Online English language learning gets a boost from the British Council this week as it takes four programmes online. Adult learners can build their skills through myClass Online and MyTutor, while Primary Plus and Secondary Plus are tailored for younger learners to progress remotely.
The British Council has moved 75,000 English language learners from teaching centres in 44 countries to learn online. The move towards online provision has been accelerated in response to demands from students and parents in lockdown.
The programmes build on the British Council’s 80 years’ English language teaching expertise, packaged into convenient, easy-to-access online courses to give students the best possible online learning experience:
myClass Online gives adult learners flexibility to study at their own pace, choosing when and how often they attend live online English classes with expert teachers.
MyTutor provides on-demand, one-to-one tuition so that British Council-approved tutors can offer personalised tuition and professional support.
Primary Plus (six- to 12-year-olds) and Secondary Plus (12- to 17-year-olds) combine live online classes and pre-lesson interactive guided learning to create a rewarding experience in a safe, easy-to-use learning environment with specialist, highly trained British Council teachers.
The four products add to the existing roster of digital learning offered by the British Council, including Learning Time with Timmy – a partnership with British animation studio, Aardman, for pre-schoolers, free to view on YouTube, and now streamed on Netflix. The video series is inspired by the curriculum designed by British Council experts which is taught in classrooms around the world.
Mark Robson, Director English and Exams, British Council, said:
“Our exciting new online English offer responds to a shift, accelerated by Covid-19, in the role of the educator and in needs of students which puts the focus on skills-development as much as on knowledge-building. Students are demanding the skills to compete and collaborate internationally, including English proficiency and digital literacy, to set themselves apart in an unpredictable job market.”
Students will not only become more capable in the English language through the new learning opportunities, but also grow their multicultural awareness, social aptitude and digital literacy. While its new English products tackle one of the barriers to skills-development, they are part of a much wider global effort by the British Council to support the next generation with the opportunities, tools and training needed to develop holistic skill sets.
Students will gain life skills, while engaging with UK and other cultures, until such a time that they can gain international experience first-hand once again.
ENDS