UNOi, a subsidiary of Santillana, who provides learning solutions to schools throughout Latin America, partnered with Edusoft to train their teachers on the latest developments in English teaching practices. Edusoft created webinars for the 600 UNOi teachers based on Edusoft’s pedagogical learning methodology.
These webinars consisted of four, one and a half hour, online sessions. The first session covered blended learning and how to integrate technology into the classroom in order to accomplish educational goals. The next session concentrated on techniques and strategies to develop students’ reading and listening skills. Session three focused on how to provide students with effective writing and speaking practice. Challenges of assessing speaking and writing were also covered in this session with the teachers scoring authentic responses. The final session dealt with the implications of integrating the four skills – reading, listening, speaking and writing – in classroom teaching. Research has shown that teaching second language skills in such a way that they are integrated with each other can enhance learning in a variety of ways, most notably by increasing the focus on realistic communication, which is essential in developing students’ competence in English.
The content of the webinars gave teachers the knowledge on how to create the ideal learning environment for students while giving them practical tools and skills to implement what they learned in the classroom. This ensured alignment to UNOi’s philosophy of putting the student at the center of all learning.
