EFL teachers’ identity in self-directed learning: A work-from-home phenomenology

Major potential effects of abrupt changes in educational settings particularly for education stakeholders such as teachers have been somewhat interesting to examine. This study examines how teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in different schooling levels acclimatize their experiences due to the unanticipated Covid-19 outbreak, which forced them to pursue Online Distance Learning (ODL). Employing a phenomenological approach, eight teachers from various educational and psychometric backgrounds in three different provinces in Indonesia shared their experiences in coping with the changes. Before engaging in two semi-structured interviews, they were invited to complete an e-reflection to share their feelings, concerns, difficulties, and challenges. To get to the core of their experience, the data were scrutinized following an interpretive phenomenological analysis which includes an early focus on the lines of inquiry, central concerns and important themes, identification of shared meanings, final interpretations, and the dissemination of the interpretations. The findings demonstrated that the changes created an ambivalent experience of being challenged and bored, prompting teachers to reflect on their existing practice and respond appropriately by combining empathy, new roles, and technology paramount through their self-directed learning (SDL). Further implications on teacher agency and identity are discussed to shed light on the reshaping of teacher identities due to ODL and SDL.

Perspectives on Lessons From the COVID-19 Outbreak for Post-pandemic Higher Education: Continuance Intention Model of Forced Online Distance Teaching

<p style="text-align: justify;">The response of most universities to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was Online Distance Teaching (ODT), which was a new experience for many educators and students. The aim of the study was to investigate the response of university teachers to ODT. A questionnaire was sent to all university teachers (N = 914). We received 290 usable responses. To create a Continuance Intention Model of Forced Online Distance Teaching (CIMoFODT), Confirmatory Factorial Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) were used in addition to descriptive and inferential statistics. The main findings were as follows: (i) during the closure, use of the videoconferencing system MS Teams was the only item that increased significantly, owing to mandatory use; (ii) the increase in the use of other applications (e.g., Moodle, email) was minimal; (iii) after the reopening of the university, email, Moodle, and supplementary online materials will be used for ODT; MS Teams will be used for small group teaching and individual consultations; (iv) CIMoFODT can be applied to explain the intention to continue ODT. The main conclusion is that teachers will return to traditional teaching when classrooms reopen.</p>

UNESCO Strategy and Digital Policies for Teacher Training: The Deconstruction of Innovation in Spain

This paper examines initial teacher training policies in the context of youth digitalisation. Based on international ICT competency frameworks for teachers (UNESCO, 2008, 2019) and information literacy, MIL (UNESCO, 2011), we analyse how Spanish (public and private) universities represent digital innovation, and the identity practices of young people, linked to hyperconnectivity. Focusing on initial training received by future secondary teachers, the sample was selected according to the criteria of non-presential learning (online, distance, blended) applied in the teacher training process. Results confirm ongoing deficiencies in critical teacher digitalisation management, highlighting certain asymmetries between the categories constructed. Data reveals the prevalence of intervention more geared towards formal knowledge than towards decoding digital grammar (which is how digitalisation is used in education). The paper concludes by advocating convergence strategies as a circular mechanism that must underpin all teacher training policies in the age of hyperconnectivity.

EFEKTIVITAS PELAKSANAAN PEMBELAJARAN JARAK JAUH SISTEM DARING PADA MASA DARURAT COVID-19

This study examines the effectiveness of the implementation of online distance learning at MIM Bulakrejo Sukoharjo in 2020/2021, and the advantages and disadvantages of implementing online distance learning at MIM Bulakrejo Sukoharjo in 2020/2021. This survey uses a descriptive qualitative approach and uses a field survey. The primary data sources of this study were the principal and teachers. Observation techniques, interviews, and documented data collection to support the research data needed. The conclusions of the researchers are as follows: 1) The online learning system of MIM Bulakrejo is not very effective. Online system learning at the elementary school level is like an incentive for teachers and students to exercise. The application of the online learning system at MIM Bulakrejo is less effective because it actually only gives assignments to students and the teacher does not know whether the students understand it. The teacher's job is usually only done occasionally, in the form of giving assignments from so many pages to so many pages. 2) The supporting factor is that the school provides WiFi to students as a means of providing material and by providing free delegation. The obstacle is not only the lack of effectiveness and time efficiency by parents who are busy so they cannot provide assistance to their children during the online system learning process, but also the lack of enthusiasm of students to take part in online system learning. ABSTRAKPenelitian ini mengkaji tentang efektivitas penerapan pembelajaran jarak jauh sistem daring di MIM Bulakrejo Sukoharjo Tahun 2020/2021, dan kelebihan serta kekurangan dalam pelaksanaan pembelajaran jarak jauh sistem daring di MIM Bulakrejo Sukoharjo Tahun 2020/2021. Survei ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif dan menggunakan survei lapangan. Sumber data primer penelitian ini adalah kepala sekolah dan guru. Teknik observasi, wawancara, dan pengumpulan data terdokumentasi untuk mendukung data penelitian yang dibutuhkan. Kesimpulan dari peneliti adalah sebagai berikut: 1) Sistem pembelajaran online MIM Bulakrejo sangat tidak efektif. Pembelajaran sistem online di tingkat sekolah dasar seperti penyemangat bagi guru dan siswa untuk berolahraga. Penerapan sistem pembelajaran online di MIM Bulakrejo kurang efektif karena sebenarnya hanya memberikan tugas kepada siswa dan guru tidak mengetahui apakah siswa memahaminya. Tugas guru biasanya hanya dilakukan sesekali, berupa pemberian tugas dari halaman yang begitu banyak ke halaman yang sangat banyak. 2) Faktor pendukung adalah pihak sekolah menyediakan WiFi kepada siswa sebagai sarana pemberian materi dan dengan memberikan delegasi gratis. Kendala tersebut tidak hanya pada kurang efektif dan efisiensi waktu oleh orang tua dengan kesibukannya sehingga tidak bisa memberikan pendampingan pada anaknya saat proses pembelajaran sistem daring, tetapi juga kurangnya semangat siswa untuk mengikuti pembelajaran sistem daring.

