Teacher attrition and the turnover rate at language schools is alarmingly high. Every year, schools and academic centers around the world collectively spend millions of dollars replacing teachers and staff. When a teacher leaves, especially in the middle of the year, replacement teachers have a hard time adjusting to students and vice versa.

But why is the turnover rate for these teachers so high? Language teachers are usually put in charge of several classes with different sizes and different skill level; the more classes they have, the more off-the-clock planning is required. Without the necessary tools to succeed, instructors are left feeling overworked and underpaid for all of their efforts.

As a result of this, more and more schools are choosing to transition from the traditional classroom method of teacher to a blended learning classroom that combines in-class participation with e-learning tools. Dexway Language Innovation, with headquarters in Europe, USA, and LATAM, is the leading provider of blended learning classes called The Flipped Classroom; a proven learning model that is flexible, structured, and comprehensive for both the teacher and the student alike.

razones colegios bilingues-estan-pasando al blended learning

How can blended learning courses facilitate the role of the teacher and help reduce teacher turnover?

 

#1 Structured blended courses reduce planning time

The number one complaint of language teachers is the amount of planning time required outside of work hours. A full-time schedule for language teachers typically consists of 22 classes per week lasting 1 hour each; planning for 22 classes with students at different language levels can be an exhausting task.  Teachers are left spending hours at the library, photocopying different language books and exercise pages just to keep their classes afloat.

Dexway’s Flipped Classroom follows a proven pedagogical methodology of teaching that is effectively structured with quality content to take every student through each learning step necessary to succeed at acquire the language; a 0 to 100% language immersion tool. Each course is highly advanced and comes equipped with a course syllabus, course objectives, student statistics of language strengths and weaknesses, and a customizable study planner.  Courses also come complete with all of the material and resources a teacher needs and incorporate a diverse and fun selection of activities like gap fills, pronunciation exercises, karaoke, role-playing, etc. that keep students engaged.

To assist teachers even more, Dexway has developed a teacher’s guide for every course to help teachers navigate through the units. Activities and exercises are tailored to each level so teachers can effectively handle teaching 22 different classes every week if need be without feeling worn out from lesson planning.

#2 More flexibility at work with the flipped classroom

Language teachers usually have a recurring group of students they meet with every week, so canceling or missing a lesson means a whole week of language learning and training that is thrown away. Students are also the first to complain when they have to cancel a language course as most of them pay good money for each course. In other words, the show must go on. With Dexway blended learning, the show does go on. If a teacher called in sick or needs to take a few days off of work, the structured and planned courses are easy to follow by any substitute teacher.

Students can remain with the same material they were being taught by their teacher and simply continue onto the next unit with the teacher they have for that lesson. Teachers can return from a sick day off knowing their students are prepared and didn’t have to miss any class time.

#3 More students, higher profits

Dexway’s blended learning solution is the best, most cost effective solution for language schools to both reduce teacher workload while also increasing the number students they have. Naturally, increasing the volume of students at a school increases its profitability. Schools can focus on offering the best quality language solution while still staying under their budget.

#4 Native language help for beginners

It’s true that one of the hardest parts of being a foreign language teacher to beginner students is the large gap in language understanding coming from bth parties. Sometimes there are not enough synonymous words or hand gestures that can help students understand what the teacher is trying to say. Dexway’s courses come with 2 great tools for this issue: all beginner courses come with optional in-course help in the student’s native language and a built-in Collins dictionary for definitions.

For students in the beginning stages of language learning, they can opt to have in-course language help in the language of their choice. Portuguese students can have English grammar rules explained to them in Portuguese. This is greatly helpful for teachers when trying to explain the basic ground rules of the language.

#5 Students come to class more prepared

Blended learning offers a great opportunity for students to learn outside of the classroom and at their own pace; allowing them to repeat difficult exercises as many times as needed without feeling intimidated by the classroom environment. This results in a higher level of language learning and makes for student that is better prepared when the time comes to have a classroom lesson.Teachers are able to spend more time focusing on the detected weaknesses of the students and reinforcing them with practice activities rather than spend time explaining material that students may already know.

Find out more about Dexway Language Innovation’s Flipped Classroom, where every feature and functionality was developed with the trainer and the student in mind.  

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