L2 Remote Instruction | Princeton University | A Guide to Teaching Languages Remotely

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Remotely taught courses meet in real time but don’t share the same space. Navigating these two characteristics entails a re-conceptualization of approaches and goals, an adequate mastery of certain technical components (here, Zoom and Canvas) – and an openness to new opportunities and possibilities. This site invites instructors to explore a series of questions relating to L2 pedagogy, leading to pages with practical suggestions, advice from instructors, and suggested readings from the published research.

What should I include in the syllabus?

How do I create a sense of community in the class?

How do I handle basic elements of L2 pedagogy?

What can I use to provide input?

How can I foster interaction during class?

What options do I have for assigning homework?

How can I provide feedback?

How should I organize quizzes and tests?

How do I get started with zoom?

syllabus basics illustration — A syllabus for a remotely taught course must acknowledge the students’ need for details regarding expectations, procedures and resources.

acaedmic integrity illustration — Studies suggest that students are more likely to cheat while learning online than in a F2F environment. A remotely taught course should be designed to strengthen their commitment to academic integrity and reduce the temptation to gain an unfair unadvantage.

course procedures illustration — Establishing clear, student-friendly procedures is critically important to the success of a remotely taught course.

workload illustration — Remote learning environments call for reflection on the kinds of work that can be done remotely, and the amount of work that instructors can reasonably expect students to do.

asynchonrous illustration — Delayed (asynchronous) communication allows not only for flexibility — students and instructors can interact as their schedules permit — but can also facilitate more thoughtful, complex and creative language use.

synchonrous illustration — Sharing ideas, opinions and other information in real time — both inside and outside the classroom — is a mainstay of communicative language courses, and a primary component in building community.

learning community illustration — “Creating a sense of community in an online course involves both effort and intention, but it should form an essential part of your thinking. The sense of community among learners in a course … plays an essential role in the effectiveness of the course in producing learning.” (Darby & Lang, p. 77)

netiquette illustration — Learners in remotely taught courses should be encouraged to practice good netiquette, i.e., to adhere to mutually acknowledged guidelines of behavior in online spaces.

Creating presence illustration — “Who we are as social beings drives learning, and the social aspects of learning are the most important. Consequently, those connection points, better known as community, become extremely important in creating a sense of belonging.” (Palloff & Pratt, p. 26)

workflow illustration — Effective L2 pedagogy depends on finding the right balance between presentation and interaction, and on maintaining an appropriate tempo while moving from one to the other.

pronunciation illustration — Working on L2 pronunciation poses special challenges in a remote learning environment, where audio and video interaction can be inconsistent or disrupted, and one-on-one feedback socially awkward.

vocabulary illustration — Learning and reviewing L2 vocabulary can take place in each of Zoom’s interactive modes, which enables a multi-modal approach to a critical task in L2 acquisition.

corrective feedback illustration — Remote learning tools offer a wide range of choices for providing feedback on students’ speaking and writing.

screen share illustration — By using the Share Screen function of Zoom, you can pivot away from the camera image to other sources of input — PowerPoint, internet sites, Word files, or any other source that’s open on your computer screen.

Using chat illustration — Chat allows you to send input in the form of text messages and files to students during a class meeting.

whiteboard illustration — The Whiteboard puts a blank canvas at your disposal for typing, drawing, and editing text and other visual input.

student-generated content illustration — Content generated by students can be a vital source of L2 input — as well as an affirmation of students' unique knowledge and perspective.

warm-ups illustration — The activities planned for the first few minutes of class should be designed to build community, reduce student anxiety, and provide scaffolding for more complex L2 use later on in the class.

collaborative tasks illustration — Providing input for students in a remotely taught class is relatively easy; getting them to use the L2 productively is more challenging. It depends largely on how well the lesson is planned, and to what degree students perceive the group as a community.

Breakout rooms illustration — Breakout Rooms replicate pair work with one-on-one live interaction — but they also enable students to share texts, images and videos, and interact in a more private setting with the instructor.

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

google docs illustration — Using Google Docs enables students and instructors to engage in real time in collaborative writing.

discussion board illustration — The Discussion feature of Canvas offers opportunities for L2 writing practice, community building, and sharing information about the course.

MALL illustration — Cell phone apps can enrich and enliven the standard “Zoom classroom" that students are familiar with.

explaining procedures illustration — In a remotely taught course, students need clearly and comprehensively explained procedures for completing and submitting homework.

written assignments illustration — While the options for written assignments are similar in remotely taught and F2F courses, the submission of handwritten homework — a necessity in some L2s — requires special consideration in remote teaching contexts.

external interaction illustration — Assigning student-to-student conversations outside of the classroom leads to more speaking and listening practice, while also providing more flexibility in lesson planning and increased student autonomy.

why bother illustration — Students want feedback on their work and instructors feel compelled to give it. But does it actually make a difference in L2 acquisition?

voicethread illustration — Using pre-recorded audio files for feedback allows instructors to provide thoughtful, targeted comments — and gives students the opportunity to process them at their own pace.

ipad and stylus illustration — Using a tablet (such as an iPad) and stylus (such as the Apple Pencil) is the digital equivalent of adding handwritten comments to assignments, with the added benefit that the homework can be returned immediately as an attachment.

written output illustration — Feedback on students’ written output in a remote class can use the same formats as in F2F instruction, but can also include synchronous feedback on classroom written work.

video illustration — Video-based feedback — live or recorded — can personalize the feedback process and strengthen your students’ sense of connection with you and the course.

speaking illustration — Zoom provides a natural platform for speaking tests, with several advantages over F2F oral testing.

written illustration — Quizzes and tests can be administered in various formats, using Zoom, Canvas, Google Forms, and attached PDF/Word files.

academic integrity illustration — The options for cheating while working online are increasing exponentially. How can instructors help students in remotely taught courses maintain academic integrity while taking quizzes, tests and exams?

settings illustration — Basic settings, security options, recording functions and invitation procedures needed to start teaching remotely with Zoom.

breakout rooms illustration — Breakout Rooms allow participants (and instructors) to meet in smaller configurations of the class for more private interaction.

share screen illustration — Zoom's Share Screen feature allows you to show participants any file that is open and visible on your computer.

chat illustration — The Chat feature in Zoom allows participants to send text messages to the whole group during Main Session meetings, and to their partners in Breakout Room sessions.

whiteboard illustration — You can write and draw on Zoom's Whiteboard with typed text, freestyle lines, and shapes — and you can configure Zoom to allow everyone in the meeting to do so collaboratively.

recording illustration — Zoom meetings can be recorded for later use, and instructors have considerable control over the recording process and the distribution of the resulting files.