Light At the End of The Tunnel: Re-Storying the Experiences of Teacher- Covid19 Survivors

The continued service at the frontline of educational delivery in the time of COVID19 pandemic situates teachers to susceptibility that is no less critical. This study aimed to tell the experiences of teachers who were in the throes of COVID-19 disease and have recovered, through the narration of their personal stories. Narrative Inquiry was employed and facilitated by the use research interviews and written accounts of 4 teacher-survivors. Using Narrative Thematic approach in data analysis, themes were developed and were formatted in a literary chronological sense of the pre, during and post COVID19 stages of their journey to tell a cohesive narrative story. The plot started with Skepticisms and disbelief that describe the pre-COVID stage. Guilt, Anxiety and Shame; Fraud Information and Disclosure; Stigmas and Discrimination; and experiences pertaining to Temporality and Place; to their Being a Teacher; and to Relationship and Sociality, capture their During-COVID19 stage. The common accounts of Lessons and New Beginnings articulate the Post-COVID19 Stage. Recommendations to help advance the public’s understanding of the experiences of these teacher-survivors were also explicated.

QUYSC STEM Digilearning Model

Covid-19 and the unprecedented shift in educational delivery, has revealed multiple perforations in the science-learning pedagogies. The technological replacements for a physical presence of an instructor and peer collaborated classroom could not retain student interaction and positive learning attitude as in the pre-Covid period. YSC STEM Digilearning Model, is an online voluntary summer course that was created to combat the respective hitches and was successfully implemented on 38 primary-preparatory students from diverse schools promising an active learning environment. Student Feedback mechanism approach was implemented throughout the course thereby providing voice to the students in the learner centered approach adopted by the STEM course. The course carried out diverse synchronous and asynchronous activities with positive student response as the study witnessed minimal student withdrawals and presentation of completed student assignments.

Outcomes and Perceptions of Graduates of a Hybrid OT Program

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. As more educational programs transition to online and hybrid programming, there is a need to explore longer term outcomes of graduates of these programs. This mixed-methods survey study compared characteristics and perceptions of hybrid- and on-campus-pathway graduates from an entry-level OT program. Overall results indicated that both groups of graduates are similar in all areas, suggesting hybrid education is a suitable educational delivery model for OT students. Primary Author and Speaker: Lou Jensen Additional Authors and Speakers: Alie Banning, Morgan Dickerson, and Angelique Roebuck

Redesigning Teacher Education in the Wake of Covid-19 and Future Emergencies: A Case of Zimbabwe

Globally, the need to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 had rendered the traditional face-to-face educational delivery systems of Higher Education (HE) irrelevant. In light of that, institutions of HE had abruptly introduced online teaching platforms as an alternative, though without auditing the lecturers’ capacities and skills. Informed by the Appreciative Inquiry Model (AIM), this interpretive case study used virtual meetings and WhatsApp discussions to explore the professional limitations of Zimbabwe university lecturers on using the online platforms and their reactions to Teachers Education Programmes in the wake of Covid-19 and future emergencies. 12 lecturers drawn from three purposively selected Zimbabwean universities participated in the case study. Data were generated from questions developed in a way that encouraged the appearance of the Appreciative Inquiry Model stages. Findings suggest that some lecturers in Zimbabwe and possibly in other developing countries are inadequately trained to use online platforms. Institutions of Higher Education are therefore suggested to regularly audit their lecturers’ skills and professionally capacitate them for re-tooling and aligning in order for the skills to match the dictates of future emergencies.

Devastation and innovation: examining prison education during a national pandemic

