CLIx Uni(que)versalised: Moving and Expanding Beyond the Four States! (05.10.2018)
CLIx facilitated the student–teacher training workshop held at Kapila Khandelval College of Education (KKCE) on 5 October 2018. This workshop was conducted to extend the knowledge gained by student–teachers in the Grassroots Foundation Training held on 19 and 20 September 2018 and to observe and assess how well these student–teachers have grasped the idea of utilising technology for language teaching and training and how effectively they transfer it to their peers in a period of 2–3 weeks.
The Grassroots Foundation Training on the CLIx English module conducted by Nishevita Jayendran (19–20 September 2018) introduced participants to the pedagogy applied in creating the CLIx English modules. Further, there were discussions on different approaches to language teaching and learning through the effective use of technology and multimedia.
CLIx team members facilitated the training workshop at KKCE on 5 October. The workshop brought together stakeholders of education — teachers, teacher trainers and facilitators — on a single platform to explore and discuss the ‘what and how’ of successful learning.
Participants exploring the CLIx module on the platform
CLIx facilitators opened the training session with a presentation that took participants on a virtual journey of how CLIx evolved over time. This inspired them to ask questions and learn more about the platform. The presentation was followed by an open discussion about the platform. The student–teacher participants discussed the way CLIx has used technology as an important tool to create accessible teaching and learning resources. They discussed the way CLIx English modules can be used in classrooms and outside and be conveniently integrated into teaching plans and the academic syllabus.
CLIx English modules focus on developing students’ speaking and listening skills. All the English exercises enable the learners to practise and evaluate their own speaking and listening skills. During their exploration of the English modules, participants made some key observations.
- It motivates the learner to learn through trial and error.
- It provides a safe space to the language learner.
- It enhances correct speaking and effective listening in the learner.
- It develops the cognition of the learner.
- It has an easy to difficult and relatable layout of tasks, which will establish confidence amongst the learners.
Participants enjoyed the Story Listening and Let’s Talk activities (https://demo-clix.tiss.edu/eb-unit0-english-beginner/course/content/). They kept going back again and again to record their voices. The immediate response was the comparison of their voice with the sounds of the voiceover artists on the English platform. Participants remarked that they could understand the flaws in their pronunciation and go back and try to listen carefully and speak in a manner better than before.
Participants felt self-motivated and engaged in the activities. The KKCE’s student–teachers who had successfully attended and completed the Grassroots Training at TISS in September led the workshop for their peers and handled minor troubleshooting. It was greatly motivating to see how they employed and extended their knowledge and passed it on to their peers. They were well planned and very enthusiastic about conducting the workshop at their college. The session ended with a note:
We as teachers need to emphasise and mainstream the use of technology for effective learning.
– Mushtaq Ahmed
Research Associate,
CLIx English Team,
Centre for Education,Innovation and Action Research, TISS
