With the development of technology and due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, most of the ELT courses in Iran have shifted to online learning since March 2020. Therefore, this study aimed at determining the effectiveness of four online technological tools of teaching idioms. To this aim, 106 pre-intermediate learners of English took part in the study. A language proficiency test was administered to ensure the homogeneity of the sample. A total number of 80 students were selected as the final participants who were randomly assigned to four experimental groups: In group A, concept maps of the same idioms were drawn with the help of an online mind-map maker. Group B were presented with online flashcards which included definitions and examples of idioms. Group C received etymological elaboration from an online dictionary of the origins of idioms, and group D listened to online audio stories of all the idioms. Each group of the participants received the treatment for 12 sessions and took part in the pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest. The results of a one-way ANOVA indicated that the most gains were achieved by story-telling. The findings imply implications for teachers, syllabus designers, and materials developers in using appropriate instructional methods for teaching idioms. Manuscript profile

Blended learning in Iran has provided a novel learning milieu for language learners and teachers. This study examined how blended learning writing strategies might contribute to the self-regulation of EFL learners in their writing performance. To this end, grounded theory was used as thestudy's systemic methodology. Ninety-four Iranian EFL teachers were purposively selected through Writing Strategies and e-Learning Experience questionnaires. The participants were further interviewed to provide information on the blended learning strategies which can contribute to the self-regulation of the learning process. To enrich the data, the interviews were triangulated with some document analyses, observations, and field notes. The collected data were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding processes in grounded theory. The results included some web-based strategies that Iranian EFL learners can take into account in order to become academic writers, some web-based strategies which might put Iranian EFL learners into the self-regulated learning frame, and some web-based strategies through which Iranian EFL learners can become self-regulated academic writers. The entire analyzed data were modeled and put into a putative frame. The results revealed that blended learning helps EFL writers in becoming contributors rather than just followers in the development of their compositions, and more importantly, in developing their self-regulated writing skills. The findings can have implications for teachers and students alike. Manuscript profile