Outbreak Education: Virtual Field Experience for Teacher Candidates and Engaging Learning for K-5 Students during the COVID-19 Quarantine
Abstract: Outbreak Education is a project designed to bring engaging science and engineering lessons to elementary age children during the COVID-19 school closures. The following paper shares the work of two college of education faculty at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to model and facilitate virtual lesson delivery by teacher candidates enrolled in undergraduate coursework toward a degree in education. Social distancing presented new challenges to provide field experience opportunities for teacher candidates, so social media was used to bring teacher candidate lessons into students’ homes. Facilitation strategies and tips for smooth delivery are discussed as well as next steps to further outreach efforts.