| There have been studies on linguistic alignment and materiality that show the meaning making process through assemblages in synchronizing the text and context within one frame. However, little attention has been given to natural contexts of online learning in relation with materiality, in which semiotic repertoires might be directly and/or indirectly involved in co-constructing meaning making. This study aims to explore emergent learning that occurs during the assemblage of the two in (spontaneous real-life) online conversations. Moreover, it is to find out how the assemblage might trigger emergent learning. Four video recordings of online classrooms—using Zoom Cloud Meeting and Google Meet—from two senior high school English teachers and their students (12-14 students) were transcribed and classified into episodes based on the classroom instructions. The episodes were then selected to further analyze first, to explore the assemblage, and secondly, to explore the emergent learning. The findings showed that the assemblage occurred because of the interrelatedness between the teacher, students, and materiality, which allowed multilayered linguistic alignment to occur. This assemblage triggered emergent learning as it opened opportunities for students to adapt, adjust, take initiatives, and learn to respond to the changing contexts, which means that the assemblage pushed the boundary of learning. Teachers should learn that the synergy between students’ cognitive processing through alignment is not sufficient to stimulate their meaning making processing. This process should be further nurtured by teachers’ understanding of the profound importance of materiality. It is at this intersection that teachers help students make sense of their learning by spanning their attention cognitively and making sense of materiality. This process helps them develop meaning making process through the assemblage of alignment and materiality. |