A multimodal social semiotic approach to TESOL educator professional development

Abstract

Part 1: Overview of the Study

This empirical study presents a pioneering professional development intervention aimed at enhancing the online teaching skills of TESOL educators. The study responds to the need for effective online TESOL methodologies (e.g., Hubbard, 2013; Hubbard & Levy, 2006), catalysed by the shift to remote teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The intervention, originally planned as face-to-face workshops, was shown to be highly adaptable. reflecting real-world changes to teaching environments, and was reworked to be delivered online to a cohort of TESOL educators from around the world, The intervention focused on helping educators apply the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework (Garrison et al., 2001) to their online teaching but was designed, developed, and delivered through a multimodal social semiotic lens (e.g., Kress, 2010).  The intervention's design incorporated elements of the ADDIE model (Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate) (e.g., Gustafson & Branch, 2002), emphasising the integration of theory and practice in online TESOL contexts. Participants engaged with tasks designed to promote higher-order thinking and understanding of the CoI's teaching, social, and cognitive presences, and was enhanced through the use of various semiotic resources​.