ABSTRACT
This phenomenological study extends the current research on working mothers to teacher mothers. Themes highlighted include work/life enrichment, support for motherhood role, challenge to find balance, challenging cultural norms, financial challenges, and strategies for managing multiple roles. Findings reveal and highlight challenges and opportunities that exist at the intersection of the field of education and motherhood. Also provided are suggestions for advocacy efforts for norms and policies that support teacher mothers. Implications of this work are particularly relevant in the contemporary era, wherein the roles of motherhood and teacher are intensified by "the shift to online learning" as a result of the pandemic.
ABSTRACT
Objective: Through the crisis of COVID-19 university teachers have been pushed into the realm of emergency remote teaching (ERT), familiar ways of living, working and being, brought unprecedented additional uncertainty and vulnerability to an already highly complex context. The purpose of this narrative review was to look at how these transformations affected teacher identity and the ways relationality shifted during this time. The intention was to bring relationality, care, collaboration, and excellent teaching possibilities, into the centre of our thinking. Whilst recognising the pandemic as a traumatic experience for many, it is a hopeful paper. Method: An examination and thematic analysis of literature published from March 2020-November 2020 on ERT. Results: The crisis and corresponding shift to teaching online demanded faculty to overcome their bias against online delivery, reimagine teaching, resulting in increased innovation and unexpected positive experiences which continue to rise. Conclusion: Teachers already engaging with student-centred approaches, relational pedagogies, reflective practice, community networks, and/or digital technologies managed the transition to online teaching and learning more effectively. Future teacher training requires effective online education, how to design and deliver, how to collaborate, and how to make relational connections with others, and access to resources.
ABSTRACT
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai, China, all school classes were delivered through an online environment from February 24 to May 22, 2020. To support this transition, the Shanghai Education Commission led expert teachers and specialists to develop a series of online video lessons based on the Shanghai unified curriculum, and suggested students watch the online video lessons individually from home, followed by an online synchronous lesson supported by class teachers. This study investigated what primary mathematics teachers learned from addressing these challenges through a case study. By following two purposefully selected teachers over 2 weeks during the transition, multiple data sets including online video lessons, online synchronous lessons, daily reflections, and post-online teacher interviews were collected. A fine-grained analysis of the data from the lens of the documentational approach to didactics found that teachers adaptively used online video lessons as important resources for their online synchronous lessons and virtual Teaching Research Groups as a teachers' collaboration mechanism supported them to develop online video lessons and address various technological constraints. Finally, implications of this case study for mathematics education globally are discussed. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10649-022-10172-2.
ABSTRACT
This piece looks at the use of Twitter to share good practice among education professionals responding to the so-called 'pivot online': the sudden shift to online learning necessitated by the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic. It presents a general overview on how Twitter provided a source of advice, ideas, and resources and how teachers shared their expertise at this time of need, focusing on my own experience as a Twitter user and online pedagogy expert. [For the complete volume, "Languages at Work, Competent Multilinguals and the Pedagogical Challenges of COVID-19," see ED612070.]
ABSTRACT
Linda Darling-Hammond, the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University and founding president of the Learning Policy Institute, is a longtime leader in education, an expert on professional learning, and an influential researcher and policy advisor. She has been leading President Joe Biden's education transition team, giving her a unique perspective on the current moment in education and the future of U.S. policy. Elizabeth Foster, vice president, research & standards at Learning Forward, spoke with Darling-Hammond recently in a conversation that focused on opportunity in the midst of crisis and what educators are learning and accomplishing during the shift to online and hybrid learning environments. This article provides excerpts of Darling-Hammond's comments, which have been edited for clarity and length.
ABSTRACT
The present volume investigates the relevance of language teaching and learning in the contemporary job market, highlighting how language graduates can provide a substantial contribution to the multilingual needs of the UK. It also explores how the sudden spread of COVID-19 impacted on the acceleration of the online pedagogical shift which had already been foreseen by Jisc and developed at a higher speed than predicted. Ultimately, by looking into the forced online pivot, this volume furthers a reflection on how the 'new normal' is contributing to drive pedagogical innovation. [This content is provided in the format of an e-book. Individual papers are indexed in ERIC.]
