Challenges and Solutions in Teaching Practicum During COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

AbstractIn 2020, due to objective reasons related to the COVID‐19 pandemic, universities faced the problem of adjusting the entire educational process. Apart from the introduction of distance learning, there appeared the challenge of organizing the teaching practicum online.This paper aims to provide a critical insight into teacher education in Russia during coronavirus pandemic; to identify and highlight challenges and solutions to organizing the practicum of student teachers during the pandemic lockdown (the case of Kazan Federal University). The following research questions were posed: (1) What organizational solutions need to be offered to transfer students to the remote format of conducting their practicum? (2) What individual assignments can be offered to students in on-line format of practicum? (3) How effective is this format of practicum? (4) What difficulties do teachers and students face during on-line practicum?The main data sources are two questionnaires for teachers and students. 82 student teachers and 23 professors of the Institute of Psychology and Education (Kazan Federal University) completed the questionnaires. These professors organized the teaching practicum online during the lockdown. The qualitative analysis that followed helped to reveal the challenges as well as the positive points they learned from the on-line practicum format and allowed to evaluate the effectiveness of distance format.KeywordsDistance learningPracticeStudentsPandemicRussia