Practitioner Inquiry: Supporting Teachers During a National Pandemic

During this practitioner inquiry, action research study, teachers from a suburban elementary school in the southeastern part of the United States were purposefully sampled to investigate their overall successes and challenges as they were forced to abruptly change their instruction during the global COVID-19 pandemic to engage students in various learning environments such as face-to-face instruction, hybrid instruction, and virtual instruction. A collaborative practitioner inquiry group intentionally designed professional development based on the successes and challenges indicated by teachers through the use of the Atlas: Looking at Data protocol. Data collection methods consisted of a reflective survey, extensive memoing, and the use of a modified collective teacher efficacy practice profile. In this process, data collection identified collaborative decision-making and collective teacher efficacy attributes that arose as teachers and administrators navigated them to support positive outcomes for both teachers and students. The findings indicated an initial focus on technology logistics, which impeded instruction, then a shift to increased implementation of instructional technology tools. A return to face-to-face instruction deterred the increased implementation of instructional technology tools and lead to the return of more traditional instructional strategies. Collective teacher efficacy increased as teachers engaged in reflective conversations regarding their overall successes and challenges. Recommendations and a proposed plan of action for the development and implementation of a school-wide blended learning instructional model at this school are detailed. This study contributes to the wider educational literature by demonstrating the effectiveness of this methodological approach for conducting research through practitioner inquiry, and by highlighting the relevance of seeking teacher voices when designing professional development opportunities based on their successes and challenges during an unprecedented time