Challenges in LSP Online Teaching and how to overcome them - A Case Study in "French Language and Business Communication" Classes: Connecting Dots

Abstract

Given the current global circumstances, all educators have encountered manifold challenges related to their jobs. Facing unprecedented situations, they have been forced to continuously adapt to a completely new work environment – the online. Certainly, even before the pandemics some educators flirted with the idea of online teaching, but very few of them really had the opportunity to experience it first-hand. Two recurring questions are the premise of this paper. The first one refers to finding out the extent of the teaching impact upon students, while the second one brings up possible means of inspiring and encouraging the teacher to, ultimately, motivate the students. Therefore, this paper, under the form of a testimony, focuses on two aspects. First, it briefly puts forward a number of challenges and personal reflections on online teaching of languages for specific purposes (LSP). Secondly, following these considerations, it suggests a number of learning activities anchored in the Connectivism Learning theory in order to exemplify possible best practices in online foreign language training. It also presents a case study from "French Language and Business Communication" (FSP) classes in an endeavor to connect the dots between the educator's language content ownership, students' needs and preferences and an intriguing channel of communication, the online.