Flexible ESL Online Learning Activities via Padlet
- Marni Jamil
- Jan 1, 2021
- 5 min read
Virtual boards can serve as an avenue for interactive media sharing during English as a Second Language (ESL) online learning activities across different educational levels. Padlet is an interactive virtual board that can be diversified into innovative teaching practices, as the platform enables its users to communicate by sharing information through texts, videos, images, and links.
ESL educators and students can explore Padlet's superb features for their ESL lessons. Padlet's embedding feature allows educators to integrate it with other web-based collaboration platforms. Educators can expand its use in ESL activities by integrating its features with other digital apps and software to foster a wondrous air of creativity in the virtual classroom.
A. Approaches of Using Padlet Solutions
I want to share an effortless approach to teaching and learning through an interactive online task that focuses on three basic parts of speech in English: nouns, adjectives, and verbs. This task is suitable for use during the lesson's developmental stage as a reinforcement activity, or even as an ice-breaking activity, for students to socialise virtually in the early weeks of the semester. Students in a mixed-ability class can progress independently because of self-paced instruction.
Moreover, educators can monitor their students' ongoing progress and outcomes in real time through Padlet posts. Remember that flexibility and fun are the primary keys to this virtual activity! Let me walk you through a brief ESL class activity using Padlet to stretch students' knowledge of nouns, adjectives, and verbs in Movement Control Order (MCO) style during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
a. Locating Objects in Their Surroundings to Focus on Nouns
For the first task, the ESL educator may get the students to warm up by getting them to use their mobile phones or recording devices to capture a few still images of tangible living or non-living things within their surroundings. The educator can determine the number of objects based on the duration set during lesson planning.
Ideally, the students are free to roam safely inside or outside their personal space and be mindful in selecting the images to share with their peers. Hence, a simple instruction from the educator could be to have them scout around for any wonderful humans or objects that uplift their moods! Once they have decided, they can upload the images in Padlet for everyone to view.
b. Describing the Objects by Using Adjectives
For the subsequent task, students may start incorporating adjectives that express the quantity, value, opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, and materials of each chosen object. They should describe the object in a few words. The written description acts as a caption that should be presented precisely; thus, the number of words should be kept to a minimum.
The two images are the descriptions and images of the objects in the ESL students' surroundings. Students who have completed their task should be reminded to continue by responding to their friends' image posts. To allow online interaction, they may share their responses to the images and descriptions as statements or queries in the comment box. Thus, they must be able to use interrogative words to ask questions and give feedback on the images. The ripple of responses will amazingly develop into conversations that involve different individuals in the same class. The educator can monitor their participation, moderate content, and facilitate discussions.
c. Sharing Activities to Emphasise Verbs
In the following task, allow students to showcase their hidden talents or activities, including any safe stunts they can perform alone or with someone nearby. If their movement is restricted, encourage them to record any moving objects in their surroundings.
Additionally, the educator can promote flexibility in the ESL activity by giving them freedom in app selection to allow room for creativity and decision-making. They can edit a still image using apps or software to turn it into an animated image that shows movement. Self-made animated images and short-form videos can effectively highlight the entire activity. These are a few examples of animated images and videos that ESL students captured for the activity.
B. Students' Feedback
These are the responses from the ESL students who participated in the activity via Padlet. Only a few students mentioned feeling shy at the beginning of the task because it was uncommon for them to share their belongings or activities with others. Nonetheless, these students were thrilled to get to know one another better during the task.
I was a bit shy because I never shared my videos with my friends, but I think I will be more confident if I do it again.
I felt shy and nervous for the first time because I rarely did it. But I enjoyed it.
I am nervous because I rarely share my daily life or surroundings.
It was surreal to discover that most students were fond of using their gadgets to capture and share images online during the task. Apart from enjoying the activities via Padlet, they also hoped to do more similar activities.
It is very good, and I enjoy taking pictures and videos.
This is a great activity because we can share what we do.
I like sharing my pictures and videos.
The ESL online learning activity via Padlet, by and large, highlights the significant wonders of students' surroundings, which have successfully improved their understanding of the ESL topics taught. The inclusive aspect of the activity allows less-participative students to play their parts during virtual activities because the objects are within their reach! Moreover, this activity is practical to be executed synchronously and asynchronously for students with low or no bandwidth. They can still tag along when the internet connectivity is available since it is self-paced.
C. Let's Ponder...
Educators may also consider this task a follow-up activity for students to try after class hours. The tasks on Padlet acknowledge the hidden-curriculum elements, as demonstrated by the students' commitment during the activity. Based on the given duration, the implicit outcomes include students' self-discipline in submitting authentic images of objects and their active participation in kinaesthetic learning activities. This stresses the importance of integrity for students to complete tasks that require others' involvement to realise the activity's objectives.
By incorporating elements of flexibility and fun into the activity, educators create opportunities for students to engage in real conversations on the online platform in a stress-free manner. Besides that, using actual objects in the task encourages students to be more creative in executing the activity. For instance, they can use other platforms to edit raw images and videos, unleashing their creativity. The activity also enhances students' use and understanding of English parts of speech and prepares them for other ESL activities.
Hence, students will have a positive view of the English language and the motivation to accomplish simple goals before tackling more complex tasks. By polishing the fundamentals of English, students can gain the confidence to utilise online platforms and learn new skills. Consequently, ESL online learning activities can be made more meaningful with the elements of flexibility that value authenticity and human connection.
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This guest post was written by Marni Jamil, a lecturer at the Academy of Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
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