The “new” normal: Re-imagining professional development amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

Teachers Using Social Emotional Learning: Meeting Student Needs during COVID-19

“…The findings of our study supported the value of social-emotional learning in a time when P-12 education all over the world was in the midst of an unusual period, with the ongoing pandemic, teaching in hybrid modalities, and social-emotional trauma inflicted upon communities and students (Brown, Correll & Stormer, 2021;Dolighan & Owen, 2021). Insight into teachers' practices revealed that competencies of SEL focused instruction, care and compassion in teaching, trauma informed pedagogies, and content instruction woven together helped support holistic student development (Yang, 2021).…”

“…Even though in 2021-2022 academic year, majority of students have returned back to in-person instruction, it is important to consider the implications of challenges teachers faced during the pandemic. Research from the two years of COVID instruction highlights the salience of SEL, and a need to provide teachers in all schools the Bhatnagar & Many 532 necessary skills, resources, and support structures to incorporate SEL in their classrooms (Brown, et al, 2021;Katz, et al, 2020). Results from our study are consistent with recent research and indicate that subject and gradelevel resources, interactive tools, and SEL focused materials should be widely available to teachers, so that they do not have to spend personal time developing these materials for themselves (Cristol & Gimbert, 2021;Sahlberg, 2021).…”

“…Another aspect is technological competence, as studies have found that teachers who were more equipped to teach utilizing online technologies for SEL, felt less stress and burnout (Bhatnagar & Many, 2022). Both of these aspects have implications for teacher education as well as professional development to not just support SEL competencies in teachers, but also create resource pools for materials that are easily available, in addition to technology support and training, which should be ongoing (Brown, et al, 2021;CASEL, 2021). The other implication is the need for more support personnel, such as social workers, counsellors and school psychologists who may play an important role in addressing traumas and emotional concerns in students, and provide professional intervention, which the teacher may not be equipped to offer (Yang, 2021).…”

“…Thus, the circumstances created by COVID-19 have led teachers to reassess their role and responsibility in teaching students dealing with trauma (Brown, Correll, & Stormer, 2021;Hebebci, Bertiz, & Alan, 2020;Jackowicz & Sahin, 2021;Reddig & Vanlone, 2022;Sahin & Shelley, 2020) and effectively meet student needs who may be joining class in-person or online. Unique challenges arose for teachers to be effective not just academically, but also in providing social-emotional support, strengthening partnerships with families, and building a classroom community (Bhatnagar & Many, 2022).…”

The Potential to Build Collective Capacity for Organisational Learning in the Context of Teachers’ Use of Digital Technology for School Improvement

“…In online contexts which could facilitate discussion and supportive ways to suggest improvements to practitioners' professional learning experiences, Tinoca and Oliveira [91] (p. 216) also point to the potential "cognitive gains fueled by feedback [that] may enable reflection and an expansion of the knowledge to other situations", as well as a wider awareness around metacognition and self-assessment [93]. In the context of COVID-19, when in-person professional learning opportunities may be few and far between, Brown, Correll and Stormer [94] suggest that feedback may be supplemented by virtual interactions supporting personal coaching, self-reflection and classroom observations.…”