Can a zoom class be dialogic? An examination of a virtual English methods class

Abstract

Purpose Synchronous virtual classes are becoming more common as universities expand access. However, instructors can feel hesitant as they move to a new style of teaching, especially if they are not sure their chosen pedagogy will work with virtual instruction. The purpose of this dialogic analysis is to examine the experiences of a dialogic teacher in a synchronous virtual English methods course. Design/methodology/approach The 75-min methods class met on Zoom twice a week. Class sessions were recorded. Dialogic analysis was used to analyze moments of whole-class discussion to explain what kinds of discussions happened and determine to what extent the class functioned as a dialogic class. Findings Overall, there was more student voice than teacher voice, and students spent over a third of the class in small group discussions. Even though the teacher still took over, and controlled discussions, the overall class maintained dialogic teaching principles. Despite this, the professor felt displaced for three reasons. In addition, some ideas for increasing the dialogic nature of the class are mentioned. Originality/value Synchronous virtual teaching will continue to grow, but as instructors move to that format, they can examine whether their pedagogies match the format. This paper explored one professor’s pedagogy of dialogic teaching and its compatibility with synchronous virtual teaching. This method of self-analysis could work with any pedagogy and could help instructors be successful in a new format.