School leadership strategies facilitate the emerged transition from f2f to blended learning

ABSTRACT

In the unprecedented circumstances following the pandemic from March 2020 onwards, novel challenges appeared regarding both the effective Schools leadership and management and the accomplishment of pedagogical and learning objectives from distance. This new reality pushed for the adoption of innovative practices but at the same time uncovered underlying weaknesses. The teachers’ role, students’ and parents’ presence in the digital context environment has been redefined at the Experimental School of the University of Thessaloniki (PSPTh), Greece. Under the School’s coordination and the teachers’ collaboration, the school community members had to work together to (co)design the e-school’s virtual framework in the best possible manner. Distributed leadership supported overcoming obstacles, giving school members a sense of belonging to a community that was left with no option. Pre-existing relationships and strategies related to blended learning at school, helped in building the distance (for a long period) of emotional connection and laid new foundations. The authors explored the factors that shaped the transition from the face-to-face School to the Virtual School community taking into consideration school staff’s and students’ expectations, intentions and strengths and weaknesses as well. They based on an empirical research with observation and data collection, both from the school principal’s diary as well as other quantitative and qualitative data, they have recorded the transition from f2f-education to blended learning (BL) with synchronous and asynchronous distance education. Moreover, they identified the need to overcome the new obstacles. The effective use of ICT, the level of familiarity with web-based platforms, the adoption of participatory processes and exploitation of collaborative e-tools for communication, training, studying, and teaching and learning with the continuous training, were the crucial points that shaped the new educational reality. A well-organized strategy emerged as a prerequisite for achieving the goals of the administrative, organizational and educational coordination and leading of schools from distance. © the authors, 2021. All Rights Reserved.