Designing flipped learning in initial teacher education: The experiences of two teacher educators

The move to online learning triggered by COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 necessitated a rapid movement to effectively design synchronous digital learning environments. In such environments research suggests that a flipped approach to teaching and learning is most appropriate in learning environments mediated by technologies. This article examines the experiences of two teacher educators in dealing with online learning environments in a time of change and examines the shift to a flipped approach in teaching literacy units that are part of a postgraduate initial teacher education degree at a university in Melbourne, Australia. The article presents a collaborative autoethnography of the experiences of the teacher educators, shared as a set of curated narrative vignettes, and analyses the thinking that supports the implementation of flipped learning. These practice narratives are understood through the lens of collaborative learning theory which emphasises negotiated meanings and knowledge creation within groups. In post-COVID times this article points to future possibilities for a flipped learning approach in hybrid or mixed learning environments and offers a conceptual process model for designing learning in response to change.Implications for practice or policy:* Teacher educators may need to reconsider learning design for online and hybrid environments.* Universities may need to be more open to student-centred pedagogies such as flipped learning.* Leaders and policymakers in higher education should give more attention to student agency and active learning in educational delivery.

Coping through the unknown: School staff wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Approximately one quarter of all teachers experience feelings of stress throughout their careers, for many this leads to emotional exhaustion and burnout. In this article we present a case study that explores the wellbeing of three teaching staff from an Australian Primary School, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Transactional Model of Stress and Coping devised by Lazarus and Folkman was used as the framework to interpret this group of experiences. The findings indicated that the additional stress induced by fear of the 'unknown' imposed by the pandemic further intensified the emotional toll experienced by participants. These emotional responses included feelings of guilt about their providing the best education for students, anxiety about the unknown implications on schooling and frustration at the lack of communication and inconsistent decision making by people holding leadership positions. Despite this, these teaching staff shared many positive strategies for coping and grow through the experience.

Coping through the unknown: School staff wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Approximately one quarter of all teachers experience feelings of stress throughout their careers, for many this leads to emotional exhaustion and burnout. In this article we present a case study that explores the wellbeing of three teaching staff from an Australian Primary School, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Transactional Model of Stress and Coping devised by Lazarus and Folkman was used as the framework to interpret this group of experiences. The findings indicated that the additional stress induced by fear of the ‘unknown’ imposed by the pandemic further intensified the emotional toll experienced by participants. These emotional responses included feelings of guilt about their providing the best education for students, anxiety about the unknown implications on schooling and frustration at the lack of communication and inconsistent decision making by people holding leadership positions. Despite this, these teaching staff shared many positive strategies for coping and grow through the experience.