Welcome to  EFL ONLINE in association with 

Diploma in Teaching English Online

Module Four

From Traditional to Online Classroom

Just as in a classroom based setting so online teaching will vary in how it is conducted

For example, students with problems may post the teacher who will then respond to the difficulty. All the group might access the response and learn accordingly. A different approach might be with the teacheroffering as batch of material to\ work on and discuss among themselves. Most approaches might come somewhere in between.

All of what can be done in the classroom can be accomplished online albeit  in a slightly altered format.  A well organised online teacher will have more ready access to materials and will be able to call upon a far greater variety of media than will the classroom based teacher. Imagine a classroom situation where the teacher has forgotten an item or decides that he or so need more photocopies etc ; they then have to physically go off and retrieve the missing media. Onlin e the well organised teacher has all their numerous folders and files just one short click away.

Certainly, the online teacher needs a greater degree of organisational competence as what can go wrong inevitably will go wrong sooner or later and once something goes wrong online  it can go disastrously wrong.

The role of the teacher online is much the same as in the classroom We could list perhaps as below from Soby 1992"- Reducing tension and making students feel comfortable

- Maintaining an overall view of the situation

- Being aware of each individual's contributions to the discussions

- Providing inspiration and provocation as needed

- Serving as a catalyst

- Directing attention to the inner dynamics of the group

- Pointing out mistakes and correcting them

- Distinguishing between problem-solving with correct answers and decision-making with no correct answers

- Providing references to the texts."

To sum up, the likely pitfalls and issues that may occur with a transition from classroom to online both for teacher `and learner may include  

Technological problems which or may not be easy to solve and of course new and ever more complex technology is continuously becoming available

The learning curve where both teacher and student evolve into an ever increasing level of confidence in what they are doing and the process that is taking place within the new media

Learner appeal as many learners may initially be apprehensive as to what can be in the way of learning a language online

Learner alienation as some learners especially if their initial experience of online learning is negative may lose interest and fade away

Tutor overload as the demands on the online tutor can be high and burn out needs to be avoided  

Certainly, the possibilities and opportunities are immense as are the challenges. Online learning will certainly continue to grow and teachers will eagerly embrace both the trials and tribulations. The key will be to ensure that a measured and rational prospective is maintained at all times