Supporting New Teachers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

College of Education
 
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SUMMARY: Three JMU Faculty adjust summer induction program for new teachers to address the COVID-19 Pandemic


JMU prides itself on its teacher preparation programs. But how do you prepare teachers for something no one saw coming? The 2020 Pandemic has put new and incredible stresses on teachers, new and old alike; but new teachers don’t have years of experience in how things should be to fall back on in their planning and preparation.  

The team of Dr. Angela Webb (MSME), Dr. Robbie Higdon (MSME), and Dr. Eric Pyle (Geology) has recently published an article in the VASCD Journal entitled “Induction into the Great Unknown: Supporting Newly Hired Science and Mathematics Teachers During the COVID-19 Pandemic. The leadership team of JMU’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program adjusted their summer induction program to a focus on supporting newly hired teachers during this unprecedented time in history. You can read the article here. 

In restructuring their original plans they found they were able to keep many of their same topics by shifting the focus somewhat to address a shift to virtual and blended learning. For example, instead of planning and organizing their physical spaces, new teachers were guided in setting up virtual spaces, using Learning Management Systems, and fostering a strong learning community. 

As we are still living through this extraordinary shift in teaching and learning, rest assured that College of Education faculty continue to prepare teachers for whatever their future classrooms will look like. 

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Published: Monday, November 2, 2020

Last Updated: Thursday, January 13, 2022

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