ERIC Number: EJ1258705
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2227-7102
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
COVID-19 School Closure-Related Changes to the Professional Life of a K-12 Teacher
Kaden, Ute
Education Sciences, v10 Article 165 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic forced K-12 school closures in spring 2020 to protect the well-being of society. The unplanned and unprecedented disruption to education changed the work of many teachers suddenly, and in many aspects. This case study examines the COVID-19 school closure-related changes to the professional life of a secondary school teacher in rural Alaska (United States), who had to teach his students online. A descriptive and explanatory single case study methodology was used to describe subsequent impacts on instructional practices and workload. Qualitative and quantitative data sources include participant observations, semi-structured interviews, artifacts (e.g., lesson plans, schedules, online time), and open-ended conversations. The results of this study demonstrate an increase and change in workload for the teacher and that online education can support learning for many students but needs to be carefully designed and individualized to not deepen inequality and social divides. The forced move to online learning may have been the catalyst to create a new, more effective hybrid model of educating students in the future. Not one single model for online learning will provide equitable educational opportunities for all and virtual learning cannot be seen as a cheap fix for the ongoing financial crisis in funding education.
Descriptors: Disease Control, Public Health, Disease Incidence, Crisis Management, School Closing, Elementary Secondary Education, Educational Change, Secondary School Teachers, Faculty Workload, Electronic Learning, Online Courses, Equal Education, Teaching Experience, Instructional Effectiveness, Teacher Attitudes, Rural Schools, Teacher Student Relationship, Computer Mediated Communication, COVID-19, Pandemics
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Alaska
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A