Dual-Mode Teaching in the Language Classroom: Reconciling the Pandemic, Equity, and the Future of Quality Language Teaching Pedagogy

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic sent New Zealand universities into crisis, and as a key crisis response measure, classes were mostly moved online. While navigating national public health settings, educators simultaneously had to innovate quickly: to keep our courses in operation, students learning, and quality pedagogy present. The author has been navigating a faculty-wide ‘dual-mode’ teaching policy at their home institution, to teach the Māori language. Dual-mode refers to teaching both in-person and online. Although dual-mode teaching has brought a significant amount of learning flexibility and innovation to the classroom, it also has disadvantages. This article attempts to document some of the positive and negative characteristics noted over two years of dual-mode teaching, from the position of intermediate Māori language classes. It concludes that although this kind of teaching is flexible and equitable, it is not of high quality, and contributes to poor proficiency outcomes for students. Teaching in this way could, however, be of a much higher quality, with support, resourcing and time. As we look to keep these more accessible teaching methods in the future, those additional aspects will be critical in designing classes that are not only equitable, dynamic, and in line with contemporary technological learning styles, but also of a standard that maintains quality language proficiency-building within our learners.