Designing new learning experiences for your English language learners

Ehsan Gorji
Ehsan Gorji
A teacher stood in front of his class with students looking at him,
Reading time: 6 minutes

Ehsan Gorji is an Iranian teacher and educator with 18 years of experience in English language education. He collaborates on various ELT projects with different language schools around the globe. Ehsan currently owns and manages THink™ Languages and also works as a TED-Ed Student Talks Leader.

Learning has always been an interesting topic to explore in the language education industry. Every week, a lot of webinars are delivered on how learning another language could be more successful, lots of articles are written on how to maximize learning, and many discussions take place between teaching colleagues about how they could surprise their language learners with more amazing tasks and games. In our lesson plans, too, we put learners into focus and try to write learning objectives that will benefit them in the real world.

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But is it the whole picture? What if we wear our critical glasses and review what has happened? Think about your recent classroom teaching face-to-face or online, and reflect on what actually happened:

  1. Did learning actually take place, and did each student learn something?
  2. Did everyone learn the same way, or were things different as they were personalizing the lesson?
  3. Did I want my learners to learn one thing, or did I look forward to them employing the lesson in their own way?
  4. Did they manage to learn right away, or did some of my learners fail to learn the way they were expected to?
  5. Did learning finish in class, or did my students get motivated to continue with what they just practiced?

Learning might not be the whole thing, learning is individual, made with our own learner agency, affected by our choices as we learn, scaffolded by teachers’ techniques and principles, and some of which will succeed and others which might not. Learning experiences are more realistic in that they recognize learners as the ones who should learn, who are the agents of this experience and go through it, and therefore who live the experience in the world around them. As teachers, we usually do our best to help the class create their various learning experiences within one lesson; experiences which might be different in size, shape, joy and productivity.

Learning experiences are what learners love their classes for. They do not necessarily fancy the learning we provide them; they are vulnerable human beings, with all their strengths and weaknesses, hopes and disappointments, good and bad days, and falls and rises throughout their learning journey. From their point of view, exciting stages of lessons give them a chance to deepen their learning, and useful assessments take them to the next stages of exploring. Meaningful education prepares them for different ages of life.

Soft skills help learning experiences to grow

Soft skills can be fitted into any educational context. They fill the gaps between the huge training pieces as the lesson progresses. We call them life skills since they can be transferred to living experiences outside of the classroom. We call them future skills because they follow a lifelong learning pattern and develop endlessly. We call them power skills because they act as powerful tools to help learning experiences grow as they bring what is real in the world around them.

Imagine a reading lesson in which the soft skill of critical thinking is also scaffolded within tasks and subtasks. Think about a writing class where learners learn how to analyze problems and extend reasoning. Consider an interactive online grammar practice that respects learners’ creativity and does not accept only one answer.  Think of opportunities your classes have to become familiar with, practice and follow up with such power skills: Like when learners discover the full potential of a foreign language as they leave meaningful messages under a post in social media, as they practice time management and meeting deadlines through classroom projects, when they realize what good feedback is like and practice receiving and delivering it in groupwork, etc.

Soft skills provide learning experiences with the added value of broadening other related skills. Now that learning has become a learning experience that respects learners' abilities, soft skills can help ease the lesson and make it more enthusiastic. Moreover, soft skills can be transferred to other classes, at home, in college and at work. Learning experiences, too, if accompanied by the correct soft skills as they are accumulating, can find their way through study life, career journey, and more importantly, life as a whole. The common concept that believes English for employability deals with business English needs a revision here: English for employability is the fruitful English language usage and package of soft skills which together make jobs more interesting and offices and companies more desirable to work in.

