The adaptation from in-person to online English classes at the Colégio de Aplicação (CAp UFPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic : a special focus on the implementation of the listening and speaking activities.

Abstract

This paper aims to identify how the teachers of English from Colégio de Aplicação (CAp UFPE) used technology to adapt their methods and activities to the remote environment during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to teach English as a Foreign Language (EFL) online due to the biosecurity measures. Furthermore, this research also examines how they implemented the listening and speaking activities in this new environment. The main question of this work is “What do teachers think should be adapted from face-to-face lessons to the remote environment considering the methodology and strategies for teaching the foreign language skills?”. The theoretical framework of this paper is based on some works on English language teaching in the in-person format in addition to works that discuss English language teaching online. Authors such as Jeremy Harmer (2015), Jack C. Richards and Theodore S. Rodgers (2014), Dionysios I. Psoinos (2021), and Diane Larsen-Freeman and Marti Anderson (2011) guide the discussion of this paper. This research was developed through a case study design using a Google Forms questionnaire as the instrument to collect its data. The subjects of research are three teachers of English from the previously mentioned school. With this work, it was possible to see how the teachers managed to achieve the aim of the classes by adapting the methodologies and activities to the online environment despite the difficulties. The central importance of this work is the current need to talk about online teaching and learning in order to develop new strategies and improve old ones in order to maintain educational quality.