PANDEMIC PROMPTS CHANGES IN HOW FUTURE TEACHERS ARE TRAINED

Before last year, a one-credit technology course for students pursuing master’s degrees in education at the University of Washington wasn’t seen as the program’s most relevant. Then COVID-19 hit, schools plunged into remote learning, and suddenly material from that course was being infused into others.

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“It’s become so relevant, and it’s staying that way,” said Anne Beitlers, who directs Washington’s master’s program for secondary education. “And nobody’s going to question that now.”

Changes to standards and curricula happen slowly, but the pandemic is already leaving its fingerprints on the education of future teachers. Many U.S. educator preparation programs are incorporating more about digital tools, online instruction, and mental and emotional wellness in their courses to reflect takeaways from the pandemic.

While school system leaders are hoping to offer in-person instruction as widely as possible this year, experts say the emphasis on technology will have benefits regardless of the pandemic’s course.

Across the country, teaching programs are giving more emphasis on how to plan and implement quality virtual learning.

“I think it’s our responsibility to train our teachers to be able to do that, and if they find themselves teaching face-to-face, nobody’s hurt by additional information about teaching online,” said Jennifer Krawec, the University of Miami’s director of teacher preparation programs.

The education school at Iowa’s Drake University has introduced a course about best practices in online instruction. Others say they’ve accelerated or amplified how they integrate digital tools, videoconferencing, and educational technology into their classes and how they prepare future educators to do the same.