Learning experiences should be designed

The challenge is that learning experiences are not created easily. We must bridge the gap between what will be conveyed (the language systems and skills) and who will experience them (language learners), which is a careful and thoughtful thing called design. Learning experience designs have 10 features in common:

A. They ask for creativity from the experiencer (or learner).

B. They are simple and fun.

C. They are fully planned but are flexible toward learners’ failure or low pace.

D. They are minimal and have huge white space for learners to glow.

E. They call for soft skills in presentation, practice and production.

F. They work best if assessed for learning, not of learning.

G. They are more enjoyable once learners’ daily routines, such as digital gadgets, online presence, etc., are employed.

H. They do not negate teachers’ roles but level them up to enablers for each learner’s growth capacity.

I. They continue outside classroom walls or screens.

J. They are co-created with learners as agents for their own learning.

Where should you start when designing new learning experiences for your English language learners? Here is a practical roadmap to the amazing domain of learning experience design.

  1. List all the lesson objectives your lesson tomorrow is oriented around. You want them to be realistic learning objectives, so check them with the GSE teacher toolkit here.
  2. In another column on the right, write down the soft skills you want to call for in your lesson.
  3. Next to each soft skill, write down if you would like your learners to know (K), recall (R), adopt (A) or transfer (T) them. (Learn more from 'Teaching soft skills in young learners’ language classes', Ehsan Gorji, IATEFL Voices 298, May-June 2024)
  4. Decide if the materials and tasks in different stages of your lesson are scaffolding the learning objectives and soft skills you have written in 1, 2, and 3.
  5. Plan how to best use your tasks, reorder them to create more learning experiences for your class, and add more value for you.
  6. Leave enough space for learners to apply, analyze, and synthesize. Be open to failure. Feedback, and have alternatives to offer in your lesson plan.
  7. Teach the lesson and take notes on your learning objectives and life skills. Assign appropriate homework in this regard.
  8. Reflect on the lesson and decide how the learning experiences can be strengthened in the next classes and topics.

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    Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a normal part of education. Many students now use AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot to help with homework, writing, studying and even learning new languages.

    These tools can be very helpful, but they also bring new challenges. Some students use AI to improve their understanding, while others may rely on it too much or copy its answers without thinking.

    Teachers have an important role to play. Instead of telling their students not to use AI, they can teach them to use it use it safely, responsibly and ethically. When students understand both the benefits and the risks, they can use AI to become better learners rather than simply finding shortcuts.

    What does ethical AI use mean?

    Ethical AI use means using AI in a fair, honest and responsible way.

    Students should think of AI as a learning assistant, not as someone who completes their work for them. AI can explain grammar, suggest vocabulary, give writing feedback or help students practise conversations. However, students should still make their own decisions, solve problems and create their own work.

    A simple rule to remember is:

    Use AI to support your learning, not replace it.

    This mindset helps students develop real language skills and become more confident learners.

    Talk openly about AI in the classroom

    Many students are already using AI, whether teachers ask them to or not. Because of this, it's important to create an open and honest conversation about AI rather than ignoring it.

    When students know they can ask questions without being judged, they are more likely to use AI responsibly. Explain when AI is helpful, when it should not be used and why learning still requires effort and practice.

    Every school may have different rules about AI, so make sure your students understand your expectations. If everyone knows what is allowed and what is not, there is much less confusion.

    Show students how AI can support learning

    AI works best when it helps students think, practice and improve.

    For example, students can ask AI to:

    • Explain difficult grammar rules
    • Create vocabulary quizzes
    • Suggest speaking questions
    • Practice everyday conversations
    • Check writing for grammar and spelling mistakes
    • Rewrite a text using simpler or more advanced English
    • Generate ideas before starting a writing task

    These activities encourage active learning because students are still involved in the process.

    However, AI should not be used to write essays, complete homework or answer exam questions without the student's own effort. If AI does everything, the student misses valuable opportunities to practice and improve.

    Protect students' privacy

    One of the most important lessons teachers can share is how to protect personal information online.

    Students should understand that AI tools may store conversations or use them to improve their systems. Because of this, they should never share private or sensitive information.

    Remind students not to enter:

    • Full names
    • Home addresses
    • Phone numbers
    • Passwords
    • Personal photos
    • School records
    • Private information about friends or family

    Instead, encourage students to use general examples when asking questions.

