Evoking Challenges Associated with the Newness of Teaching: A Collaborative Self-Study of Teacher Educators Forced Online During the Pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article reports on how four faculty self-study learning group members reexperienced the newness of teaching when forced to move online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a collaborative self-study of experienced teacher educators, we explored our abrupt transitions in teaching over one year through journal entries and individual interviews about our experiences. To better inform and contextualize our analysis, data on our teaching was considered in relation to the PDE 430, an evaluative tool used in our state for assessing both professional employees in PK-12 and the quality of teacher preparation programs. Based on the categories of professional practice reflected in the PDE 430, the findings of our study reveal the various ways in which we struggled to plan for instruction, manage the classroom, deliver instruction, and embody professionalism in our new teaching context. By analyzing these experiences as beginners in the specific context of teaching online, we highlight the importance of developing empathy with teacher candidates, staying current in our fields, and being willing to share our vulnerabilities and uncertainties.