The moment a new challenge - especially if it involves digital competency - lands on my plate, my brain goes into overdrive, buzzing with a mixture of nervous apprehension and curiosity. I tend to be full of self doubt. However, I’m also a persister and when I master something I feel a big sense of accomplishment, alongside a recognition that perhaps this was a good idea after all. Spending the last five and a half years of my career with Learning Village has provided me with the opportunity to meet new digital challenges and reflect deeply on the positive implication of technology on teaching EAL learners.
Learning Village isn’t just about ‘plug and play’
Sure, Learning Village is a very convenient, constructive, and effective programme to start low-level EAL learners on their language journey to success. Yet, how many of us truly meet our full learning potential from a computer programme? After all, language is about authentic communication.
"Technology will never replace great teachers, but technology in the hands of great teachers is transformational"
George Couros, educator and author
Initially, it was such a relief to me to have a programme I could put my beginner learners on, while I was trying to teach a multi-level class. Did it meet individual needs? A resounding ‘Yes!’. Although moving onto small-group teaching, where I could put the lessons on the screen and use them as a visual prompt for speaking and listening repetition, games, and modelling, created significantly more engagement.
Have you seen the videos of small-group teaching Survival Language, Phonics and Reading in the training video section? Taking a more interactive approach, modelled the Chinese proverb, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
Tailoring lessons to exactly what’s needed in the classroom
There are many online language learning programmes, but the dream of Learning Village is being able to tailor lessons to specifically meet the exact language required for mainstream classrooms - and you can do this in just a few minutes! Use the Sentence Visualiser or the Content Creator to key in specific words or language structures. Select suitable images and save. All you have to do now is click a button to upload these to the platform and learners can do the work interactively, or through small-group teaching.
Analyse classroom texts for difficulty
Analysing a text to find the level of vocabulary is the first step in assessing its accessibility to a learner. According to Nation, ‘The vocabulary teacher’s most important task is to ensure that the learners know the highest frequency words well, and that they have effective strategies for dealing with the less frequent vocabulary items.’
You can copy and paste any text, however simple or advanced, into the Word Frequency Tool. Colour coding allows you to see the low, middle, and high frequency words. Click a button to create a dictionary and a series of printable resources to front-load vocabulary. Go a stage further and create an online lesson.
Alternatively, use the AI function in the Text Builder, to create a text at a given level, using a specified genre, with comprehension questions. It’s all about differentiation and meeting individual needs without lowering the content standard.
An eagle eye!
The blue and green buttons contain only part of the resources provided by Learning Village. Here are some of my favourite go-tos:
- The Tool Box - posters, case studies, suggested games, learner resources, parent resources, planning, SEND guidance, and training documents. It might take a bit of time, but there is so much useful information which broadens our teaching and motivates learners.
- EAL resources beyond Learning Village - these are as varied as printable resources for Sports Day to Assessment Strategies for Very Young Learners.
- Professional Development, Further Learning Blog - if you ever want to read a short evidence-based article on a given topic, search here! Each one comes with a downloadable resource.
- AssessEP - sign up for snapshot reading (online), listening (online), speaking, and writing assessments especially developed for EAL learners.
- Leaderboards - connect with other Learning Village learners worldwide, or create internal school competitions.
Concluding thoughts
The right digital tools are game-changers. They don’t just enhance teaching quality by meeting every individual’s learning needs, they also make your planning and assessment significantly easier. Across Cultures is dedicated to constantly researching and improving the Learning Village platform. Make sure you click on the ‘What’s New’ button to discover the latest features!
References:
Couros, G. The Innovator’s Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent and Lead a Culture of Creativity Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc. 2015
Lyon, S. Real-world communication. Available here. Enative 2025
Nation, P. Learning Vocabulary in Another Language Cambridge University Press 2001
