The need to develop approaches to distance learning has increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article “Fostering teaching presence through the synchronous online flipped learning approach” by Marshall & Kostka was published in 2020. It discusses “how teachers can leverage the flipped learning approach in online courses to foster teaching presence” (Marshall & Kostka, 2020, p. 1). In particular, the research made by the authors aims at describing innovative strategies for fostering teacher presence in the context of online learning. The main research question is how teachers can combine synchronous and asynchronous contexts for the most effective teaching of the English language.
The authors emphasize that synchronous sessions contribute significantly to teacher presence in online learning. They explain that flipped learning practice implies that the teacher provides course concepts before the start of the class, which allows the teacher to guide students to apply new information while directly interacting with them. Synchronous Online Flipped Learning Approach (SOFLA) is further presented as the model which was created “in order to align flipped learning principles with online instruction” (Marshall & Kostka, 2020, p. 4). The authors underline the special role of preparing materials and detailed planning of teaching instructions before classes within the framework of the approach.
The effectiveness of using flipped learning was supported by a discussion provided by the authors. They note that the presence of a trainer plays a key role in building understanding between participants (Marshall & Kostka, 2020). In particular, students need communication and social interaction for a meaningful learning experience. Flipped learning allows the teacher to provide the greatest amount of time for direct interaction with students, which is especially important in the framework of online learning.
To collect evidence in favor of this assumption, a literature review was conducted presenting related concepts and data. In particular, Marshall and Kostka (2020) provide information on the effectiveness of flipped learning and the Community of Inquiry framework by analyzing the works of other researchers. Based on the findings, the authors conclude that the approach can maximize the effectiveness of online learning by elevating the components of teacher presence.
The general idea of the article is that the correct use of the SOFTA framework allows the teacher to maximize their presence during online learning. The combination of synchronous and asynchronous tools helps to build the most effective educational communication. Synchronous practices include direct interaction with participants in the educational process during the classes. During the online sessions, the teacher guides students’ activities and promotes group interaction.
Asynchronous tools play a major role in the flipped learning concept and SOFTA framework as they are the preparation of materials and instructions for online sessions. The teacher must devote all the time of actual classes to direct communication with students. Prior to the start of the online sessions, the educator must prepare the concepts to be learned, plan the lesson, and provide materials to the participants. The authors emphasize that such learning is learner-centered and encourages the group and independent work of students.
While the authors have managed to present flipped learning as an effective practice for online learning, they do not respond to concerns that arise regarding it. First of all, preparing materials before online sessions can be extremely time-consuming for a teacher, which can negatively affect the quality of the educational process. Moreover, asynchronous learning involves the interaction of students with the teacher and each other. Thus, researchers should take a closer look at how justified the use of flipped learning is in terms of time-cost versus efficiency. The ideas presented are a promising direction in maximizing the effectiveness of online learning, and synchronous sessions are most needed when learning English.
Discussion questions:
- How can educators optimize the time spent preparing for online sessions?
- Can the SOFTA framework be applied to individual rather than group learning?
- What changes need to be made to the SOFTA framework for use in English teaching and learning?
Reference
Marshall, H. W., & Kostka, I. (2020). Fostering teaching presence through the synchronous online flipped learning approach. The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language, 24(2), 1-14.