ABSTRACT
Since March 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed unprecedented stresses on the public education system in the United States. At every level, from the U.S. Department of Education down through local districts and individual schools, the pandemic has presented formidable challenges. Many of these challenges have been operational in nature but there have also been substantial instructional challenges during the pandemic. Early insight into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on public schooling identified the challenges that schools faced in the pivot to online learning in spring 2020. Large proportions of teachers reported through the RAND American Teacher Panel (ATP) that they had not received adequate guidance from their school systems to serve particular populations of students, such as students with disabilities (SWDs), homeless students, and English learners (ELs). These pandemic-era instructional challenges compound existing barriers to quality instruction. This report examines issues of instructional system coherence during the 2020-2021 school year. Specifically, the report investigates teachers' perceptions of: (1) guidance they received about ELA instruction, (2) guidance around addressing the needs of traditionally underserved students, (3) coherence of their ELA instructional system, and (4) presence of contextual conditions identified through literature as supporting coherence.
ABSTRACT
Background: This article describes teachers' equity concerns related to teaching mathematics online as a result of the COVID-19 pivot to online/distance-based instruction. COVID-19 restrictions forced the creation of virtual education contexts that magnified existing equity issues related to access to technology and the challenges of providing inquiry-based, student-centered instruction. Methods: This study took place under conditions promulgated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nine teachers agreed to share their observations and experiences with the sudden switch to teaching mathematics online. Our methods included two online open response surveys. We qualitatively analyzed the responses from the surveys, coding for a priori, and emergent themes (Charmaz, 1995, Emerson et al., 2011). Findings: The results indicate that our participants experienced concerns for students and families struggling to effectively engage with and access online education, and shared the practices and online tools they found most and least helpful in enacting equitable instruction. Contribution: This work sheds light on how skilled and caring teachers leveraged prior experiences, collegial support, and technological tools to meet the challenges brought by the sudden transition to online mathematics pedagogy.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic presented new challenges for educators who teach students with disabilities (SWD). Research on the experiences of SWD during the pandemic is limited, but what is known suggests that SWD access to services and supports declined during the pandemic and that steeper learning losses are likely. Pandemic interruptions may be particularly problematic for secondary SWD because they missed out on critical preparation experiences while approaching the transition to college and career. Given these disruptions, it is critical that educators have the support and training they need to accelerate learning for SWD moving forward. This report presents national survey findings from secondary school principals and educators from the spring of the 2020-2021 school year, exploring educators' access to and use of supports for teaching SWD. The analysis focuses on the roles that teachers play and the service delivery models that they use for teaching SWD.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a rapid shift in education all around the world, including Northern Cyprus. Although the related literature focused on the general perceptions of teachers and their experiences or challenges during the online education process that started early in 2020, there seems to be a gap in the literature regarding the well-being of the English language teachers from a broader perspective taking their interwoven roles and identities into consideration. In an attempt to fill this void in the literature, this study investigated the experiences of seven English language teachers during the online education period English medium university in Northern Cyprus regarding (1) work-life balance, (2) professional development, (3) academic activities and research, (4) collaboration and communication among colleagues, (5) relationship with the administration, and (6) teaching English online. The necessary data were collected via a demographic survey along with an auto-photography task, in which the participants took photos for the themes and explained them in short s, and focus group interviews were conducted. The findings revealed that although the teachers had certain financial, psychological, and teaching-related challenges in this process, they adapted to the new normal by making sacrifices, learning from their mistakes. That is to say, adaptation to online teaching took some time, energy, practice, and collaboration, but eventually, teachers managed to survive and even enjoy the whole process despite the pain they had in their fingers.
ABSTRACT
In Sweden, upper secondary school teachers made a swift transition into emergency remote teaching in 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19. This paper reports on a Design-Based Research intervention in which professional development was designed using the Blended Learning Adoption framework, to support teachers to develop their teaching practices online. Twenty-six teachers participated in the intervention which spanned six months. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. Key results revealed that the pandemic had become an impetus for change, for many teachers, but far from all. Emerging teaching practices in synchronous online learning included: inviting special needs pedagogues in parallel breakout rooms, and grouping and re-grouping students when facilitating varied collaboration. Apart from realising new potentials of online teaching and learning, teachers identified emerging challenges such as: new ways of cheating, ethical aspects of accessing students' private homes via cameras and a lack of guidelines on managing disengagement. Conclusively, teacher's professional development and new experiences elicit new practices that could benefit teachers after the pandemic. Professional development during uncertain times and design principles supporting intervention ownership transfer are discussed.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to explore how a Virtual Professional Learning Community (VPLC) might serve as effective professional development for large ensemble teachers in rural communities interested in improving their pedagogy. We used a case study approach to investigate four rural music teachers who actively participated in an online professional learning community focused on implementing the "Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance" model of planning and instruction into one of their large ensemble classes. Based on our findings, we concluded that a VPLC provided rural music teachers with meaningful, content-specific professional development while also reducing feelings of professional isolation. However, we also identified challenges that impacted the effectiveness of the VPLC. The implications for music teacher educators are discussed.
