Online Classes in a Pandemic Context: A (re) Framing of Language Teaching?

Abstract

The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on social interaction and has forced schools to adapt to new realities. Teachers, who had previously only taught in face-to-face settings, were suddenly required to adopt and adjust to remote teaching due to pandemic restrictions. This article reflects on the experiences of foreign language teachers in different online teaching formats during this period. Theoretical foundations for this research include authors such as Bakhtin (2005, 2003), Machado and Abreu-Tardelli (2009), and Bronckart (1999). This exploratory and qualitative study utilized a structured questionnaire as a methodological approach (Gil, 2008). The aim of the survey was to gather information about the online teaching formats used by teachers and their self-evaluation of their teaching skills and knowledge during this time. The study found that a re-evaluation of teaching strategies was necessary, requiring the use of a broader range of pedagogical tools to achieve success in online teaching. The data generated indicated that a re-framing of teaching was necessary, compelling professional instrumentalization and appropriation of a wider range of pedagogical tools under the extreme circumstances that were faced.