Dynamic Lesson Planning in EFL Reading Classes through a New e-Learning System

This paper illustrates how lesson plans, teaching styles and assessment can be dynamically adapted on a real-time basis during an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) reading classroom session by using a new e-learning system named iBELLEs (interactive Blended English Language Learning Enhancement system). iBELLEs plays a crucial role in filling the gaps between the teacher's expectations and students' needs. iBELLEs is used as a feasible tool to help teachers in upper-intermediate level Japanese EFL reading classes gauge students' comprehension of current reading materials, choose appropriate teaching styles and make dynamic assessments to pursue particular sub-goals before reaching the final goal of a given classroom session. iBELLEs is built on a database technology and is used as an electronic textbook equipped with a bidirectional communication facility in face-to-face EFL reading classrooms that are supported by a robust Language Management System (LMS) called WebOCMnext. By obtaining immediate feedback from the students, the teacher can determine an appropriate level of mediation that should be carefully, but quickly adjusted to satisfy individual student's needs. The current study tries to explore how simultaneous feedback from the students can help teachers make dynamic lesson planning and assessment during a single EFL reading classroom. [For full proceedings, see ED564162.]