ABSTRACT

The 2019 Coronavirus pandemic has triggered significant changes in education systems worldwide and Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes have been particularly affected by the associated challenges. Due to school closures, teaching placements have had to shift from the face-to-face lessons to an entirely virtual model. Twenty-seven Chilean English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher candidates participated in this interpretative case study aiming at exploring the challenges and opportunities of this virtual teaching experience. The results indicate that factors such as the lack of direct interaction with learners and the sudden change of setting were among those that most strongly affected the participants’ own learning process. Despite the challenges presented, student teachers suggested that this unique experience would contribute positively, at least to a certain extent, to their teacher education and their future careers. Based on the findings of this study, a series of recommendations for ITE programmes are provided.

摘要

2019年的冠状病毒大流行引发了全球教育系统的重大变化，而初始教师教育（ITE）计划尤其受到相关挑战的影响。由于学校停课，教学位置不得不从面对面的课程转变为完全虚拟的模型。二十七个智利英语作为外语（EFL）的教师候选人参加了这个解释性案例研究，旨在探讨这种虚拟教学经验的挑战和机遇。结果表明，诸如与学习者缺乏直接互动和环境的突然改变等因素是最严重影响参与者自身学习过程的因素。尽管面临挑战，学生教师建议，这种独特的经历将至少在一定程度上为他们的教师教育和未来的职业做出积极的贡献。根据这项研究的结果，为ITE计划提供了一系列建议。