdrop, it could only be a good thing for people to be really thinking where education goes, where English education goes. That will lead to, I hope, lots of innovation, lots of debates, discussion and hopefully lots of positives coming out of that,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere probably isn\u2019t a teacher or a learner on the planet who hasn\u2019t had a pretty tough couple of years and probably is going to continue to do so for a while. I think that the best thing we can do generally, and certainly as Cambridge, is to say, \u2018let\u2019s see what we can do with this situation and make it as effective as it can be when we come out the other side\u2019. I think the future continues to be exciting. There are a lot of things to be positive about with education in general and English education as well. It\u2019s one of the things that keeps me in my job: that hope and also belief that we can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And as Hutchinson can verify, the world of English language teaching (ELT) and English as a second language (ESL), is finding and evolving a virtual life of its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mobile Learning: M-Learning Brings New Tools to Old Trades<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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“Using mobile apps in language learning is most efficient when combined with a blended learning approach where face-to-face instruction is combined with online learning.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

According to a 2020 study<\/a> in the International Journal of TESOL Studies, the most difficult challenge ESL students in an intensive English program at Brigham Young University\u2019s English Language Center found was schoolwork. Many identified problems using and adapting to technology-driven courses as the culprit, followed by the act of actually practicing English. Students found it nearly impossible to practice English by speaking with other students, and the opportunities to practice outside of the classroom were limited, especially during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, the world has seen an increase in the interest in mobile learning, or M-learning, primarily because of the mobility of the technology, learners and learning itself. Jaroslav Kacetl and Blanka Kl\u00edmov\u00e1<\/a> examined the use of smartphones and English language learning and found that M-learning not only offers great opportunities but is becoming more widely accepted in education. They write, \u201cThe key features of M-learning, such as personalized learning, independent of time and place, collaboration with peers and teachers in both formal and informal settings, ubiquity and interactivity of mobile devices, make M-learning efficient.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They add that using mobile apps in language learning is most efficient when combined with a blended learning approach where face-to-face instruction is combined with online learning. Blended learning, according to the authors, appears to be more effective than traditional instruction alone. M-learning also appears to be especially valuable in developing language skills, facilitating the retention of new vocabulary and motivating students with a fun and game-like way to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Researchers found that Mobile-Assisted Language Learning, or MALL, allows the learner to gain knowledge without the constraints of time or place. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Researchers Ramya Gangaiamaran and Madhumathi Pasupathi<\/a> found that Mobile-Assisted Language Learning, or MALL, allows the learner to gain knowledge without the constraints of time or place. MALL is a combination of M-Learning and CALL, computer-assisted learning. \u201cEquipping the learning apps can change the regular lecture classroom and students learning interest can increase,\u201d they write. \u201cLanguage skills like listening, speaking, reading, writing skills will be acquired by these learners. On the other hand, they will learn grammar, vocabulary and meanings, pronunciation, spellings and more on the part of language acquisition.\u201d Additionally, the rapid development of app technology, in general, has made English learning apps able to incorporate a variety of media, such as text, pictures, animation, video, audio and more, to keep the student interested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, nearly 5.3 billion people, or 66.92% of the world population, have mobile devices. Even in economically-challenged parts of the world, families own cell phones, creating a vast community of potential, tech-assisted language learners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThanks to different media modes, students can remember 10% of what they have read, 20% of what they have heard, 30% of what they have seen, 50% of what they have heard and seen, 70% of what they have said, and 90% of what they have done.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Not only is M-learning fun for students, but studies have shown that retention of vocabulary words increases with student use of apps for language learning. Blanka Kl\u00edmov\u00e1<\/a> found in her review study of smartphones usage for English as a foreign language (EFL), that mobile devices help students in motivation, performance, interactivity, diversity of resources, collaboration, and autonomy of learning EFL, in addition to the personalization of language learning to an individualized level. \u201cThanks to different media modes, students can remember 10% of what they have read, 20% of what they have heard, 30% of what they have seen, 50% of what they have heard and seen, 70% of what they have said, and 90% of what they have done,\u201d the study reports. With M-learning focused on the \u201cdoing,\u201d students are able to retain more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding new technology into the educational sphere aids EFL students in learning a new language in an interactive, portable, self-regulated and individualized manner. It has also helped teachers provide engaging lessons while receiving individualized data about each of their students. While most learners are familiar with language-learning apps like Duolingo and Babbel<\/a>, many other unique and innovative apps and online language education options exist. This is where companies like ClassIn, Off2Class and Studycat are bringing language learning to homes and classrooms around the world by providing support and education that benefits students, teachers and parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ClassIn Transforms the Online Classroom<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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“ClassIn complements it by including more than 20 teaching tools and a giant blackboard in the virtual classroom where you, as a teacher, can keep an eye on all students while initiating a variety of classroom activities with them.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

