An Applied Research-Based Approach to Support Chemistry Teachers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

In this Communication paper we describe how a research-based approach was applied in Israel to support high-school chemistry teachers, who continued to teach using technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the TPACK (technological pedagogical content knowledge) framework for teachers’ knowledge in technological environments, we developed a questionnaire for chemistry teachers, with the goal to reveal the difficulties they encountered, their needs, and their means for sharing their knowledge, materials, and teaching strategies for online teaching. On the basis of the analysis of the collected data, we provided a research-based response that focused on the teachers’ needs when using technology to teach chemistry. Teachers’ needs, in terms of their knowledge, skills, and means of support, which were identified in the research and the activities that were developed in order to address them, are presented. We emphasized the research-based process that was applied to address teachers’ needs during the pandemic.

Global emergency remote education in secondary schools during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In a Vietnamese study, Tran et al (2020) found that students who were intrinsically motivated and believed that "self-learning was necessary because it maintained their learning habits" (p. 12), studied approximately 40 minutes more a day than their classmates. However, Hodgen et al (2020) found that students who could self-regulate their learning were often highattainers, who already had those skills prior to the pandemic. Yet there were examples of students exhibiting greater ownership of their learning and developing a new sense of independence during school closures (e.g., Chiu, 2021;Hira & Anderson, 2021).…”

“…Parents also assisted with creating the videos, which enhanced the experience greatly for students. In a study by Langansan (2020), social media helped break down barriers between teachers, students and parents, as the teacher created Facebook groups for each class, creating announcements of work due and had group chats for teachers and parents to keep lines of communication open. However, despite the reported benefits of using Facebook Live for conducting synchronous lessons, adequate internet connectivity was an issue in some cases (e.g., Chirinda et al, 2021) and many teachers opted for WhatsApp 7 instead (Lawrence & Fakuade, 2021).…”

“…Hodgen et al (2020) noted that "46% of schools provided comments on pupils' work less frequently" and that "teachers expressed frustration about providing formative feedback due to lack of live interaction with pupils". Classroom interactions online can be characterised by teacher efforts to help students achieve learning objectives and gauge actual progress, while trying to overcome the hindrances of students' passive participation and tendency to follow "a modelled explanation of how to do something" (Hodgen et al, 2020, p 21).…”

“…Another reason assessments were delayed was because government policies prohibited or restricted such online practice. For example, Rap et al (2020) reported that at-home chemistry experiments were not permitted for many Israeli teachers due to legal restrictions. Interestingly, in Ghana, online learning was not permitted at all and in Morocco and Senegal all assessments were suspended.…”

El modelo de aprendizaje TPACK y su impacto en la innovación educativa desde un análisis bibliométrico

“…Así mismo, se evidenció que los docentes desconocían como asociar la pedagogía con la tecnología (Rap et al, 2020) pues bien, muchos de ellos han usado herramientas tecnológicas, se queda en aplicaciones básicas. Es por ello que proporcionar una variedad de herramientas tecnológicas especializadas en el área del conocimiento de los profesores se vuelve categórico para lograr competencias digitales (Canbazoglu Bilici et al, 2016).…”