Let's Talk: Improving Teacher Talk
Interactive eLearning Training Course

Organization: Washington English Center (WEC)

The Problem

Most WEC volunteer teachers have little to no formal training in teaching English, and must attend mandatory trainings. Volunteer teachers often talk excessively in their classrooms, limiting how much students can interact and learn. WEC seeks to address this (and other skill gaps) through synchronous Zoom workshops. However, two-thirds of teachers typically don't attend trainings, requiring the Director of Programs to spend valuable time following up to ensure everyone goes through a training each session. Because some teachers are busy professionals who teach after work, whereas others are retired and teach during the day, it’s difficult to make training consistently accessible to everyone.

The Solution

I developed an eLearning course in Storyline 360 so teachers can access the training at a convenient time and progress at their own pace. In addition to the course, I developed a Companion Guide for teachers to complete as they worked through the course.

Design Process & Decision Making

During the needs assessment phase, I observed of six different WEC classrooms, conducted a focus group with eight teachers, and evaluated feedback on previous trainings to determine how the excessive teacher talk problem was manifesting in class environments, as well as the most effective way to address it. 

I included the classroom videos as a key component in the course to provide not only models of good teaching, but models of less effective teaching to help learners think critically. The videos also served as wholistic knowledge checks and real-world application tools. 

After the initial storyboard was approved by WEC, the course was piloted with 10 WEC teachers to ensure the course design and content matched their needs and provided an engaging and effective learning experience. Feedback led to re-sequencing some content and improved usability features.

Results & Delivery

Student post-session survey data and classroom observation rubrics - these tools will evaluate how strategically teachers are using their words in class, with the ultimate goal of teacher talk comprising only 30% of overall class time. Meeting this goal would create more learner-centered classrooms at WEC and greater teacher effectiveness.