ABSTRACT
This case study provides an overview as to how two faculty members co-taught an asynchronous online course with a service-learning component during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Within this paper, the authors recount the adjustments that were made in order to accommodate an online teaching modality while maintaining their commitment to service learning.
ABSTRACT
When teachers have a practical, easy to use tool to self-assess acts of teacher leadership, they are better equipped to develop as leaders by self-determining to whom or what they are committed (relatedness), what they know and can do (competence), and when and how to act (autonomy). The purpose of this mixed methods study was to assess the validity of the Five Features of Teacher Leadership Framework and Self-Determination Guide (FFTL) through field testing by credentialed teacher leaders. Twenty-five credentialed teacher leaders representing all six regions of the United States participated in the study. The FFTL was favorably viewed by all 25 teacher leaders, revealing reasonably strong confidence in the tool's face, content, and construct validity. The findings suggest that participants considered the FFTL credible enough to trust as a guide for self-determining acts of teacher leadership. By describing an act of teacher leadership and using the FFTL to self-determine the degree to which the act accomplished the five core features of teacher leadership, the teacher leaders in this study were empowered to grow and develop as leaders privately, in their own way, and at their own pace. More research is needed.
ABSTRACT
In this study, we sought to develop a model to provide educators with training and resources to effectively support and guide social-emotional learning (SEL) in PK-12 online environments, which we refer to as o-SEL. We utilized five national sets of standards and competencies to guide the development of six online modules for educators to gain skills, knowledge, and resources to help students learn SEL-related skills. Qualitative methods and analysis were employed to examine our research question. We utilized design thinking as a strategy for developing o-SEL professional learning. Five SEL experts were identified and invited to participate in a brief survey to determine areas of focus and then we conducted two one-hour focus groups. The focus group discussion was transcribed, coded, and analyzed to determine emergent themes related to areas of SEL needs in online learning environments. Based on our findings, we identified six elements (i.e., Empower, Engage, Motivate, Include, Collaborate, Extend) for educators to foster inclusive o-SEL environments for PK-12 learners that we describe as the Collaborative Model for Teaching o-SEL. We discuss the positive impact that o-SEL instruction can have on student learning outcomes, while also designing inclusive and culturally relevant support structures. This study calls for further investigation regarding teacher application of the o-SEL model and impact of o-SEL on student learning.
ABSTRACT
Collaborative relationships in Education have been impacted by the advancement of the COVID-19 pandemic in various latitudes of the world, making it important to explore its impact in Latin American contexts This study analyzes the impact of the pandemic on collaboration patterns of three schools in Chile. The analysis has an exploratory descriptive approach, following a Social Network Analysis (SNA) methodology, which allows the quantification of changes in collaborative relationships between the 77 schools members being analyzed. The results show that collaboration patterns changed during the pandemic, highlighting a wider distribution among educational actors' positions and roles, and showing that the socio-sanitary emergency had an impact on their collaborative relationships.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated teacher collaboration in unprecedented ways, ensuring students continued to learn amid unforeseen obstacles. In this study, I explored how trust relationships were perceived within Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and with building administrators during the COVID-19 pandemic using a theoretical framework built on social constructivism and Tschannen-Moran's five facets of trust. This study addressed the following research question: What perceptions of trust within PLCs were reported by teachers and building administrators during the COVID-19 pandemic in a small, suburban K-2 school in the state of Wisconsin? I conducted a qualitative case study of five kindergarten through second-grade teachers on collaborative grade level teams, as well as their two building administrators. Key findings from the study indicated that (a) definitions of trust varied by positionality;(b) the shifting work and purpose of PLCs positively affected trust;(c) perceptions around equity of the workload was dependent on technology skill sets that decreased trust and seeking help when needed that increased trust;and (d) conflict and venting were outcomes of unmet appreciation, decreasing trust. Recommendations for stakeholders included the following: (a) building capacity for trust based on essential elements of benevolence, honesty, openness, reliability and competence;(b) reorienting the work and purpose of PLCs post-pandemic;(c) providing train- ing around conflict resolution to thwart unproductive venting;(d) establishing a culture where asking for help is seen as an asset;and (e) being specific when communicating appreciation. At the time of this study, schools remained in the COVID-19 pandemic;it was my aim that educators might benefit from this study in present and future crises. