Pivot, Zoom, Teach: Adaptive Capacity During times of Social & School Crisis

• In Event: Student Excellence in Uncertain Times: Building Ethical Administrative Capacity amid Crisis in K–12 Schools

Abstract

This paper examines the adaptive response of teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic and derives lessons for school leaders on the relevance of school level policy to develop and support teachers’ adaptive expertise. We argue that teachers' ability to respond “in the moment” and adjust their teaching to meet the needs of their students is the foundation of effective teaching and contributes to teachers' sense of efficacy and, ultimately, their persistence in the profession. In addition to knowledge and skill (i.e., the ability to interpret conditions and make instructional modifications), adaptive teaching requires working conditions that foster innovation and resilience. The COVID-19 pandemic provides an exemplary case for understanding the conditions that enabled or constrained teachers' adaptive capacity.

Authors

• Alisun Thompson, University of Puget Sound

• Lora Bartlett, University of California - Santa Cruz