EFL in Synchronous Online Classes | Page 8

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Project “If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” – Ignacio Estrada. Distance learning emerged and became more popular with the evolution of the Internet, technologies, communication models and video conferencing systems because it offers a great opportunity to learn, communicate and collaborate regardless space and time. With the emergence of Distance Learning, the methodologies and approaches of teaching English as a foreign language have changed pedagogically in the 21st century (Courtney & Wilhoite, 2015). Therefore, different learning management tools and systems were emphasized in addition to various online teaching objects as they were utilized to create a platform for students’ engagement, investment, motivation and ownership in their learning experience. Accordingly, based on these studies which suggest that the use of these tools and systems can encourage challenged learners to develop their communication with others in terms of receptive and productive skills confidently regarding their young age, L1 and other individual learning difficulties only if distance learning was conducted productively according to those learners’ needs. Therefore, this project attempts to encourage teachers that work for the same online school in China to use different teaching methodologies to practise English with challenged learners instead of implementing exercises and activities that do not meet their level and background of the language by implementing a scaffolded adaptation of the activities that have already been used with intermediate and advanced Chinese young learners that do not face any language learning difficulties to help the targeted learners become more involved in