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Teachers’ pandemic experiences inform ATA advocacy

Research Insights

November 4, 2020 Phil McRae, Associate Co-ordinator of Research, ATA

“As we travel the road ahead we must focus on school safety, student learning needs and
well-being for all.”
­—Alberta Teachers Responding to Coronavirus (COVID-19): Pandemic Research Study

 

THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC CONTINUES TO de-centre society in many ways and force public education systems around the world to respond to the ongoing public health crisis. As the virus first swept across the globe in early 2020, Alberta’s teaching profession responded with incredible agility by instituting emergency teaching to create stability and continuity for students and the public education system.

With the ensuing cancellation of face-to-face kindergarten to grade 12 classes in Alberta’s education system, the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) decided to document and research the impacts of the pandemic on the profession and public schools.

Between April 27, 2020, and May 15, 2020, the ATA gathered, through random and open surveys, the voices of more than 8,100 Alberta teachers and school leaders (7,200 teachers and 900 school leaders). This same instrument was later expanded nationwide to become the largest survey of Canadian teachers ever undertaken by the Canadian Teachers’ Federation. As a follow-up to this study, in early June 2020 the Association focused on the experiences of Alberta school leaders and their specific concerns about a return to public school buildings.

The research encompassed five key areas regarding teachers’ and school leaders’ experiences and perspectives during the pandemic:

  1. Well-being
  2. Equity
  3. Technology use and online instruction
  4. Pedagogical practices and the profession of teaching
  5. Return to public school buildings

The teachers’ voices captured in this research helped to inform the teaching profession’s advocacy position on a return to Alberta’s public school buildings. It assisted the Association in supporting members during the first wave of COVID-19 and continues to be used to forecast the longitudinal implications of the changes to the school system.

The many questions and issues raised will continue to be used to conceptualize more sustained strategic shifts in policy and practice that emerge (or become necessary) as Albertans transition to future waves of the pandemic and the complexities of the 2020/21 school year.

FUTURE ALBERTA PANDEMIC RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Alberta teachers continue to demonstrate, in a profound way, the ability to innovate across our schools as we respond to COVID-19. As we continue to navigate the challenges of a pandemic, the structures and traditions that serve ATA members well must not inhibit the Association from thinking and acting creatively in an uncertain future. In fact, agility and resilience have always been cornerstones of the Association’s commitment to learn from and then shape the educational environment in the best interests of public education.

Association researchers will partner with leading education scholars and health care researchers in Alberta and at Harvard Medical School to continue to monitor the impact of the public health crisis and track the well-being and mental health of teachers, students and other members of the school community.

The Association will analyze how the pandemic has accelerated and amplified inequity, poverty, isolation and vulnerabilities in schools across Alberta. These are all issues that were raised during telephone townhalls with thousands of teachers and parents, who were deeply concerned with the Government of Alberta’s re-entry plans for public schools.

The Association will continue to follow and monitor COVID-19 developments across Alberta and raise the voices of the teaching profession in support of students and the interests of public education.

If you have specific areas of research that you believe should be pursued during the pandemic, forward them for consideration to research@ata.ab.ca.

 

 

Teaching in a Pandemic—lessons learned

The infographics below illustrate the data from this research study of the first wave of the pandemic. The findings are highly representative of the teaching profession in Alberta with a confidence interval of plus or minus 1.5 per cent (19 times out of 20) on all questions.

WELL-BEING: HOW ARE OUR TEACHERS HOLDING UP?

70% of teachers are feeling exhausted.

63% are feeling isolated.

35% are taking on some of the trauma
their students are feeling.

EQUITY: WHAT DO STUDENTS NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL?

62% of teachers said access to extra help above and beyond classroom support is a top concern.

64% said technology (access and digital literacy) is an issue.

TECHNOLOGY: HOW ARE WE CONNECTING?

Email, video calls or virtual meetups and telephone calls are the top three ways teachers are connecting.

Students are most often accessing online instruction at home with laptops (35%) and mobile devices (32%).

EMERGENCY REMOTE TEACHING:  GETTING THROUGH THIS TOGETHER!

57% of teachers find that they are much more collaborative with colleagues and school leadership.

91% have a positive working relationship with parents/guardians.

 

TOP 3 CONCERNS FOR TEACHERS

  • school safety
  • student needs for school re-entry
  • well-being for all

 

The initial research report is available digitally on the ATA website under News and Info > Issues > COVID-19 > Alberta Teachers Responding to Coronavirus (COVID-19): Pandemic Research Survey Study.

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