whole class

Interaction

Whole-Class Discussion

Communication in an L2 class should flow naturally back and forth across one-on-one, small group and whole-class interactions.

Communication-oriented L2 classes typically comprise a range of interactional configurations, some spoken and some written:

Interactions of the first kind — between the instructor and the entire group — are an opportunity for supporting social presence and fostering a deeper sense of community.

“As teachers, we can harness our virtual presence to connect authentically with our students by (a) being present, (b) being authentic, and (c) interacting with language learners.”

Anderson, p. 309

From the L2 learner’s perspective, whole-class discussions that put the teacher front and center are critically important. Recent research in the UK shows that students in in remote learning contexts consider the teacher’s subject matter expertise, pedagogical expertise, commitment and approachability — the very things that inform and shape whole-class discussion — to be the most important factors in successful online teaching (Murphy, 2015).

Some practical aspects to consider when engaging the whole group in either spoken or written interaction:

Spoken Interaction (Main Session)

F2F teaching environments are implicitly "inclusive" in the sense that everyone is in the same room. Students can remain silent while listening to other students speak and yet still feel part of the conversation by virtue of their physical proximity. But in a remotely taught class, even students who are “there” may feel isolated and alone. This makes it all the more important for instructors to speak directly with each student at some point during each class meeting, either in whole-group settings or in the Breakout Rooms. (For research on this effect in blended synchronous L2 courses, see the research cited below by Popov and by Rogers et al).


Written Interaction (Chat / Whiteboard / Google Doc)

You can use Chat, the Zoom Whiteboard, or a shared Google Doc during the class as an alternative to whole-group oral discussion. Encourage everyone to join in for a few minutes — asking questions in writing, making comments, perhaps following cues that you introduce:


References & Resources

Lomicka, L. (2020). Creating and sustaining virtual language communities. Foreign Language Annals, 53, 306-313.

Murphy, L. (2015). Online language teaching: The learner’s perspective. In Hampel, R. and Stickler, U., Developing Online Language Teaching. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 45-62.

Popov, O. (2009). Teachers’ and students’ experiences of simultaneous teaching in an international distance and on-campus Master’s programme in Engineering. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning 10(3), 1-17.

Rogers, P., Graham, C., Rasmussen, R., and Campbell, O. (2003). Blending face-to-face and distance learners in a synchronous class: Instructor and learner experiences. Quarterly Review of Distance Education 4(3), 245-51.

Seedhouse, P. (2019). L2 classroom context: Deviance, confusion, grappling and flouting. Classroom Discourse, 10(1), 10-28.