Moving Online: Creating a Relevant Learning Experience for Preservice Teachers in the Time of COVID-19

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to detail the creation of an assignment after Covid-19 moved our University’s instruction online that helped students make sense of how k-5 teachers were adjusting their own pedagogy. The assignment includes two parts: 1) Students conducted an interview of their cooperating teacher to understand how they had to adapt their teaching and 2) to create a science online-learning activity that students could engage at home. We also report on some anecdotal data of the experiences of k-5 teachers shifting their instruction to fully online in our state. We found our assignment helped students make sense of and practice skills they had been developing over the course of the semester and were able to reflect on their own or cooperating teacher’s experience. We recognize that online learning experiences will continue to increase as technology becomes more integral at all levels of education and that our students need to continue learning about and practicing creating online-learning activities.