Like many other fields, English as a Second Language (ESL) has undergone transformation during and beyond the pandemic. Though some ESL professionals had already been mastering skills necessary for online synchronous learning, the pandemic forced all face-to-face learning to transition into virtual spaces where instructors had to overcome tough technological challenges while adopting traditional strategies and approaches to new environments. Following the general trends of online education and trends to “humanize” online learning experiences, ESL professionals are asking questions about the importance of synchronous teaching and learning, and whether or not it should be a necessary component in all online courses.

When I started teaching an asynchronous online course after years of teaching in a traditional classroom, I enjoyed the flexibility that came with it since I did not have to be in a specific place at a specific time. Except synchronous team meetings, I could work from anywhere as late or as early as I needed to. I also enjoyed the academic rigor and learning opportunities we created for students via asynchronous assignments. However, I knew that something was missing. It didn’t take me too long to realize that I was losing joy and fun teaching because I had no access to my students via synchronous interactions. I also knew that these types of interactions were the preferred method for language development since so many ESL approaches, such as communicative or project-based learning, which focus on pair and group work, peer reviews, students teaching, and others, are undergirded by socio-cultural theories. This realization started a journey of learning from literature and from other professionals about the whys and the hows of online synchronous teaching. I am far from being an expert, but I am much better prepared to tackle synchronous sessions.

As with many other unfamiliar or uncomfortable things we want to undertake, it is important to remember the positives of these undertakings. Let’s consider some of the most important advantages of online synchronous interactions:

• Both instructors and learners have opportunities to establish greater social presence. Garrison et al. (2000) explained social presence as having emotional expression, open communication, and group cohesion. Emotional expression includes humor, self-disclosure, and emotions, while practices that encourage the “no question is a bad question” environment foster open communication that enhances the ways participants relate to the group and being a part of the group.
• Instructors can use “verbal immediacy” behaviors such as praise, immediate response, comforting, and compliments to remove affective filters during these sessions, which might be hard to accomplish well via email (Ge at el., 2019). Even being in the same virtual space creates a closeness similar to what we experience in a traditional classroom.
• Instructors can engage learners in the main types of interaction, i.e., learner-content, learner-instructor, learner-learner, and learner-interface interactions by using chat, polls, audio, video, and pair and group work, which are supported by most contemporary videoconferencing platforms.
• Though emails and announcements help us create our teaching presence, in synchronous sessions, instructors can set or review the objectives and the direction of the courses by bringing everyone on the same page in the most direct way. During these sessions, we can see the learners’ responses, continue formative assessment, and make observations that can allow us to adjust the course.
• Multimedia materials are readily accessible during virtual sessions, thereby enabling instructors to use a variety of instructional tools as one of the main means of engagement and motivation.
• Synchronous interactions, e.g. text-based, audio, or video, have all been shown to produce significant language gains in fluency, vocabulary, reading, and structure (Kim, 2017; Dodi Siraj, 2020; Yamada, 2009).

• Scheduling across timelines and logging into a certain platform from a location conducive to a conversation and at a certain time could be a challenge for both instructors and learners
• Technological failures and lack of access
• Increased workload for instructors, where they have to adapt methodologies, choose appropriate technologies, and navigate a whole new world and culture of online interactions.
• Cognitive overload and overstimulation when too many apps, sites, videos, and other tools are used.
• Lack of technological knowledge and skills for many instructors new to teaching virtually.
• Lack of confidence in the effectiveness and success of synchronous interactions induced by the lack of experience or previous negative experiences for both instructors and learners

To maximize the positives of synchronous sessions and to mitigate the negatives, instructors and program leadership must have access to a wide range of resources. Here are some solid practices advocated across the fields:

Before conducting synchronous sessions:

