In this article, Lucy Passmore, co-author of the MINDSET for IELTS series, looks at how teachers can encourage self-study by flipping the classroom.
Why students find self-study for IELTS difficult
Self-study is an essential ingredient for success in IELTS. Students are advised to familiarise themselves with the test format, different parts of the test and different types of questions. They will also need to develop strategies for responding to exam questions and to identify and work on individual weaknesses.
The problem most students face with self-study is not a lack of motivation, but a lack of effective study skills. Some common obstacles may be:
- Feeling overwhelmed by the range of study resources and not knowing where to start
- Fixating on being able to achieve a particular score, rather than developing exam skills and strategies
- Having difficulty identifying individual weaknesses
- Doing lots of practice tests rather than focusing on skills development
Making the most of additional materials
There is no shortage of additional materials for IELTS self-study. Students have online access to official Cambridge preparation materials including practice tests. IELTS coursebooks include workbooks and/or additional photocopiable materials. Many recent editions of these coursebooks include online study modules such as the language specific and skills modules in the Mindset for IELTS series. It is our job as tutors to help students navigate these resources and to use them in a way that will help them develop the skills they need to succeed.
The flipped classroom: a useful approach for exam classes?
The flipped classroom approach, where students are given specific tasks to do in preparation for a class, allows class-time to be used for more practical tasks. It has gained popularity in recent years (see Hamdan et al, 2013).
This approach can be utilised in a number of ways in the English language classroom. One way would be to set a productive task, such as a piece of writing to be done in preparation for a writing class, which could then be evaluated in the classroom. This would seem a good fit with exam classes, where students would benefit from spending more time on skills practice and evaluation.
There are several advantages of adopting such an approach. In mixed-level groups, students will be able to complete tasks at their own pace. They can also be guided towards tasks that will help them work on their individual weaknesses.
A potential problem is that students may not do the pre-class tasks they have been set. However, this can be mitigated through the use of a ‘recap’ exercise at the start of the lesson. In her webinar, Lucy discusses flipping the IELTS classroom and provides a practical example using the MINDSET online skills module.
Catch up on the webinar:
Find more advice and ideas for the IELTS classroom here and learn more about the MINDSET for IELTS course.
New to preparing students for IELTS? Read Greg Archer’s An Introduction to IELTS: Classroom tips.