Academics have launched a study on how the sudden shift to home-learning has impacted teachers.
Aberdeen University has been awarded almost £4,000 from the British Educational Research Association to look at how newly-qualified teachers’ training had prepared them for the sudden move to remote teaching when schools closed in March.
Specifically, the project will find out what was helpful to new teachers in Scotland in their initial teacher education programmes to enable them to handle the unexpected changes – and what professional learning requirements are now needed.
Project leader Rachel Shanks said: “Our research is new, and we believe unique.
“We will find out how new teachers draw on their experiences from initial teacher education to meet unexpected and unforeseeable challenges.
“We will be able to inform those involved in teacher education curriculum planning.
“Our work will also show how teachers see themselves as assuming broader roles within society and their local communities.
“To be effective, initial teacher education needs to be adaptable to rapid change and uncertain futures, and this research demonstrates the current situation in Scotland.”
Preliminary findings suggest that new teachers largely felt able to respond to the challenges of teaching during the pandemic.
Mark Carver, co-investigator at Strathclyde University, added: “Teachers are telling us that they responded really well to the challenges of Covid-19, even though there was little time to prepare for the sudden changes.
“This gives us a rare opportunity to look at how teachers draw upon their previous professional learning when they meet new challenges and what makes them resilient to unexpected challenges.”
