Emergency remote teaching amid global distress: how did teacher educators respond, cope, and plan for recovery?

Abstract

This study explored the emergency remote teaching experiences of Ghanaian teacher educators during COVID-19. The study employed a basic qualitative interpretive approach and purposively interviewed 25 teacher educators from 15 teacher training institutions. Teacher educators in this study reported that emergency remote teaching (ERT) was a learning opportunity and professional capacity-building experience for them to engage in contemporary pedagogical practices. Teachers also indicated that synchronous and asynchronous remote teaching was helpful for their students, as it provided students with the opportunity to engage in self-paced learning due to their access to learning resources at any time. ERT promoted peer teaching, team teaching, and effective collaboration among teacher educators. However, with little preparation and training for remote teaching and learning, both teachers and students struggled with the remote teaching and learning process. A myriad of challenges were identified including the unsuitability and unfamiliarity of online teaching and learning platforms, a high rate of absenteeism and low student engagement, a lack of parental and school support, and inadequate technological resources. The study revealed that mathematics and science teachers needed advanced technological resources to support student learning. Implications for educational policy and practice are discussed.