Two Halves or a Whole? Reflecting on Two Approaches to English Discussion in an Online Format

Two Halves or a Whole? Reflecting on Two Approaches to English Discussion in an Online Format

Jamie G. Sturges & Shoko Kita (Rikkyo University)

When the English discussion course at a private university in Tokyo transitioned to an online format in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, one concern among course developers and instructors was how the transition to this new medium would meet the course goals and learner outcomes. The major goals of this English discussion course were to develop first-year students’ academic discussion skills, communication skills, and fluency through providing ample student-to-student interaction time, student-centered learning opportunities, as well as effective formative feedback. In order to uphold the same qualities while taking Internet connection stability and eLearning fatigue into consideration, two lesson plan proposals were presented to course instructors: one 80-minute lesson with all ten students, or two 40-minute lessons with five students each. One of the presenters chose the first option (80 minutes), and the other chose the second (40 minutes x 2). In order to reflect on their experience delivering a different lesson format for the same discussion course, in a recorded Zoom session, the teachers compared and contrasted the perceived efficacy and challenges of online English discussion lessons. This presentation will summarize the narrative of the recorded session with attention to how this experience shaped the individual teachers’ journeys and development.