• Explicitly state in all ways available – in the syllabus, LMS, emails – the technology requirements. You can even require an agreement from students that they understand and agree to use a particular technology, app, etc.
• Create tutorials and/or conduct practice sessions to eliminate challenges learners might experience with a videoconferencing platform. Don’t make assumptions that all participants know how to use a certain platform.
• Explain how you will use videoconferencing tools and functionalities. For example, use emoticons, thumbs-up, and thumbs-down functions for informal feedback about student understanding, while limiting chats for questions.
• Create a to-do list for yourself for the start of the session including things like enable mics, start recording, check attendance, display a slide deck, etc.
• Determine the best patterns of interaction to facilitate communication practices that support learning objectives. For example, requiring students to contribute only after they use a “raise hand” function in Zoom might not be the most appropriate pattern to use with the objectives of developing discussion skills. To achieve this objective, participants might need to stay unmuted and navigate discussions as they would in a traditional classroom.
• When possible, collect as much information as possible about your learners to identify their knowledge of technology, comfort level, and experiences.
• Take time to know your technology. This cannot be understated. Seek help from colleagues or YouTube, etc. Do whatever you can to become an expert.
• Think of ways to include a variety of multimedia resources (videos, podcasts, interviews, screencasts, news, animations) whenever possible.
• Provide materials and agendas beforehand to reduce cognitive load during the session. Don’t keep it a secret. Provide feedforward through agendas for successful interaction during the session.
• Shift towards project-based and task-based activities to create a greater sense of purpose and accomplishment. Since the socio-emotional supports of the traditional classroom are augmented in virtual spaces, instructors might have to tap into learners’ cognition more for deeper engagement and learning.

During synchronous sessions

• Open the videoconference space earlier for students to log in and have time to troubleshoot any technology-related issues.
• Address issues students might be experiencing with technology. Don’t ignore the elephant in the room.
• Use humor, self-disclosure, praise, and the pronoun “we” to talk about the session in order to create teacher immediacy.
• Assign roles to focus discussions and interaction and to engage learners. There are many possible roles such as a starter, wrapper, debater, questioner, coach, optimist, pessimist, sage, encourager, or idea squelcher.
• Provide structured and informal time for students to interact with each other.
• Use breakout rooms and polling.
• Model the type and level of interactions that support learning and engagement.
• Record sessions to use them afterwards for students who missed or for different follow-up activities.

After synchronous sessions

• Reflect on how activities can be redesigned or modified to achieve better outcomes in the future. As professionals, we can ask ourselves questions or even create a rubric around the three foundational concepts of online learning and teaching: social presence, teaching presence, and cognitive presence. We can also ask our peers to watch classroom recordings to help us analyze, reflect, and create. Finally, we can conduct a brief and anonymous student poll to gauge their engagement with technologies and activities.
• Consider what additional support (academic and nonacademic) students might need to enhance learner-instructor, learner-learner, and learner-content interactions.
• Watch recorded sessions to gain insight into what issues need to be addressed or to assess how sessions can be redesigned.

Because different types of synchronous interactions produce different results on language gains and are impacted by learners’ proficiency levels (Yamada, 2009), it is incumbent upon ESL instructors to carefully select the most appropriate types of activities suited for each learning environment. For example, is doing a Kahoot together during a synchronous session the best use of this time? Should I be explaining how the Simple Past is formed during a synchronous session, or should this be a tutorial learners watch before a session? Every session is different, and some don’t go as well as we plan. We have to accept these challenges and move forward, learning from our mistakes and from other professionals.

References:

Dodi Siraj, M. Z. (2020). The implementation of synchronous online chatting in EFL/ESL contexts: A survey of empirical studies. I-Manager's Journal on English Language Teaching, 10(2), 64-79. https://doi.org/10.26634/jelt.10.2.16838

Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2–3), 87–105. https://doi:10.1016/S1096-7516(00)00016-6

Ge, Z.-G., Zhang, A.-Y., Li, Y.-F., & Su, J. (2019). Exploring the impact of teachers’ verbal immediacy as an emotion mediating factor on adult e-learners’ language learning. Educational Technology & Society, 22(4), 77–89. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from https://www.proquest.com/docview/2515076490?pq-origsite=primo

Kim, H. (2017). Effect of modality and task type on interlanguage variation. ReCALL, 29(2), 219-236. https://doi:10.1017/S0958344017000015 

Yamada, M. (2009). The role of social presence in learner-centered communicative language learning using synchronous computer-mediated communication: Experimental study. Computers and Education, 52(4), 820–833. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2008.12.007

Lena Ellingburg is an Aviation English Instructor and an aspiring instructional designer. She is working on an Ed.D in Learning, Design, and Technology, and holds an MA in Applied Linguistics, an M.Ed in Secondary Education, and a BA in Intercultural Communication.