FROM TRANSACTIONAL DISTANCE TO DISTANCE EDUCATION OF OUR TIME

This article originates from a Case Study on how remote conversation classes in an online English course contribute to the practice of the ability of speaking. The theoretical framework is based on the Theory of Transactional Distance developed by educator Michael G. Moore, which seeks to describe teacher-student relationships when they are separated in space/time. This theory is based on the assumption that distance is a pedagogical phenomenon, and not just a question of geographic distance, even though this may favor the existence of a psychological and communicational gap that allows for misunderstandings and misperceptions on the part of teachers and learners. This distance needs to be overcome by those involved in the educational process to promote effective learning. Moore further suggests the distinction of three types of interaction between students, teachers and content whose understanding would help overcome misunderstandings among educators who use different media. In the Theory of Transactional Distance, pedagogical perspectives such as the humanistic tradition, which values unstructured, open and interpersonal dialogue, and the behaviorist tradition, based on behavioral objectives with the teacher in control of the learning process, were merged. Furthermore, Moore combined Otto Peters' vision of distance learning as a structured industrial system with the perspective of a student-focused and more interactive relationship between student and teacher by Charles Wedemeyer. As found in this study, remote classes help decrease the Transactional Distance as they promote dialogue in the interaction between teachers and students, and between students.