Teacher Candidates’ Communication and Collaboration with Family and Community During COVID-19

ABSTRACT

After schools were closed in AY 2019–2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers were expected to continue two-way communication and collaboration with their students’ families without much guidance. In this study, we focus on how five teacher candidates navigated and continued their efforts of communication and collaboration with students’ families and the larger community during the pandemic. Through storytelling during interviews, the five teacher candidates provided valuable insight that focused on communication during the pandemic. Findings indicated that these teacher candidates struggled with establishing professional boundaries with students’ families, wrestled with the unforeseeable challenges of “being” in the homes of their students’ families, and experienced a disconnect from the community. Implications of this study suggest that lessons learned during COVID-19 could transform how teacher candidates and Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) practice future two-way communication and collaboration with students’ families.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• family communication and collaboration
• teacher candidates
• remote teaching

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Molly A. Riddle

Molly A. Riddle, PhD, Assistant Professor of Elementary Mathematics at Indiana University Southeast. Prior to joining IUS, her background included eleven years of K-8 teaching and alternative education, four years as an Associate Instructor in Indiana University Bloomington’s teacher education program, and three years as the Elementary Education Coordinator at Greensboro College. As a scholar she is dedicated to cultivating a robust understanding of diversity, equity, and social justice within communities and classrooms.

Elena T. King

Elena T. King, PhD, Associate Professor of English and TESOL, Associate Director of the M.A. TESOL Program, Secondary English Language Arts Education and TESOL Licensure Coordinator at Greensboro College. Prior to working in higher education, Dr. King taught ESL at varying levels and ages for nearly a decade. Her research interests include language sharing of English learners in urban secondary schools and the exploration of teachers’ uses and understanding of culturally-proactive pedagogy with English Learners.