Teaching and learning during COVID-19: Perceptions of students, parents, and teachers in Egypt

Using a case study approach and an open-ended online questionnaire, this chapter describes the policy and resources that the Ministry of Education and Technical Education in Egypt made available for General High School Grade 12 students in response to COVID-19. It investigates the challenges these students, teachers, and parents describe during COVID-19 as they prepare for high-stakes General Secondary School leaving exams. In addition, it describes the teaching and learning solutions and innovations, as well as coping strategies, that these students, parents, and teachers employed to mitigate such a crisis. Our findings suggest that the following measures could help to mitigate the disparity of advantage caused by COVID-19. Other suggestions include that policies and practices should be introduced in order to offer free/subsidized Internet coverage and technological devices for students from poor backgrounds and rural contexts;to train teachers and students in using mobile learning techniques and technologies;to make online interactive teaching and learning modules available for all students in all subjects;to regulate how private school teachers and private tutors are releasing their own video-recorded sessions;and to conduct further empirical research on how COVID-19 affects examination outcomes in relation to previous years. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Creating year 7 bubbles to support primary to secondary school transition: a positive pandemic outcome?

In this paper, we explore the benefits of new forms of in-school grouping for children moving from primary to secondary school during the COVID-19 pandemic in England. Our three-phase study with over 400 students and teachers found that protective measures to limit COVID-19 though year group ‘bubbles' generated an environment more aligned to children's previous primary school experience. This natural experiment smoothed the process of transition by providing a better correspondence with students' developmental needs, especially for those on the cusp of adolescence. We recommend that physical, administrative and pedagogical school structures are reimagined for this age group to this end. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.