Today I observed my first online Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) course, which was focused on advanced oral communication. Being the first online course that I observed, I put particular attention to the way in which technology was being used in order to encourage oral participation throughout the class.
What became apartment quite quickly was how technology can encourage participation, but also, discourage. While the instructor was able to put the discussion questions on the screen for the class to see, without the cameras or microphones on at all times, it appeared that the teacher struggled with keeping students on track with the activity. When broken into groups, students seemed confused about what they should be doing, which resulted in many silent pauses. Similar to in-person classes, one student did attempt to keep the activity and conversation proceeding, but without the tasks readily available, students reverted to non-participation.
In conclusion this observation reminded me of the complex social fabric of a classroom, particularly within the online environment. This space is new for most students and teachers and I will need to put extra attention into the development of lessons to ensure they are structured in such a way that guides students on the learning journey.