What is a metaphor? Metaphors are extremely powerful rhetorical tools we can use to understand an unfamiliar thing, concept, or idea by carrying over the qualities of something else that is familiar to us. In this context, we bring two unrelated ideas/elements into a comparison. In other words, metaphors pull comparisons between two unrelated ideas. We can also use metaphors to powerfully communicate complex ideas, controversial information, or unfamiliar concepts to other people. They help the listener understand a new or unfamiliar subject by replacing it with something else that they have previously experienced to understand it. By so doing, the speaker describes or depicts the unfamiliar subject by providing it with the qualities of some other subject. In short, metaphors equate one idea to another, i.e., A is B. Look at the following examples. (1) A teacher is a compas . Through this metaphor, the sp eaker explains his ideas about a teacher by providing it with...
Blended Synchronous and Asynchronous Online Learning: Pre-Service EFL Teachers’ Perception (A Proposal)
INTRODUCTION A. Background Since the beginning of 2020, the covid-19 pandemic has been a global public health catastrophe. It has been disrupting almost all sectors, including education. To contain the spread of the virus, practicing social distancing is indispensable and schools are forced to create a big change in the system. In Indonesia, the ministry of education had proposed to shift the offline classes into online classes at every level of education since March 2020. Applying online learning (henceforth is abbreviated OL) or e-learning has become the most feasible solution during the pandemic because it enables students to access and learn the materials anytime and anywhere. It also allows students and teachers to communicate from a distance. Students can also read and respond every time (Lim 2017). OL is classified into a triad of synchronous, asynchronous, and hybrid or blended learning (Perveen, 2016; Dorsah & Alhassan, 2021). Synchronous OL, such as live students pr...