INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL SECTION: TEACHING
DURING A PANDEMIC
Sam Morris, Jennie Roloff Rothman, James Owens
Kanda University of International Studies
INTRODUCTION: WHY A SPECIAL SECTION?
The pandemic resulting from the novel coronavirus that emerged at the end of 2019 needs
little introduction. For universities across the world, concern for safety, coupled withuncertainty surrounding the potential for infections on campuses, caused class cancellations
and a move to emergency remote teaching (ERT)​1​. Japan was no exception, and a large
number of institutions chose to move their classes online for the entirety of the springsemester​2​. Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS)​3​ also opted to make this move.
As a result, KUIS teachers and staff were tasked with moving to a new way of working in a very
short space of time. This meant a significant degree of effort and innovation for all involved,and lecturers in the English Language Institute (ELI)​4 at KUIS faced major challenges in theweeks leading up to the start of the spring semester:a. understanding the affordances and limitations of online teachingb. studying pedagogic theory for online teachingc. learning how to use online platforms to deliver classes
d. adapting teaching methodologies to the online platforms
e. modifying syllabi and curriculums to fit the new normal
f. adapting classroom materials to suit online teachingg. adapting assessment styles, criteria and materials for courses
h. learning how to modify interactions with students
i. learning how to troubleshoot student issues with online platforms
It is no understatement to say that the response required was unprecedented.
In light of the current situation, we felt that there was a need for a special section of ​Literaciesand Language Education, ​entitled ​Teaching During a Pandemic that would serve two importantgoals: to provide a record of the successes and challenges of the time and how these werenegotiated, and to provide support and advice for future remote teaching which may need tobe conducted. To achieve these goals, we solicited both descriptive papers, outlining howteaching was performed in the ERT environment, and reflective papers, illustrating the lived
experiences of teachers.
We have been overwhelmed by both the quantity and the quality of the responses. In total, 22papers (11 descriptive, and 11 reflective) are included in this special section, representing theefforts of 40% of the ELI at KUIS. We would like to thank all of the authors for theircontributions, for their enthusiasm, and for their support in reviewing and editing papers,
which has enabled us to publish this special section swiftly. Despite large workloads and tight0.	  Introduction	  to	  the	  Special	  Section:	  Teaching	  During	  a	  Pandemic.	  Sam	  Morris,	  Jennie	  Roloﬀ	  Rothman,	  James	  Owens.	  Pages	  1-­‐6.	  Literacies	  &	  Language	  Education:	  Research	  &	  Practice,	  2020	  Special	  	  Section:	  Teaching	  During	  a	  Pandemic.	  English	  Language	  Institute,	  KUIS.

deadlines, the authors have delivered papers which exceed our expectations of what we had
hoped to achieve.
Through the descriptive papers we present advice on a variety of important matters relating toteaching during the 2020 pandemic: ideas for moving materials and activities to an online
setting (e.g., Alexander; Gill; Yoshida), and for teaching reading and writing skills specifically(e.g., Bower; Lees; Miner, paper 4). Suggestions for community building (e.g., Bonner; Garvey,paper 7; Rose-Wainstock) and for increasing participation (e.g., Hollinshead; Yoder). Throughthe reflective papers a range of themes emerge: technological limitations and emotional
uncertainty (e.g., Beattie; Burke; Dawes; Garvey, paper 12; Mielick), struggles for both newteachers (e.g., Brown; Pemberton & Brown) and experienced teachers (e.g., Burke; Dawes; deVeas, Godin, Sakuda & Roloff Rothman), environmental difficulties (e.g., Alexander; Sykes),
the importance of collaboration (e.g., Brown; de Veas, Godin, Sakuda & Roloff Rothman;
Pemberton & Brown), reflections on the integration of digital and paper-based learning (e.g.,Miner, paper 21), and reflections on interactions in the new normal (e.g., Dawes; Garvey, paper
12; Lynch). The range offered, we believe, is indicative of the complexity of the semester, butalso we hope, provides writing of interest to all teachers, whether they be in KUIS, Japan, orbeyond.