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to examine qualities and practices within the lived experiences of secondary co-teachers contributing to positive co-teaching experiences in special education inclusive secondary classrooms. This study also sought to understand the qualities and practices within the experiences of the co-teachers as well as the professional development experiences and supports identified as most impactful. Participants included six co-teaching pairs, for a total of 12 participants. Three dyads taught in various subjects at the middle school level, and three taught at the high school level. All participants taught in Southern California public schools. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, participants did not need to currently be engaged in co-teaching but were required to have at least been co-teaching with one another the year prior to the pandemic (2019-2020 school year). Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) served as the theoretical framework for understanding the findings in this study. The participants were asked a series of open-ended questions using a semi-structured interview protocol. Participants interviewed with and without their co-teaching partner. The following themes emerged from an analysis of the interview data: (a) Shared beliefs in the vision of co-teaching, (b) Flexibility as key to effective co-teaching, (c) Co-teachers' supportive relationships with one another centered around trust, (d) Support structures such as planning time during professional development, coaching, and ongoing support opportunities while co-teaching, and (e) Sharing of multiple tools to co-teach effectively. This study found that the relational dynamic between the co-teachers was a key element to their success. Participants discussed how their ability to be flexible in the relationship led to understandings of mutual respect and trust. These qualities fostered an organic division of labor among the teachers as well as informed student-centered instructional practices. Professional development that nourished the co-teachers' relationships with another along with coaching support, with embedded time to plan together and network with other co-teaching dyads, were viewed by participants as valuable experiences in their development. Other contributing factors leading to successful co-teaching included the sharing and adapting of web-based tools provided by district and site leadership. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
With the return to on-campus learning in progress, recalling how higher education responded to the COVID-19 pandemic poses a challenge. Back in March 2020, many university leaders thought returning "to normal" (now a phrase almost as maligned as "unprecedented") was a matter of weeks--not months or years. The short-sighted certainty of the initial response as a brief pivot soon morphed into a mixture of horror and uncertainty about how to respond to the larger public health crisis and its consequences for higher education. Collaborating at scale with 200 colleagues and via an iterative learning community conversations, the authors confronted anxieties, frustrations, and new ways of seeing course design and inclusive teaching and learning. The authors shared what this immersive process brought forth at a January 2021 Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) panel entitled "Threshold Concepts in Online and Hybrid Course Design" in the form of three insights about flexible course design: community is co-created with, between, and centered on the whole student;effective assessment is an ongoing conversation;and good teaching requires continuous reflection and recalibration to authentically enact values. Following a brief description of the summer 2020 workshops, this article elaborates on these insights and considers their implications for teaching and educational development in a postpandemic future.
ABSTRACT
When talking with New York City educators about the circumstances of teaching during the upheavals wrought by COVID-19, common terms get repeated: "brutal," "chaotic," "confusing," "traumatic," "disorienting," "sad," and "lonely." While art education often includes digital tools and platforms, and many educators explore and produce digital media to engage student learners, the new realities of remote teaching left many teachers outside of familiar teaching methods and comfort zones. On top of the immediate concerns and questions about how to reach students and shift learning online, the pandemic exposed stark inequalities across race, class, and gender demographics that have always plagued education. This instructional resource article is written as a conversation between two teachers and an academic colleague who realized a shared commitment to fostering community and student collaboration through digital media at the height of the 2020-2021 pandemic. Written as an interview/dialogue, the three educators initially met in the graduate program in Art + Education at New York University (NYU) and have continued to stay in touch to share practices, challenges, and friendship. Caitlin Gibbons teaches media and filmmaking at Digital Art & Cinema Technology High School, a public high school serving predominantly Black and Latinx students (49% and 37%, respectively), with 81% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, in Brooklyn, New York. Alexis Lambrou teaches photography and media literacy at Bard High School Early College Manhattan (BHSEC), which has a student population that includes 27% Asian, 13% Black, 20% Latinx, and 38% White, with 41% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch. Jessica Hamlin is a clinical faculty member of the Art + Education program at NYU, which has a focus on contemporary art, social justice education, and critical multiculturalism. During a conversation among NYU Art + Education alumni, Jessica suggested to Caitlin and Alexis that they share their experiences of teaching during the pandemic because each were facilitating experiences with digital media that prioritized student voice, opportunities to visualize their unique realities, and connect with others who were experiencing related yet distinct pandemic realities. Both educators were enacting forms of collaboration that "create a culture of caring" that felt timely and important to share with other educators.