K-12 teachers' burning questions regarding online learning at the onset of a pandemic
Abstract: Before the COVID 19 pandemic, most teacher preparation programs provided little or no training for pre-service teachers to teach online. Archambault and Larson (2015) found most online K12 teachers receive training after graduation while working in the field. With the sudden shift to online teaching due to the COVID 19 pandemic during the spring of 2020, teachers across the United States experienced to a sudden initiation to online teaching. The purpose of this study is to identify areas of concern for K-12 teachers faced with a sudden shift to remote learning during a pandemic. The findings show that teachers are overwhelmingly concerned with the emotional aspects of teaching when faced with sudden transitions to online education; that is, how to connect to students, engage students, and encourage student interactions. While the context of this study was set during the COVID 19 pandemic, the scenario facing teachers caused them to reflect urgently on what they perceived as gaps in knowledge and skills surrounding online teaching. These burning questions about online learning provide opportunities for teacher educators to reflect on the curriculum related to online learning and possibly redesign based on the real-life needs of K12 teachers who suddenly find themselves in an online education context.