Fifth year Punta Chica pupils were exposed to a totally new learning environment, a virtual campus which was used as a tool for a “Blended Learning” course on Nutrition, specially designed for them.

This course involves e-learning (electronic learning) in the computer laboratory, where students log into their own virtual campus combined with classroom activities.  In the virtual campus they looked for all the relevant information in a site specially designed by the teachers and previously selected links and educational videos. In the meantime they took down notes on their findings in graphic organizers or using the software “Inspiration”.   

Among the numerous advantages of this method, we would specially like to mention that students were highly motivated and they acquired autonomy in the learning process. They became the protagonists of their learning experience, while the teacher was only a facilitator. Interaction was at its best as students could answer questions, submit information, give their opinion in a poll and even chat with their peers and teachers as they went along the process of learning on Nutrition.

Furthermore, they worked at their own pace, taking advantage of their own learning styles: visual learners could read while auditory ones could listen to the text recorded by the teachers in mp3 format or else use both methods and even enlarge the text in case of special difficulties.

Moreover, students were involved in a continuous, on-going self-assessment process through several multiple choice tests. These were prepared for the sake of learning and could therefore be repeated as many times as necessary. In case a student was absent to school, he could carry on with his studies from his house as the Campus is online.

Other class activities, including individual, pair and team work, were carried out through differentiated instruction catering for the students’ learning styles.

We have experienced the great benefits of this innovative, challenging and demanding method of learning which proved to be a total success. This new approach involves the use of certain 21st century tools, most useful for the students’ future studies and careers; as they are so commonly used nowadays in universities and Master degrees, as well as in companies worldwide.

                                                    Inés y Susan

                                           5th. Year English Teachers