Learning From Teachers' Online Groups During the Early Pandemic: Lessons for Teacher Education

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Fifteen
  In Roundtable Session: Teaching During the Pandemic: Lessons Learned (Table 2)

Abstract

This study performs a thematic analysis of 752 questions posed between March and June 2020 by educators in the three most popular public Facebook groups dedicated exclusively to K-12 teaching during the pandemic, in order to understand the underlying assumptions about the most pressing issues that practicing teachers were facing. The analysis yields four main findings, related to the question about what counts as context, the expanding notion of community of practice, the location of expertise, and the openings for reimagining schooling. These findings are then tied to recommendations for university-based teacher education programs beyond the current pandemic context.

Authors

• Dani Friedrich, Teachers College, Columbia University
  Presenting Author

• James Shanahan, Teachers College, Columbia University
  Presenting Author