Engaging Students Online with Technology-Mediated Task-Based Language Teaching

Arab World English Journal ◽

10.24093/awej/covid.8 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 107-126

Author(s):

Surya Subrahmanyam Vellanki ◽

Sasidhar Bandu

Keyword(s):

Online Teaching ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Language Teaching ◽

Real Life ◽

Virtual Classroom ◽

Traditional Practices ◽

Teaching Techniques ◽

Online Learners ◽

Online Teaching And Learning ◽

Student Centered

The Covid-19 pandemic effected a sudden shift to online teaching, prompting teachers to implement many uncommon or even unusual teaching techniques in this unforeseen context. This precipitous move to online teaching has radically altered our teaching practices, where teachers have had to either completely do away with traditional practices or modify them in significant ways. One of the primary concerns of online teaching voiced by many teachers is to hold students’ interest and keep them engaged in the virtual classroom. Another challenge has been to make students interact with each other and the teacher. The authors of this paper believe that Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) addresses these concerns head-on. There are two reasons for this: first, its emphasis on real-life language through meaningful tasks; and second, it is student-centered. This paper provides a brief background of TBLT and technology-mediated TBLT. It will show how some coursebook materials could be used in TBLT to help online learners improve their language skills. The paper also outlines with examples how technology-mediated tasks could be deployed to encourage learners to use language in productive ways. Finally, the authors discuss some of the anticipated challenges concerning the application of TBLT in online teaching and learning contexts.

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Design and Implementation of Multidimensional Interaction in Online English Course under the Assistance of Omnimedia

Scientific Programming ◽

10.1155/2021/3713161 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Ming Cao

Keyword(s):

Class Number ◽

Online Teaching ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Course Design ◽

New Technology ◽

Online Teaching And Learning ◽

Student Centered ◽

Offline Learning ◽

Teaching Concept ◽

Network Platform

The method of multidimensional interaction in online teaching and learning requires teachers to harness the techniques of omnimedia and have an overall course design to achieve similar results as offline learning. Supported by QQ, Lanmo Cloud Class, and WeChat platforms, online English courses implement multidimensional interaction method to enhance language communication. This method compensates for the inefficacy of online teaching and learning which falls short of face-to-face interaction and considers the needs of students. The quasiexperimental study sampled 66 freshmen English major students in an ordinary college via Integrated English Online Course for three months. By using T-test of SPSS 26.0, statistics showed that there were significant differences between the experimental class (Number 35) and the control class (Number 31) in students’ feedback ( p = 0.044 , < 0.05 ) and the results of their final examinations ( p = 0.049 , < 0.05 ). The results indicated that multidimensional interaction in online English course under the assistance of omnimedia appeared effective. It also reflected that both teachers and students should grasp the skills of using new technology and make good use of omnimedia network platform. Teachers need to change traditional teaching concept to student-centered and create effective teaching design while students need to overcome the discomfort and actively engage in online learning to achieve the goals.

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Task-Based Language Teaching

Paradigm Shifts in 21st Century Teaching and Learning - Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-3146-4.ch006 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 83-98

Author(s):

Gökhan Kayır

Keyword(s):

Learning Process ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Language Teaching ◽

Real Life ◽

Communicative Language Teaching ◽

Learning Processes ◽

Language Teachers ◽

Teaching Approach ◽

Student Centered ◽

Teaching Models

Task-based language teaching is one of the newest language teaching models and has popularity among language teachers as it brings real-life situations to the classroom. Based on main principles of communicative language teaching approach, the method provides student-centered, flexible, and authentic real-life classroom environments. Not only the output but also input and learning processes are important for the teachers using this approach. Students are in the center of teaching and learning process, while the teachers are mentor and facilitator. The TBLT uses educational tasks to teach a language. Educational tasks are duties that are structured for an educational purpose. Each task has a language focus that can be assessed. As a result, having the flexibility and being a student-centered approach, TBLT will be used and adapted by many language instructors.

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Online Teaching during COVID-19 Pandemic: Teachers’ Experiences from a Chinese University

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su14010568 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 568

Author(s):

Samson Maekele Tsegay ◽

Muhammad Azeem Ashraf ◽

Shahnaz Perveen ◽

Mulugeta Zemuy Zegergish

Keyword(s):

Online Learning ◽

Online Teaching ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Online Teaching And Learning ◽

Student Centered ◽

University Teachers ◽

Pedagogical Training ◽

Chinese University ◽

The University

This paper explores the experiences of Chinese university teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular emphasis on the teaching and learning methods adopted and the benefits and challenges encountered in the process. It is based on semi-structured interviews with 13 Chinese university teachers selected through purposive sampling. The findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic forced the university and teachers to adopt online teaching and learning without necessary preparations. Most of the teachers had no adequate ICT and pedagogical training to engage in online teaching and learning. The teachers used the little knowledge they had to learn creating videos and managing online classes gradually. In addition to the flexibility benefits, online learning is expected to transform the teaching and learning process in China to become more interactive and student-centered, which would be a significant achievement for teachers who have been practicing traditional teaching methods. This research provides a better understanding of the benefits and challenges of online learning, which could be vital for future adjustments or educational reforms.

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