    For example, instead of sharing a real student's name in a piece of writing, they can simply say "the student" or create a fictional example.

    Learning to protect personal information is an important digital skill that goes beyond using AI.

    Teach students to question AI's answers

    AI is impressive, but it is not perfect.

    Sometimes AI gives incorrect information, misunderstands a question or even invents facts and references. Because AI often sounds confident, students may believe everything it says without checking.

    This is why critical thinking remains essential.

    Encourage students to ask themselves questions such as:

    • Does this answer make sense?
    • Can I find the same information somewhere else?
    • Would my teacher agree with this explanation?
    • Have I understood the answer or am I just copying it?

    Helping students develop these habits will make them stronger learners long after they leave the classroom.

    Encourage honesty and responsibility

    Being honest about AI use is an important part of academic integrity.

    If students use AI to brainstorm ideas, improve grammar or practice vocabulary, that can be a positive learning experience. However, they should not pretend that AI-generated work is completely their own if school policies require them to explain how AI was used.

    Teachers can make this easier by clearly explaining what is acceptable in different activities. For example, AI might be allowed for homework planning but not during assessments or exams.

    When expectations are clear, students are more likely to make responsible choices.

    Create simple classroom AI guidelines

    Instead of giving students a long list of rules, try creating a short classroom agreement together.

    You could ask students questions like:

    • When is AI useful?
    • When should we avoid using AI?
    • What does responsible AI use look like?
    • How can AI help us become better language learners?

    Together, you can create a simple agreement such as:

    • I will use AI to help me learn.
    • I will think before accepting AI's answers.
    • I will check important information.
    • I will not copy AI work and claim it as my own.
    • I will protect my personal information.
    • I will ask my teacher if I am unsure.

    When students help create the rules, they often feel more responsible for following them.

    Remember that teachers are still essential

    Some people worry that AI will replace teachers. In reality, AI cannot replace the human side of teaching.

    Teachers motivate students, answer unexpected questions, understand emotions and adapt lessons to meet individual needs. They encourage creativity, build confidence and create meaningful relationships in the classroom.

    AI can provide information, but it cannot replace encouragement, empathy or the experience that teachers bring every day.

    The best classrooms will combine the strengths of both teachers and technology.

    Supporting safe AI use in language learning

    AI is likely to remain an important part of education and language learners can benefit greatly from using it effectively. Instead of seeing AI as something to fear, teachers can help students understand how to use it safely, ethically and responsibly.

    By encouraging critical thinking, protecting privacy, promoting honesty and showing students how AI can support learning rather than replace it, we prepare them for a future where technology plays an important role.

    The goal isn't to stop students from using AI. The goal is to help them become confident, independent learners who know how to use these powerful tools wisely. With clear guidance from teachers, AI can become a valuable learning partner as students continue to develop the language skills and critical-thinking abilities they need for success.

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    Here are some simple and practical tips to help you prepare for your language exam at the last minute.

    1. Focus on the most important topics

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    For example, if your course often tests the past tense, question words or common travel vocabulary, review those first instead of learning new topics.

    If you have old class notes or practice papers, use them. They can show you what you should review first.

    2. Review vocabulary every day

    Learning a few new words is good, but reviewing words you already know is even better before an exam.

    Write down important words and phrases. Read them aloud and try to use them in simple sentences. For example, if you are reviewing the word "appointment", you could write:

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    • She arrived early for her appointment.

    You can also use flashcards or a vocabulary app to test yourself. Short review sessions of 10 to 15 minutes can be very effective.

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    PTE Express uses advanced biometric verification, combining facial recognition with real-time ID validation. Candidates are required to present official identification, which is cross-checked using automated systems that detect inconsistencies, fraudulent markers and different forms of tampering. 

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    Additionally, liveness detection technology ensures that the person taking the tests are physically present and not using any static image or recording. This eliminates common fraud risks that are associated with impersonation.