SUMMARIES OF PAPERS WITHIN THE SPECIAL SECTION
We now detail summaries of the papers contained in the special section.
Section A: Descriptive PapersThe first section of this special section contains 11 descriptive papers detailing how education
was delivered during the first few months of ERT during the 2020 pandemic. Broadly speaking,these papers deal with two facets of teaching: ​materials and assessment​, and ​communities andparticipation​.
In paper 1, Gill considers the difficulties of moving materials from a synchronous toasynchronous format. Gill describes how, in the process of providing tailored materials forasynchronous learning, it was possible to maintain traditional pedagogic features to generateinterest, encourage oral communication and support peer engagement.
Following this, Alexander (paper 2) details the changes made to an end-of-unit presentation
activity to adapt to the online setting. Alexander makes the very salient point that the limited
working space in students’ home environments means that not only must the expectations
placed on learners be changed, but also the focus and assessment criteria of presentations.
Alexander describes the difficulties facing both students and teachers and offers solutions forpractitioners.
Sticking with the theme of presentations, Yoshida’s paper (paper 3) considers how a traditionalclassroom based media project was adapted for ERT. As well as outlining the process of theactivity, Yoshida also considers some of the unexpected benefits that came from completingthe project in an online form, such as a clearer picture of students’ discussion abilities.

The proceeding three papers relate specifically to the teaching of reading and writing. In paper
4, Miner describes how a collaborative Google Doc file can facilitate efficient group work,
impromptu feedback, and peer reading opportunities in a writing course. The article gives clearinstructions on how such files can be set up and managed.
Lees (paper 5) then gives an outline of reading circles and their benefits in an online reading
course. As well as detailing what reading circles are, Lees considers the changes that have to
be made for the activity to be conducted successfully in Zoom breakout sessions.
Bower (paper 6) also focuses on reading circles, and explains how they may be employed as anassessment of intensive reading skills. Bower outlines a four-stage process on how theassessment was conducted over 180 minutes of class time, and reflects on the outcomes of theactivity.
The second half of our descriptive section contains papers related to learner communities andparticipation. In paper 7, Garvey outlines three perceived difficulties of online teaching: theinability of students to socialise, the lack of space for informal mingling, and the difficulty forstudents to comprehend the teacher’s speech. As well as describing the impact of these
difficulties, Garvey offers a range of solutions and concludes by noting that it is only through acollective effort by all involved that a fruitful learning community can be formed andmaintained.
Following this paper, Rose-Wainstock (paper 8) describes a discussion activity that draws on
self determination theory to help learners feel more comfortable with each other.
Rose-Wainstock outlines the process of the activity, gives examples of the kinds of questions
that afford productive discussion, and describes the potential outcomes.
In paper 9, Bonner details how an asynchronous communication tool can be used to support
communities inside and outside of Zoom sessions. Bonner details how the LINE OpenChat
application was used to establish a backchannel with classes, affording a greater ability tocheck student understanding, gather feedback and provide informal assessment.
The final two papers in our descriptive section consider two ways that learner participation canbe maximised in Zoom breakout groups. Hollinshead (paper 10) describes the ​five second rule​,a pragmatic device asking students to count backwards from five during moments of reticence.
Hollinshead offers guidance on how to run the activity and explains how it can be employed in
the online classroom to encourage risk taking.
In our final descriptive paper, Yoder (paper 11) outlines how group leaders can be used inbreakout sessions. After detailing how leaders can facilitate participation, reduce confusion,and encourage autonomy, Yoder reflects on potential improvements to the group leader
system that was employed.
Section B: Reflective Papers

In the second section of the special section, 11 reflective papers highlight the lived experiencesof teachers during the first teaching semester of 2020.
Garvey (paper 12) opens with a reflection of three difficulties faced in the move to ERT: Thelack of opportunities for casual student socialization; the increase of teacher control; and thelack of real-time feedback from students. Garvey observes that the use of synchronous online
platforms will be a frustrating place for those who wish to replicate the classroom experience,and therefore both teachers and students may need to reconsider their expectations of online
learning.
