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What does an Online ESOL Teacher Teach?


A couple of years ago, I would not have believed that I would enjoy being an online ESOL teacher. Sharing a physical classroom space used to be the ultimate energizing experience for me. But we cannot have it all, and my family's situation required a move. So we moved, and I moved my job with me. Within a few weeks, I became an online worker, and I created my routine. In a month, synchronous online teaching became my second nature. What I could hardly ever imagine began to take shape: my unique online teacher persona.
 
An online teacher must develop new skills, attitudes about teaching, and habits pertaining to class structure and preparation. While in the traditional classroom, learners interact with those present in the room, bound by four walls, online learners connect from various locations (nodes) to create a virtual place called a "classroom." The teacher's role is to help focus the networked learners' attention on the topic and support their class presence by interconnecting each one of them as they enter the virtual classroom from their actual real world context (Rainie & Wellman, 2012).

Most learners begin the class with the experience of Digital Visitors, and to begin learning, I must ensure that they are comfortable in the online space (White & Le Cornu, 2017). I facilitate this through a series of scaffolded affordances, through which the learners gradually become comfortable with using chat, LMS, and other online tools, such as Padlet or Kahoot. However, learners often choose to connect to each other through some other platform, where they function as Digital Residents, which is usually WhatsApp. By choosing to connect with each other on their own, they create a type of space that belongs to them, where they feel "at home."
 
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enables learners to develop their digital literacy, build teams, and co-construct knowledge in real time. They use ICT to access, create and share content at the same time, practically acting as produsers. In this way, my ESOL or IET classes become language tools where learners build their own networks. By providing affordances for active participation and mutual interaction, I try to teach them skills that they need to thrive in a networked society (Dennen et al., 2023).
 
 



               Photo: Google Gemini/Nano Banana 2

 

 

References:

Dennen, V. P., He, D., Shi, H., & Adolfson, D. (2023). College students, networked knowledge activities, and digital competence: Implications for online instructors Links to an external site.. Online Learning, 27(4), 122-143.

Rainie, L. & Wellman, B. (2013). Networked: The new social operating system. Boston, MA: MIT Press. 

White, D. S., & Le Cornu, A. (2017). Using ‘Visitors and Residents’ to visualise digital practices Links to an external site.. First Monday, 22(8). doi:10.5210/fm.v22i8.7802

 

 

 


Comments

  1. Felipe VernequeMay 26, 2026 at 11:10 AM

    I need to say that I'm an ESOL lover! 😅🫶🏻 Maria, your reflection post is really valuable because it highlights how important ESOL teachers are in helping learners not only develop language skills, but also feel connected, confident, and included in online learning spaces. What stood out to me most is the way you intentionally scaffold participation and create opportunities for students to gradually feel comfortable interacting online. I also found it very interesting how learners naturally migrate to spaces like WhatsApp to build their own sense of community and belonging outside the formal classroom environment.

    Your post also reinforces the idea that online teaching is much more than transferring face-to-face instruction to Zoom or an LMS. ESOL teachers play a crucial role in building bridges between language, culture, technology, and human connection. I admire how you embrace students as active participants and “produsers” of knowledge rather than passive learners. In many ways, your classroom becomes not only a language-learning space, but also a place where students learn how to navigate and participate in a networked society.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Maria HMay 30, 2026 at 6:35 PM

    Thank you, Felipe. You know, this class helps me realize the tiny details of my work that I overlooked before. I am also beginning to find highly effective ways to support my students' L2 development. I definitely feel motivated to learn more.

    ReplyDelete

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