What is the difference between blended and online teaching?

In blended teaching, face-to-face lessons and online phases alternate or complement each other. In online teaching, all contact happens at a distance, usually with a mix of live video sessions and asynchronous tasks. The planning principles are very similar.

How long should a live online language lesson be?

Many teachers find that concentration drops faster on screen than in a classroom. Plan shorter phases, change the activity more often and include short breaks in longer sessions.

Should learners keep their cameras on?

Cameras help in speaking activities, but rules on this differ between schools and countries, and some learners have good reasons not to switch them on. Agree on a class rule and offer alternatives such as speaking with audio only in breakout rooms.

How do I check that learners did the asynchronous tasks?

Make the task produce something you can see: an answer in an interactive video, a post on a board or a short voice message. Then use it at the start of the next live session.

Blended and Online Language Lessons That Work

Blended and online language lessons work best when live time is used for interaction and speaking, while input, individual practice and preparation move to phases that learners do on their own. Simply transferring a classroom lesson to a video call leads to long teacher monologues and little learner talk. Planning the split between live and asynchronous phases is the key decision.

Live or asynchronous: what goes where

Activity	Live (synchronous)	Asynchronous	Comment
Speaking in pairs and groups	Yes	Partly (voice messages)	The main reason to meet live
Presenting new grammar	Possible	Better	A short video or text can be paused and replayed
Listening and reading input	Rarely	Yes	Learners work at their own pace
Controlled practice (gap fills, matching)	Rarely	Yes	Automatic feedback helps
Discussion and negotiation	Yes	Forum as preparation	Live for spontaneity, forum for depth
Writing	Short tasks	Longer texts	Peer feedback can happen in both
Clarifying questions	Yes	Q&A board	Collect questions before the live session

Asynchronous practice with automatic feedback is covered in feedback in digital exercises. For listening input that learners work on alone, see video and podcasts.

A weekly rhythm that works

An example for a group with one live online session and one face-to-face lesson per week:

Before the live session (asynchronous, about 30 minutes): learners watch a short video, complete an interactive exercise and post one question or idea on a class board.
Live online session (45 minutes): short warm-up in breakout rooms, discussion of questions from the board, a speaking task in pairs, a short report back.
Between sessions (asynchronous): learners write a short text and comment on two classmates’ texts.
Face-to-face lesson: longer speaking tasks, feedback on the written texts, preparation of the next topic.

The important part is the link: what learners prepare must be visibly used. If the board posts are never mentioned live, learners stop writing them.

Interaction online

Breakout rooms

Small rooms of two or three learners create much more speaking time than a whole-group call. For breakout rooms to work:

Give the task in writing, ideally as a slide or task card that learners can see in the room.
Set a clear time and product (“In seven minutes, agree on three tips and write them on the board”).
Visit rooms briefly, but do not stay too long; learners often stop speaking when the teacher enters.
Start the report back with one group, then ask others only for what is new.

Keeping everyone involved in plenary phases

Use the chat for quick answers from everyone at once.
Ask a question, give thinking time, then name who answers.
Use short polls or reactions to check understanding.
Change activity type more often than in the classroom.

Asynchronous speaking

Speaking does not have to wait for the live session. Voice messages or short recordings on a learning platform or class board let learners speak in their own time, repeat a recording until they are satisfied and listen to classmates. Useful formats:

a one-minute answer to a question of the week,
a short description of a photo, which a partner answers with a question,
a recorded role play that pairs prepare together.

Many learners who are quiet in live sessions speak more readily in recordings. Listen to a few recordings each week and pick up good examples in the next live session.

Instructions and materials

Online, learners cannot quickly check with a neighbour. Instructions therefore need to be shorter, written as well as spoken, and visible during the task. A shared board or a page on your learning platform with all materials for the week helps learners who missed a session. More on choosing boards, wikis and forums is in collaboration tools.

Planning the session

Use the same planning grid as for a classroom lesson, described in how to plan a language lesson, with two additional columns: mode (live or asynchronous) and platform (video call, board, learning platform). Plan shorter phases, and keep a buffer for technical problems at the start.

Data protection and school rules

Many schools and education authorities specify which video conferencing and learning platforms may be used, and under which conditions. Check these rules before you plan, especially regarding recordings and cameras. Recording sessions with learners usually needs explicit consent.

What this page does not cover

This guide is about the didactics of blended and online language lessons in schools, adult education and language schools. Questions about becoming an online language tutor, teaching qualifications or tutoring platforms are covered on our sister site aplanet-project.eu, which focuses on careers in language teaching. More on planning lessons is in the planning section.