Training On the Use of Google Form for Learning Assessment in Elementary School During the Covid 19 Pandemic

The existence of the COVID-19 pandemic has made the learning process that was originally face-to-face to online distance learning. One aspect that is still not optimal is in the assessment of learning. There are many applications that can be used by teachers in the implementation of online learning assessments. One of the online assessments that is often used is google form. This google form platform has been widely used for online assessments such as for blinding evaluation exercises, evaluating lecturers' performance and for alternative learning evaluations. The method implemented in this training is training through the zoom meeting application and also assignments. This training is aimed at elementary school teachers. The number of participants for this training is 10 elementary school teachers from Sumedang, Bandung, Cimahi, and West Bandung areas. This training consists of three stages, namely training preparation, training implementation, and post-training control. In general, the results of the training are in accordance with the tutorials given during the training, starting from the identity page, entering questions, entering answer keys and scoring. Based on the results of the questionnaire given after the training, 95% of the respondents received a positive response. The participants responded that the training carried out was very useful and relevant to the needs of the online learning period.

The Challenges Behind the Development of an E-Mentoring Model for Online Distance Education

Different higher education institutions (HEI) have broadly adopted peer mentoring as a strategy to provide initial and continuous support for new students, to promote their academic inclusion. In Distance Education HEI, peer e-mentoring assumes a crucial role in the promotion and maintenance of social and cognitive presence and in the creation of a sense of belonging to the academic community. Thus, it is assumed as a crucial support for the overcoming of online students' specific difficulties and as a factor for his success. After a theoretical framework, this chapter presents the case of a pilot e-mentoring project implemented in a European open university based on the paradigms of virtual learning communities and the model of the community of inquiry (CoI). To conclude, it presents a set of assumptions for the construction of an e-mentoring model adapted to online DE and further research to be conducted.

Purposefully-Designed and Mindfully-Facilitated Online Courses

The COVID-19 pandemic seriously impacted the ability of educational institutions to deliver in-person instruction. A pragmatic solution was remote teaching, which in most cases was essentially in-person courses delivered synchronously via computer-mediated technology and videoconferencing. Student reaction to, and faculty experience of, remote teaching and learning was varied but generally less than enthusiastic. There was a growing realization that, pedagogically, emergency remote teaching could not satisfactorily replicate either well-delivered in-person instruction or well-designed distance online courses. With the anticipation that higher education will increasingly focus on online delivery, there has been renewed interest, at both the institutional and faculty level, in how effective distance learning online courses are conceptualized, designed, and facilitated. This chapter attempts, briefly but comprehensively, to explore the theoretical and practical issues involved in purposefully designing and mindfully facilitating online distance learning courses.

The Experiences and Self-Efficacy of Faculty Members Using Distance Learning for the First Time

The purpose of this study was to understand faculty members' experience, self-efficacy, and sense-making processes after teaching via online distance learning for the first time in the Spring, Summer, and Fall 2020 academic terms (i.e., during the COVID-19 pandemic). The research also sought to understand how participants described their teaching and learning methods and approaches after having completed the three academic terms and received students' feedback. This study aimed to use the findings to develop and refine the preparation and procedural guidance offered to first-time distance learning teachers to improve their methods, approaches, and experiences. Using a phenomenological analysis, the researcher collected data from 70 interviews and seven focus groups. The results recommended school leadership to reform their current distance learning-based programs, and to first-time users of distance learning in teaching faculties to help them reflect on their teaching and learning methods and approaches based on a self-efficacy perspective.

Reviewing the life skills activity program for children with special needs during the COVID-19 pandemic

The pandemic, which occurs in all parts of the world has changed the order of the learning process for children with special education needs (SEN) which was initially carried out face-to-face to the online distance learning from home. This study aims to see the impact of the Inclusive Teaching (I-Teach) model on the life skills of early childhood students with special needs while studying from home during the covid-19 pandemic. This study is survey research with data analysis using the percentage of life skills assessment in children with special needs, carried out at 6 early childhood education institutions that have children with special needs totaling 12 students with the following specifications: 5 students with autism spectrum disorder, 1 student with speech delay, 2 students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 1 student with down syndrome, and 3 other students who have not been diagnosed.The research found that, from the six aspects of special needs childrens' life skills, most of them can self-feeding. It showed when children used the cutlery to clean the dishes by themselves. Meanwhile, for the dressing skill, personal hygiene, self-awareness, safety, and others, children still need reinforcement from parent and teacher. Keywords: Life Skills, SEN, Early Childhood