ClassIn<\/a>, an \u201cinteractive online classroom\u201d created solutions long before the pandemic even began by presenting online learning to the world in 2014. Today, ClassIn has more than 20 million users and is used in 60,000 institutions and schools across 150 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ivan Fen Qin, the Global Business Development Manager for ClassIn says, thanks to technology, ClassIn\u2019s teachers have been able to conduct online classes with discussions, breakout rooms, debates, quizzes, polls and team presentations as if they are happening in an actual classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ivan Fen Qin, the Global Business Development Manager for ClassIn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClassIn was being built when online communication was not a huge thing,\u201d Qin says. \u201cEven today, many schools or other educational institutions still rely solely on video conferencing to deliver video lectures. From a pedagogical viewpoint, we think this is inadequate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Qin says video conferencing products fail in interaction because they allow for speaking and screen sharing only in momentary and limited timeframes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery educator would agree upon the fact that interaction is the key to effective learning, and this particularly applies to younger learners. So ClassIn complements it by including more than 20 teaching tools and a giant blackboard in the virtual classroom where you, as a teacher, can keep an eye on all students while initiating a variety of classroom activities with them,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another issue teachers face, Qin says, is the managerial aspect of creating links and academic calendars and sorting out materials between various systems. \u201cClassIn is a one-stop solution so our teachers don\u2019t have to travel back and forth between maybe up to four different platforms. It can monitor our students\u2019 behavior and has everything analyzed so the teacher will not get lost and will have a good understanding of his or her students,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ClassIn is a leading EdTech company that offers online learning solutions. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Finding interactive, engaging ways to provide a holistic approach to learning also sets ClassIn apart, according to Qin. \u201cI would argue that especially under current circumstances as a result of COVID-19, when academic activity happens online, your platform of choice better include all kinds of scenarios that you used to have in the physical classroom, such as presentations, group discussions, homework, assignments and exams.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Qin says learning a new language is a difficult process to begin with, but with the help of educational technology, it can be beneficial, productive and interesting. \u201cI personally speak English as a second language, and I will never forget how hard it was when I was a kid in school. So, I could not be able to imagine if I learned a language with some teacher in the United States through my computer when I was 6 years old,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty much common sense that the online classroom has to be highly engaging and entertaining to keep our learners moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To keep up with the latest technology, ClassIn developed a future classroom to assist online learning by making it more hybrid and interactive. ClassIn was designed solely as an online platform, but \u201cthe next generation of ClassIn, which is Called ClassIn X, solves this problem perfectly. ClassIn X works with hardware,\u201d Qin says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With ClassIn X, teachers in a classroom with a smartboard can open ClassIn, find their textbooks and materials on their own cloud drives, and begin to teach. \u201cAs there should be cameras, remote students can be joining from their homes and see what\u2019s going on in the classroom and of course, vice versa. So that\u2019s the future classroom we envision, and we call it OMO, namely Online-Merge-Offline,\u201d he says. The OMO model combines hybrid infrastructure and open education practices, and merges online and offline learning and teaching spaces together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Qin says the OMO model will help bridge the gap between in-person and online education. \u201cTo stress back to teaching English as a second language, I myself am an advocate of communicative language teaching, so I firmly believe in cultivating communicative competence for situations and activities, which go way beyond just listening and speaking to your computer,\u201d he says. \u201cIn-person education gives you that human touch when online education allows you to get exposed to a way larger audience beyond geographic limits and, given that it\u2019s digital, it\u2019s smarter in collecting and analyzing our students\u2019 learning process. This leads us back to the OMO method.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This new period of e-learning has disrupted the conventional classroom and an approach to education that has been unchanged for generations. It is likely that the post-COVID world will have a new perception of the pros and cons of both online and offline education. \u201cThat is why I myself and ClassIn are very excited about ClassIn later this year.\u201d Qin adds, \u201cImproving the teaching and learning experience for our customers is everything we care about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Off2Class sends teachers into a virtual classroom equipped with tools for success<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s not a coursebook that has been rehashed as a web product. It takes over screen-based classrooms in ways that a PDF never could. What this does is create a more immersive experience for teachers and students.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Kris Jagasia, the CEO and co-founder of Off2Class<\/a>, also took an opportunity to recreate the 21st-century classroom. In 2014, while living in Istanbul teaching English, he and James Heywood founded Turkey\u2019s first online ESL school. When building the school, they became frustrated with the materials and software that were available and created their own. Off2Class was born. The company offers a software toolkit, now used by thousands of teachers in more than 120 countries, to deliver online and in-classroom ESL lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOff2Class content has been built from the ground up for teaching on screens, so teachers do not have to adapt any further,\u201d Jagasia says. \u201cIt\u2019s not a coursebook that has been rehashed as a web product. It takes over screen-based classrooms in ways that a PDF never could. What this does is create a more immersive experience for teachers and students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Off2Class provides interactive ESL lessons with classroom materials, a step-by-step curriculum, homework assessments, placement tests and reports and data, as seen here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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