Using Technology to Adopt a Student-Centered Approach to ESL

An approach that focuses on each student’s needs and interests may sound like a dream to learners, but may feel overwhelming to educators. Although student-centered teaching shows outstanding results in student learning and progress, the diversity of ESL classrooms and delivery methods can provide distinct challenges not found in other education sectors. 

Many ESL classes meet for a mere hour or two a week, while others include a wide diversity of first languages among students. And of course, many schools have a set curriculum that accounts for every class hour, making it difficult to work in extra material. If any of these challenges resonate with you, continue reading for some tips to help mitigate these barriers to adopting a student-centered approach in your classroom.  

Why Student-Centered Learning?

Student-centered learning is a style of teaching that focuses on the individual needs of the learners. This approach puts more emphasis on the unique needs of each student and less on a set curriculum. Additionally, a student-centered approach strives to minimize teacher-talking time in class. The teacher takes on the role of a facilitator of student learning that assists and provides guidance as needed. A student-centered approach allows students to direct their own learning based on needs and interests through various methods. This approach can improve student outcomes by increasing students’ motivation to learn by using language that is directly applicable to their daily lives. When students feel their time and interests are respected and they find their classes helping them perform in real world tasks, they are attentive in lessons and more likely to continue their practice at home. 

In an ESL classroom, student-centered learning often takes the form of a more communicative classroom experience. Students use class time to practice language, rather than solely learning grammatical structures or repeating phrases. Students are guided to speak and write independently, allowing them to create unique utterances that fit their daily lives. Students are better prepared for real world language use by focusing on their communicative needs outside the class and not primarily preparing for the exam in the classroom. Students who find their communicative needs met will be more engaged in class and see better improvement. This will improve your relationship with your students, where they see English class as a valuable few hours every week that they look forward to and not another stressor. Despite the benefits and promises of this student-centered approach, there are many challenges that prevent many teachers from utilizing this method. 

This approach can improve student outcomes by increasing students’ motivation to learn by using language that is directly applicable to their daily lives.

Barriers to a Student-Centered Teaching

Many ESL classes only meet for a few hours every week. And regardless of the time you have in the classroom, students always seem to need more. Fixed classroom hours limit the availability to pursue students’ interests or attend to the needs of one or two individuals over the rest of the class. Furthermore, strict curriculum requirements can make it impossible to manage additional practice within class hours. With time always of the essence, it is easy - and sometimes necessary - to prioritize the curriculum over the students’ unique needs or interests. 

Another challenge that teachers commonly face is that language students, especially adult learners, have a variety of responsibilities such as work, family, other classes, and more, which can impact their attendance. These other responsibilities often take priority over English class. When these students miss classes frequently, they can fall behind. Modern teaching tools allow teachers to assign homework virtually to keep students up to date. However, students can lack the motivation to complete work on their own or find the work too daunting to attempt without guidance. Even with the teacher’s best efforts to take care of their students in any circumstance, both instructors and learners need greater supports.

Finally, there is the challenge of teacher planning time. An immensely important, and often undervalued aspect of teaching is the preparation time behind the scenes. With the adoption of a student-centered approach comes the addition of more planning time. Teachers need to use class time to gather feedback from students or to note specific areas where students are struggling. Then, they must adjust their lesson plans and design materials to meet these needs. And of course, for individual students who require more support, a teacher may need to provide additional practice to occupy the majority of the class and allow time to address the individual’s needs adequately. No matter how you incorporate a more student-centered approach in your classroom, added preparation time seems unavoidable. 

Technology can provide additional practice outside of class time which allows students to fulfill their learning needs without deviating too drastically from the curriculum or losing hours of class time to fit in the necessary practice.

Mitigating the Challenges of a Student-Centered Approach with Technology 

New technology provides teachers and students with dozens of new supports and additions to the English language learning (ELL) process. When utilized effectively, this technology can minimize preparation time and extend student practice hours. So how can technology be used to mitigate the challenges of student-centered teaching?

Technology can provide additional practice outside of class time which allows students to fulfill their learning needs without deviating too drastically from the curriculum or losing hours of class time to fit in the necessary practice. Additionally, many ELL platforms have built-in guidance for students, ensuring they are supported even while self-studying. This technology also allows teachers to assign practice lessons to absent students with guided support to increase the probability of success and comprehension of missed lessons. 

Technological resources such as Ellii, ELLLO, Roshi, and FLOW Speak provide pre-made resources designed specifically for ELL. This means teachers do not need to spend hours designing materials in order for students to receive the guidance and repetition they require to master new skills. Two of these resources, Roshi and FLOW Speak, use AI to add dynamic support to assist teachers (primarily Roshi) and students (primarily FLOW Speak). With these resources constantly improving, it is becoming easier to integrate a more personalized approach to learning without losing entire evenings to lesson preparation. 

Technology can now be used to reduce planning time, increase student motivation, provide learner-centered practice, and be delivered in class or as homework.

FLOW Speak is particularly useful for language instructors because it focuses on conversational skills like speaking and listening, as well as common spoken expressions in English. These skills are often overlooked by other ELL resources because it has been difficult to evaluate spoken English digitally. FLOW Speak utilizes AI to guide learners through conversations by providing listening examples, unlimited repetition, and specific feedback for learners without teacher evaluation. This guided practice increases motivation and gives students direction. 

Guided home practice mitigates frustration and improves student abilities beyond the limits of the classroom. Resources such as Ellii and FLOW Speak organize lessons to focus on specific areas of interest, or lessons. This keeps students focused and builds their language competency from the ground up. FLOW Speak adds another layer of motivation by gamifying the language acquisition process as consistent practice and improvement are rewarded. 

Technology can now be used to reduce planning time, increase student motivation, provide learner-centered practice, and be delivered in class or as homework. Slowly, through the exploration of new technologies, teachers can introduce a more student-centered approach to their classroom in a unique way that works for their teaching style and program. Through these ELL platforms, teachers can offer students a highly personalized language learning process regardless of the challenges of the past that prevented this approach.