Teaching English: Virtual Synchronous Learning versus Traditional Classes

Technology has changed our understanding of what it means to teach and learn a language, and teaching roles, in response to these changes, are being altered and transformed. Such changes require distance language teachers to not only develop new teaching practices in new mediums but to undergo a shift in their identity as language teachers and their understanding of language teaching and learning activities. Parallel changes are required of learners. In an attempt to investigate into the compare and contrast "virtual" general English classes with “traditional” English classrooms, a questionnaire was administered to 110 students. The difference between the traditional setting and the virtual setting point to the following factors: Most students were concerned about not having face- to-face contact with classmates and the tutor. They also did not enjoy the fact that it was hard for them not to be noticed immediately when they had a question. The main finding though was that we are in an era that is a sign of transition from the "traditional" educational setting to a "virtual" one, which means that we are entering the normalization stage in Iran.