Following this, Brown (paper 13) offers reflections from a teaching journal on life as a newteacher to both KUIS and the university context. Brown describes the physical and emotionaldifficulties of the semester, and offers a variety of solutions relating to the modification of theworking environment and the quality and quantity of social interactions.
Pemberton and Brown (paper 14) then describe their experiences as new teachers to KUIS,
finding that their knowledge of KUIS operations lagged behind their more experienced peers.
As a solution, they worked together using a structured collaborative cycle. This process, which
involved both synchronous and asynchronous communication, enabled them to successfully
navigate the semester. Among the benefits of such collaboration were greater support,
reduced workloads, and reduced stress.
In paper 15, Beattie reflects on the difficulties of teaching online with specific relation toteacher talk. Beattie observes that there is naturally an increase in teacher talk time due to,among other things, technical limitations, the difficulty of communicating through bodylanguage, and the difficulty of knowing whether students have understood. After suggestingthat teachers can reduce talk time by using breakout rooms effectively, Beattie notes that theteacher talk issue will need to be revisited should ERT continue indefinitely.
In paper 16, Burke discusses the difficulties of teaching writing online, suggesting that themove to the Zoom platform, and the limitations placed on the teacher’s ability to understand
student reactions, led to a fear that teaching would be compromised. Burke was pleasantly
surprised however, when students’ essays turned out to be of a similar quality to what had
been found in the traditional classroom.
In paper 17, Mielick reflects on technological difficulties and the frustration these caused. In
particular, Mielick describes how his expectations of students’ technological skills were notalways met, meaning that a significant amount of time had to be spent resolving technologicalissues. After discussing these experiences, Mielick offers advice to teachers and reflects on thepositive impact of the semester.
In paper 18, Dawes discusses the teacher-student relationship, and reflects on how the divide
caused by screens meant that relationship building was more stressful than usual. Dawes
discusses a variety of solutions to this problem and suggests that the use of personal examples
in class and the introduction of more time for casual conversations have alleviated somenegative emotions.
Lynch begins paper 19 by outlining the dilemma that many teachers faced at the beginning of
the semester: how much should be planned in advance of the course beginning? Opting toremain flexible, Lynch reflects on a methodical and student-focused approach to planning, andreminds us that students’ feelings on ERT should not be ignored.
In paper 20, de Veas, Sakuda, Godin and Roloff Rothman offer a unique panorama: four
different voices reflecting on the teaching of the same course. The authors reflect on how theclose working relationship they formed supported them not only through the day-to-day
implementation of classes, but also the emotional difficulties that they were facing. The use offour voices allows us to see the breadth of experiences even through similar circumstances.
In paper 21, Miner reflects on the potential benefits of paper journal writing, and how such anactivity can be adapted for ERT. Miner notes that paper journaling increases students’opportunities for reflection, gives them a reprieve from screen time, and helps to balance out
the distractions of technology. Miner concludes by suggesting there is a need to understandmore about the potential benefits of non-digital reading and writing materials in online
courses.
In our final paper (paper 22), Sykes reflects on the environmental difficulties that face teachersand students in online classes, such as the need to share working spaces with others. Sykes
suggests that an understanding atmosphere can alleviate worries around interruptions during
Zoom sessions. Sykes also reminds us of the importance of empathy in consideration of thedifficulties facing students, who like teachers, have faced unusual and unfavourable
circumstances during the 2020 pandemic.
FOOTNOTES
1. We agree with Hodges et al. (2020) that ERT is qualitatively different from traditional
forms of distance learning, and this informed our motivations for this special section.
2. In Japan, the school year runs from April until the following March. The spring semesteris the first semester of the school year, and typically runs from the beginning of April
until the end of July.
3. KUIS is a medium-sized private university located in Chiba prefecture, just outside
Tokyo. The student number is approximately 4000, including graduate students. Theuniversity specialises in subjects relating to foreign languages, international relations,and international business.
4. The ELI is a department in KUIS responsible for teaching English language skills toundergraduate students.
REFERENCES
Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T & Bond, A. (2020, March 27). The difference
between emergency remote teaching and online learning. ​EDUCAUSE Review.

https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teachingand-online-learning