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I am writing a paragraph on "Learning and teaching dispositions". I am sort of confused about the usage of an adjective: non-synchronous.

What will be the opposite of: Synchronized (learning and teaching) dispositions.

I have written this way: Non-synchronous (learning and teaching) dispositions.

Is the usage of "non-synchronous" right?

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    I'll assume you are referring to "Synchronized (learning and teaching) dispositions", and not "(Synchronized learning) and (teaching dispositions)". The 'thing' you want to find an antonym for is then "synchronized dispositions". The natural antonym is "unsynchronized dispositions", but you haven't given enough detail for this to be conclusive. "Non-synchronous" refers to doing things at different times. "Unsynchronized" can have a similar literal meaning, but also has a figurative sense along the lines that the things are 'mismatched'. – Lawrence Sep 3 '16 at 16:00
  • @ Lawrence , Thanks Lawrence, You have really explained the difference in detail. I am talking about "Synchronised (learning and teaching) dispositions". Could you mention the source of an adjective "unsynchronized", please? – user40875 Sep 3 '16 at 16:42
  • Are you sure that Synchronised is a good adjective to use with dispositions. Synchronised refers to events happening at the same time. I can see that we could work to make some sequence of events be synchronised, But dispositions are not time related, they (if I understand the Educational usage correctly) are about attitudes. We might want teacher and student to share common or complementary dispositions, but can they synchronise them? – djna Sep 3 '16 at 19:56
  • I am not sure you are using a correct adjective as @djna memtioned, but the opposite is "asynchronous" – Cardinal Sep 3 '16 at 20:40
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    Synchronous- and asynchronous-learning/teaching have come to have specific meanings in education. Specifically, asynchronous teaching and learning most often refers to education where the student and teacher don't have to participate at the same time (like pre-recorded online lectures and old-fashioned correspondence courses). Synchronous, in contrast, would include traditional face-to-face teaching and also things like live-chat in an online course. See edglossary.org/asynchronous-learning Is that what you mean? – 1006a Sep 4 '16 at 2:31
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There are two similar words: Synchronous and Synchronized. Both are derived from the Greek Chronos and relate to time.

Synchronized is used for activities where time must match exactly. We synchronize our watches, synchronized swimming requires that swimmers exactly match each other's movements.

One dictionary definition: to cause to go on, move, operate, work, etc., at the same rate and exactly together

Synchronous has a similar implication but usually refers to a single event.

Definition occurring at the same time; coinciding in time; contemporaneous; simultaneous.

There is a specialised usage in IT: when two computers are interacting they may do synchronously or asynchronously. Synchronously implies that one computer will send a message and wait for a response from the second computer before doing further work. In asynchronous processing the first computer will send a request and expect an answer some time in the future, meanwhile it will continue with other tasks.

As @1006a has said, education terminology makes similar use of synchronous and asynchronous; depending upon whether the teacher and student interact directly.

You are speaking about dispositions and attitudes, which are not time-related. Hence I advise you not to use the terms synchronous or synchronised. I think the concept you are trying to express is that education is facilitated when the teacher's disposition and the student's disposition are aligned. We do not require that teacher and student have the same disposition, but that the dispositions are in some way complementary. As a trivial example: the teacher wants to teach, and the student wants to learn. More deeply: the teacher has a disposition for dialogue and the student a disposition to use such dialogue constructively.

My recommendation: use term such complementary and conflicting or harmonious and discordant.

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  • Kindly read the paragraphs in which I have used these terms. 1) ....... On me, my parents imposed their wish: "You must become a doctor, NO MATTER WHAT!". Notwithstanding lack of interest, I joined the Science group. Being a dedicated student, I worked very hard to come up to my parents' expectations but all my good intentions turned into catastrophes. Alas! learning and teaching dispositions in my classroom were not synchronized. My teacher would always demand "cramming" whereas, I had entirely a different learning disposition........ – user40875 Sep 4 '16 at 11:02
  • 2) .......I didn't for a moment feel as an alien in my new classroom. It was an emotionally safe, stress free, flexible, justified and learning-centred classroom. My class teacher was very considerate and democratic. Luckily, I found synchronized learning and teaching dispositions. My teacher and I were on the same grid. As a result, I managed to score third position in the final exams........ – user40875 Sep 4 '16 at 11:07
  • @ djna Yes, the word " aligned " is what I should have used in my paragraph writing. Thank you for your efforts. Also, please mention what will be the antonym of "aligned (learning and teaching) dispositions". – user40875 Sep 4 '16 at 11:15
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    Literally, misaligned. I might prefer conflicting. – djna Sep 4 '16 at 16:40

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