
I would safely say, "Not all repetition is bad for you", from the very book I read recently " Everything bad is good for you".
The very most common issue that bores students especially ESOL learners, is the repetition and redundancy of materials that has nothing new for them but that they have to master it, and will they?!
Well, they come close, but it takes a while.
Now, if we look at life, it is all redundant and it IS all repetition. The trick is how to fascinate ourselves with less of repeated but creative materials so we have more hope for future.
Now, in this regard, Classes taught online, bear a heavier shoulder in taking matters seriously. A class taught traditionally has more freedom, of exploring and playing around in other words. But, in an online class, you have to be creative. you have to present the redundant materials in a flashy attractive way to engage students to participate, or else, the class would be more of a passive environment with no interaction from the learners' side.
Giving such tasks to students to design their class, like searching website for content materials, linking to audio or video files, and using annotation tool bars to draw,write and answer questions, working in groups, using camera to connect with peers and in a word creating a virtual world of living environment, not only simulates a safe environment for learners but affords them with real scenarios that they can empathize, synchronize, give meanings, tell stories, play and finally design their own learning styles. (D.Pink )
Last week, I was teaching Car related issues, such as Car Rental, Auto Mechanics, and Roads & Routes to my students of level one adult foreign language learners.
The designing from my side was creating communicatve lesson plans on powerpoints, so they could use in class and I had in mind to engage them verbally as much as I could. It turned out that they all had better exciting stories to tell, when it came to sharing their experiences on road, and the problems with car. Not only the class moved on naturally and in an amazing fast speed, but rather it was not me, trying to engage the students but they themselves had taken control. I was only there to correct their sentence orders or pronounciations.It was time to fade away,though!