2019-20 coronavirus outbreak

Mathematics education

Cognitive psychology

Affordance

Virology

Pedagogy

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)

Outbreak

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Educational equity

Psychology

Political science

Practicum

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Sociology

Medicine

Equity (law)

Pandemic

Disease

Teacher education

Higher education

Pathology

Journal of Education for Teaching International Research and Pedagogy

This paper examines the impact and implications on initial teacher education (ITE) of the crisis brought about by the Covid-19 lockdown of schools and universities from the perspectives of four university providers in England. The start of the pandemic meant that, in England, schools were closed to all but vulnerable pupils and the children of 'key workers', and so the normal placements of students in teacher education (ITE students) could not continue. The 'virtualisation' of the ITE programmes by, in some cases, both schools and universities, raised significant issues of both equity and pedagogy. The loss of time on school placement had the effect of lost opportunities for practising teaching but increasing the time for reading and reflection. We consider the effects on a teacher education programme when the practicum experience is abruptly curtailed, yet the programme is able to continue in a different way. We present a model framework for a new digital pedagogy for ITE and discuss the opportunities and affordances available as the post-Covid educational landscape emerges, and suggest that the Covid-19 crisis provides an opportunity to reflect on the idea that practicum experience may be a necessary but not, in itself, a sufficient condition for teacher learning.

Initial teacher education in England and the Covid-19 pandemic: challenges and opportunities