COVID-19 posed formidable challenges to the teaching and learning of subjects with abstract concepts such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The study explored how STEM teachers transformed their pedagogical practices as an integral part of the transition to online teaching and learning in response to COVID-19 and further examined the effectiveness of online teaching and learning. The study adopted an exploratory descriptive survey design and involved purposively selected STEM teachers from schools operating under the auspices of the Association of Muslim Schools. The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework underpinned the study. Quantitative data was collected through the administration of a Likert scale instrument. Data was analysed using inferential and descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that COVID-19 essentially compelled teachers to make a transition to online teaching and learning resulting in a concomitant profound impact on their pedagogical practices. Teachers provided various perspectives on the key modalities adopted to navigate online teaching and learning on virtual platforms in an attempt to ensure sustainable, equitable and inclusive teaching and learning. Implications for broadening educational pathways to STEM education through online teaching and learning on virtual platforms and sustainable teacher professional development on technology integration in teaching and learning are discussed. Keywords: COVID-19, online teaching, pandemic, pedagogy, STEM, teaching practices

Assessment plays a critical role in teaching and learning. Continuous assessment advocates for a sustainable learner engagement in a cyclical manner that provides information on performance, feedback, as well as critical support that serves to engender mastery of skills. Continuous assessment encapsulates the use of both formative and summative assessment. COVID-19 compelled teachers as agents of educational change to fundamentally rethink the enactment of assessment within the context of remote teaching and learning. This chapter reflects the transformation of assessment practices adopted by purposively selected teachers at South African schools in response to formidable instructional challenges induced by COVID-19. The empirical inquiry is underpinned by the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework. While teachers expressed fundamental appreciation of the key pedagogical affordances of technology integration in remote teaching and learning, they bemoaned the lack of professional capacity required for a meaningful enactment of technology-mediated assessment.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused teachers and learners to be removed from their school communities, negatively impacting school culture, and limiting teacher professional development (PD). Online PD programmes emerged to meet these needs. This study investigated how schools implemented teacher PD and mechanisms for teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was necessary to understand the complex interplay between school culture and teacher PD, and Wenger's social learning theory was used to prescribe the empirical prescription. This study examined the influence of school culture on Mathematics and Science teacher development during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative approach was used to compare three independent schools in the same Educational Trust in Gauteng. The empirical findings of this study revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant influence on the school culture, consequently giving rise to explicit professional learning communities (PLCs), which in turn influenced the teachers’ pedagogical repertoires for curriculum delivery during a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of schools transforming their practices and adapting their school cultures. Results showed that school culture is not static, and individuals had to reflect collectively to develop ideas to transform learning. Schools need to learn from the pandemic, adjust their values, and use their newfound insights and beliefs to work towards a new learning culture. Future research must evaluate unfolding PLC practices, strategies, and implementations during a crisis.