Teaching During COVID-19: Portraits of Preservice Teachers Creating and Sustaining Virtual Holding Environments

• In Event: Pitfalls and Possibilities: Examining Teacher Education in the Midst of COVID-19

Abstract

The trauma from the pandemic and from racial injustice brought to the forefront for communities of color will have significant impacts on youth’s social-emotional and physical well-being. These impacts bear significant consequences for teachers, teaching and teacher education. The purpose of this paper is to share the experiences of seven preservice teachers who engaged in a 12 week action research project to study their practice in developing and maintaining caring and supportive relationships with 168 6th-9th graders through the use of technology and trauma-informed strategies within a virtual asynchronous and synchronous summer program for a local low-income, urban community.

Authors

• Allison JoAnn Lester, University of Cincinnati

• Leah Simone Wade, Cincinnati Public Schools

• Ryan Matthew Guenthner, Breakthrough Collaborative

• Sam H Overkamp, University of Cincinnati

• Andrew Richard LeBlanc, Xavier University

• Myriam Wane

• Delaney Rice