ERIC Number: EJ1460917
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Mar
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0311-6999
EISSN: EISSN-2210-5328
Available Date: 2024-03-13
Learning from a Dilemma: The Opportunities Online Teaching Provided for Teacher Growth and Development
Kathy Smith1; Jennifer Mansfield2; Megan Adams2
Australian Educational Researcher, v52 n1 p95-113 2025
The global 2020 COVID-19 pandemic impacted teaching and learning in all education institutions. The unprecedented and rapid shift from classroom based to fully online teaching raised unfamiliar dilemmas for educators, requiring immediate operational and pedagogical changes to meet previously unimagined demands. This study reports how an Australian school harnessed this experience and the teacher professional learning which ensued. Online focus groups were conducted with 50 teachers. The theoretical lens of Pedagogical equilibrium was used to explain the sense of unrest, curiosity, uncertainty and perplexity evident in teachers' responses as they began to address unfamiliar challenges. Data analysis revealed such disequilibrium provided opportunity for teachers to work together to socially construct new professional knowledge in three key areas: teacher agency, community collaboration and teacher well-being. The findings demonstrate the importance of positioning such disruptions as opportunities for teacher professional growth and strategically encouraging teachers to reflect, articulate and share their learnings. When done effectively, these processes can embody a dynamic, collaborative community culture based on respect, reciprocity and trust. Such a culture shift not only supports the construction of both individual and collective professional knowledge but also enhances teacher well-being.
Descriptors: Electronic Learning, COVID-19, Pandemics, Foreign Countries, Teaching Methods, Technology Uses in Education, Teacher Attitudes, Barriers, Professional Autonomy, Teacher Collaboration, Teacher Welfare, Elementary School Teachers, Secondary School Teachers, Online Courses, Teaching Experience, Knowledge Level, Sharing Behavior
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Elementary Education; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1RMIT University, School of Education, Melbourne, Australia; 2Monash University, School of Curriculum, Teaching and Inclusive Education, Faculty of Education, Clayton, Australia