Teaching in the midst of the pandemic: Insights and perspectives from the lenses of the pre-service teachers

Abstract

<span lang="EN-US">The experiences of the pre-service teachers in their student teaching (ST) program are crucial as they bridge the divergence between their dependence to their cooperating teacher under the wings of their four-year teacher training program and their emancipatory leap towards autonomy in the field of actual teaching. This study was designed to document the experiences of the pre-service teachers in their pandemic ST for the school year 2020-2021. Describing their experiences and identifying factors contributing to their experiences are ways of analyzing this phenomenal issue in our educational state. Employing the qualitative research design using Phenomenology as point of inquiry, 18 pre-service teachers eloquently narrated their experiences in this pandemic education. The following experiences are documented: challenging and engaging, experiences are superficial, ST is best done via face-to-face, and ST is hopeless this pandemic. On the other hand, the known factors affecting the informants’ pandemic education experiences include poor internet connectivity, lack of gadgets, technological know-how, feedback is not enough, and inattentive, distracted students. Based on the foregoing results and on the parameters of this study, it is concluded that the pre-service teachers who had their ST in the school year 2020-2021 in a state university in the Philippines did not practice well as they were confronted with mounting roadblocks in optimizing their potentials in teaching. It is further recommended that a revision on the current framework of the program is necessary in order to fully optimize the learning experiences of pre-service teachers.</span>

Innovation of communication strategy on the learning process

“…Indeed, every teacher's ability, including prospective teachers, is never shaken. Teachers are adaptable and always on the move to navigate things that challenge their abilities and excellence in providing quality education during this pandemic (Camayang & Bautista, 2022). Thus it can be concluded regarding the discussion of teacher communication strategies in the learning process according to what was stated by Gufron (2016) regarding the principles of learning communication strategy patterns carried out by educators.…”

Emotional and spiritual quotient for sustainable education’s service quality

“…Universities frequently demonstrate their initiatives by using communities and technologies to foster student entrepreneurship, transparent governance, and maintain a culture of high-quality teaching and learning [1]. Moreover in post-COVID world, it is essential to observe the efficacy of education [2], [3]. To achieve the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) fourth sustainable development goal (SDG-4) by 2030, universities are now promoting excellent service quality (ESQ) in education through faculty, curriculum, pedagogy, internationalization, research, employability, industry engagement, and social responsibility.…”

Do types of gadgets used for online learning have a bearing on student academic performance?

“…Learning via technology has its share of advantages and disadvantages. Apart from lacking technological know-how, students also have problems identifying the proper gadgets for effective online learning [12]. With the sudden switch to online ODL due to COVID-19, many students have no other alternatives but to use their smartphones as a learning tool.…”