Purpose This paper aims to highlight the impact that Covid-19 has had on the quality of education in prisons. This study considers the restrictive approaches taken by Her Majesty’s Prison Service during this challenging time, to argue that prisoner education is not being adequately prioritised. This study highlight issues relating to the digital divide in prisons and the lack of technological advancement, which could improve educational continuity and in-cell learning. Design/methodology/approach This study provides an examination of the broad impact the national pandemic has had on prisons and punishment, Covid-19 National Frameworks and policies relating to prison restrictions, the movements within prisoner education policy, scholarship and reflections from delivering Learning Together in HMP Full Sutton, to argue that prisoners are at the bottom of the educational hierarchy in terms of delivery, innovation and prioritisation of learner needs. However, this study proposes that some of the technologically enhanced learning is a potential solution, to transform educational equity and to reduce the digital divide. Findings This study highlights that education in prisons has taken a sudden and substantial deterioration. Findings suggest that there are few signs of this improving in the immediate future due to ongoing national restrictions. The Covid-19 prison restrictions further demonstrate the neglect of prisoners' educational needs. In addition, the national pandemic has highlighted the lack of use of technology within educational delivery in prisoners. However, findings suggest that through engaging digital learning platforms and the greater inclusions of technology in prisons, they can enhance educational opportunities and inclusive experiences for isolated learners. Research limitations/implications This is a study piece with support from a review of policy and scholarship. This is not based on data collected with serving prisoners during the national pandemic. Originality/value This study provides an overview of the current restrictions and lockdowns in prison associated with the national pandemic. Contemporary consideration to this underexplored area is essential to highlight the severe deprivations of prisoners and the fundamental impact this has had on educational delivery and much anticipated progression. Nuanced approaches to increase the use of technology within prison education are considered, in light of the challenges the pandemic has spotlighted.

Review of Teacher development for immersion and content-based instruction; Editors: Laurent Cammarata, T.J. Ó Ceallaigh; Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2018; ISBN: 97890272074877; Pages: 201

Searching for ways to expand the spectrum of methods of teaching and learning foreign languages triggers valuable initiatives and offers support for both students and teachers. Programs such as French immersion in Canada, content-based instruction (CBI), and content and language integrated learning (CLIL) have become popular across the world (Harrop, 2012), which is rapidly becoming a global village where the role of languages is crucial. In an integrated world, teaching content through language is viewed as a modern form of educational delivery; therefore, as the editors emphasize “teacher preparation and professional development endeavors are key drivers of successful I/B and CBI programs across a variety of models” (p. 3). Teacher Development for Immersion and Content-Based Instruction is a key contribution to the field, which offers valuable insights into the complexity of teacher preparation as well as further professional development in the case of immersion/bilingual contexts.

Students Attitude towards Online Classes at Undergraduate Level

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is a good time to welcome the introduction of technology and its latest offerings to make educational delivery more effective and make it more productive with online learning. A sample of 100 students was selected to collect data. The sample was randomly selected. The focus of this concept was to determine whether students' attitudes towards online classes were based on their online learning experience. Student’s attitude towards online classes based on their tested experience. The attitudes of the students in the online class were also investigated. Adaptation to classroom and self-study, high cost of online classes, access to electronic exams, a well-designed curriculum, easy Internet access, easy-to-use online classroom visual display, and familiarity with the teacher in a good student experience.

The Democratic Deficit in U.S. Education Governance

Political scientists have largely overlooked the democratic challenges inherent in the governance of U.S. public education—despite profound implications for educational delivery and, ultimately, social mobility and economic growth. In this study, we consider whether the interests of adult voters who elect local school boards are likely to be aligned with the needs of the students their districts educate. Specifically, we compare voters and students in four states on several policy-relevant dimensions. Using official voter turnout records and rich microtargeting data, we document considerable demographic differences between voters who participate in school board elections and the students attending the schools that boards oversee. These gaps are most pronounced in majority nonwhite jurisdictions and school districts with the largest racial achievement gaps. Our novel analysis provides important context for understanding the political pressures facing school boards and their likely role in perpetuating educational and, ultimately, societal inequality.

Foundational Knowledge and Skills in Community Development: A Comparison of Educator Perspectives

The challenges metropolitan regions, cities and towns, neighborhoods, and villages face require community development skills that address complex community problems, engage multiple publics, and pursue collective strategies. However, there is no consensus about how community development should be taught due to its various understandings, theories, and approaches. The article presents the results of a community development educator survey and illustrates a diversity of responses to educational delivery among forty-eight respondents representing twenty-seven community development programs in the United States. We compare the perspectives of respondents who teach in planning programs with other community development educators to discuss commonalities and differences.