A emergência de eventos complexos em aulas on-line e face-a-face: Uma abordagem ecológica

Abstract

Interaction has frequently been a theme of intense debate in the field of Applied Linguistics and this has become more prominent with the recent technological developments. This work investigates the interactional dynamics in an English as a foreign language writing course offered in blended mode with face-to-face and online classes. The study was supported by an ecosystemic perspective which incorporated principles from both Complexity Theory and ecological approaches to language teaching and learning. The investigation was carried out in an ethnographic perspective with systematic observation of the course activities for the length of a school term. The analysis sought to enlighten the processes of interaction, participation and collaboration in the course, focusing on the collaborative text editing process in an online forum and in face-to-face seminars. The results point out to the value of blended instructional designs that aim at the convergence of face-to-face and online modes in order to explore the potentialities of each mode. Blended learning courses have the potential of combining these traditionally separated teaching modalities integrating the proprieties and possibilities of each one. The combination of these modalities overcomes the dualism that seems to suggest a need to chose between conventional face-to-face and online modes and enhance the potential benefits in a way that is beyond the capacities of each one individually.