mLearning Content www.britishcouncil.org

Background Huge demand for English from Bangladeshi females largely based on employment aspirations Mobile penetration high in rural areas Offers a secure and flexible environment in which to study Cost effective reach with income generating potential and interest from mobile operators VAS www.britishcouncil.org

Factors shaping content design Type of handset currently used by beneficiary: Low cost Type and level of English needed by beneficiary: Practical communicative English for the workplace Profile of typical beneficiary: Adolescent girl from rural area with no previous experience of Self Access Learning www.britishcouncil.org

The course structure 17 units with 5 lessons per unit (250 minutes total learning) SMS after each lesson Units interlinked with basic story board featuring same characters throughout course Story set in the beneficiaries local context A Bangladesh teacher instructs, explains and models the target language www.britishcouncil.org

The language methodology used in IVR learning A definition of audio lingual learning: Applied to language instruction, and often within the context of the language lab, this means that the instructor would present the correct model of a sentence and the students would have to repeat it. www.britishcouncil.org

Some benefits Significantly improves listening skills Helps in very controlled production of language Provides realistic language models ( target language inputs) Aids pronunciation Some drawbacks Limited interaction Constant repetition No visual support www.britishcouncil.org

A learning model integrating mlearning (IVR) INPUT – IVR ( can include drills and some grammar – vocabulary explanation) SAL learning OUTPUT – speaking/writing done in a peer support group context www.britishcouncil.org

Implementing the model Girls receive input through mlearning In peer support groups – part of a BRAC ADP program – they practice the mlearning input language through supplementary learning materials produced by the British Council. Typical activities include role plays and information gaps Peer support groups meet on a weekly basis An informal assessment system will be introduced

Any www.britishcouncil.org

THANK YOU andrewjones2@britishcouncil.org www.britishcouncil.org