Slide 1
Hi! Thanks for joining us. IÕm Amelia Guimarin and also hosting this webinar is my colleague Hsinyu Kuo.  We are both with Spatial, a research and design firm operating out of Vancouver. We have clients across the country, across the US, and further abroad as well, and we focus on the innovation of products and services.
Today weÕre going to be talking about what we discovered from a research study we conducted on the effects of COVID-19 on K-12 teachers across British Columbia.
So, thanks again for joining us today and letÕs get started with some housekeeping.

Slide 2
We ask that you please remain muted with your video off for the duration of the presentation. 
If you have any questions, please post them in the chat to Hsinyu I will address them (as many as I can) at the end of the presentation.
And a link to the recording of the webinar will be sent via email after the presentation.

Slide 3
So, what is the agenda for today? Like I said, we are going to be talking about our research on Ôteaching in the time of COVID.Õ
WeÕll begin with an introduction to the study, including some background and methodology, and then weÕll present our outline of the teacher journey and get into the research insights.
WeÕve categorized our findings into 4 sections: Communication & Leadership, The Human Toll, Technology & Methods, and Improving Remote Education.
Finally, weÕll end by discussing some considerations around remote education and teaching during a crisis.

Slide 4
This is a presentation of our research on K-12 teachers across BC.  Our goal is to confront the reality of their experience during the coronavirus crisis and focus on what we can learn.
The teacher journey is a high level visual walkthrough of the teacher experience.
Our key findings summarize the challenges faced by teachers.
And our conclusion and opportunities provides tips and possible solutions for those challenges.

Slide 5
Our interest in this project came from anecdotal stories of teachers struggling with the crisis.
With COVID, a lot of our research and design projects got put on hold, so we decided to use our time and skills to examine the remote education experience and how we might be able to help teachers.
 
You all probably know that it was in mid-March, just at the very beginning of Spring Break, that our provincial health and education ministers, along with Premier John Horgan, made the decision to close schools until further notice.
Then, a few weeks into this situation, we launched our study.

Slide 6
In April, we survey 40 teachers and interviewed 10 of those teachers.
Survey questions were a combination of multiple choice and open-ended answers.
Interviews were semi-structured and lasted approximately 45 minutes. 
Thematic analysis and basic data comparisons were conducted on both interview and survey responses. 
We heard from teachers from public schools across BC.
We talked to 2 primary teachers, 4 intermediary teachers and 4 high school teachers.
The data gathered from these interviews and surveys informed the creation of our teacher journey visual.

Slide 7
What we learned is that over the first few weeks of the coronavirus crisis in BC, teachers experienced a variety of issues.
And now I'm going to hand it over to Hsinyu to present the teacher journey.

Slide 8
WeÕre going to take a look at the teacher experience starting with Spring Break and continuing for 4 weeks afterward.
This teacher journey was created based on our findings from surveying and interviewing teachers.

Slide 9
So, during Spring Break, teachers found out about the school closures from the PremierÕs public announcement.
They didnÕt receive much more communication from their schools or districts and the worried about how they were going to teach their students remotely.

Slide 10
In the 1st week after Spring Break, teachers were asked by their schools and districts to contact families and assess their well-being and access to tech (devices, wifi, etc.)
Teachers found it difficult to track down their students and parents and their outreach efforts really took an emotional toll on them. Many teachers worried about their students and parents financial situations and mental and physical health.

Slide 11
By the 2nd week after Spring Break, teachers had begun to plan their classes following some very basic guidelines from the ministry and their schools and districts. They began setting up their remote education platforms, but they had very little support and were one their own for a lot of this.
The pain points they experienced here revolved around this lack of training for delivering curriculum online. They were receiving long lists of resources but no real guidance on what to do with these suggestions.

Slide 12
In the 3rd week after Spring Break, teachers were troubleshooting problems with their processes and had began to teach remotely and provide small group meetings.
However, they were working long hours and their students were not well-positioned for remote education. Teachers experienced problems with student behaviour, access to devices and wifi, and general issues with not having dedicated and structured time and space for school.

Slide 13
By the 4th week after Spring Break, teachers were recognizing their workloads were unsustainable and they began to cut back and practice self-care to deal with their stress. They found providing individual help was very beneficial for their students and they began to think about how their were going to assign grades.
Pain points here revolved around their uncertainty of the future. There was still no clear guidance on learning expectations and they were finding it hard to gauge their students outcomes.
This is where teachers were when we talked to them. This stage was obviously followed by others, including the return to school for several days per week in June, but from examining these early experiences we can build empathy for teachers and use that understanding of their perspective to better plan for future similar or even other unprecedented changes to the school system.

Slide 14
When we look at the teacher journey over the course of the announcement and the early transition, we can identify gaps and opportunities for learning that will help us support better implementations and outcomes in the future.
Now weÕre going to dive into our key findings.

Slide 15
Thanks for taking us through the teacher journey. Now we're going to get into more specific findings and examples from our research insights which we have split into 4 categories.

Slide 16
There were many things lacking in our collective preparedness for such a crisis, and understanding the gaps and pain points can help us learn and adapt. 
The 4 categories we identified for understanding these insights as follows:
Communication and Leadership
This revolves around the lack of communication and direction from leadership and the lack of preparedness for remote education. We found teachers themselves were their own best source of support and they expected more guidance and structure from leadership.
The next category isÉ
The Human Toll
Teachers were tasked with assessing their studentsÕ/familiesÕ well-being.
The workload and mental load that teachers experienced was intense and not sustainable.
Teachers worried about their students and a lack of community with remote education.
The human toll on teachers, students and parents cannot be overlooked.
NextÉ
Technology & Methods
No one (not teachers, students or parents) was prepared or had any training for remote education, and navigating the new tools and rules was overwhelming.
The biggest barrier to success was the lack of tech access and skills.
And, finallyÉ
Improving Remote Education
All teachers shared concerns about remote education.
They would prefer to return to their usual practices asap, but understand the coronavirus situation.
And many teachers gave suggestions for improvements to remote education.
Now weÕre going to get into the specifics of these categories to more fully understand where these insights came fromÉ

Slide 17
So, first up, Communication and LeadershipÉ

Slide 18
All of the teachers we talked to found out about the shutdown from the PremierÕs public announcement. 
Most of the teachers received little follow up from their district or school and spent spring break filled with anxiety.
Those teachers who did not receive any communication from the school or district for several days considered that a very poor timeline.
And, when teachers were contacted by local leadership, they were given no specific information, which they found very frustrating.

Slide 19
Both surveyed and interviewed teachers noted that most of their support for setting up their online curriculum came from informally connecting with other teachers at their school via text messaging, email, Facetime and Facebook Messenger groups. Some teachers also worked with their colleagues in more formal Ôgrade groupsÕ established by their school administration. In these groups, teachers shared helpful resources such as online tutorials for using various tech platforms and suggestions for how to deliver traditional curriculum online.
These groups were also useful for teachers to ask each other questions as they were not able to obtain answers from leadership early on in the process of transitioning to remote education. 
Several interviewed teachers stated that by the first few weeks after spring break, their school/district had developed systems for delivering helpful information Ð these included emails with PDF attachments detailing how to use tech platforms and lists published online outlining approved and prohibited platforms. 
Other interviewed teachers stated that even after several weeks, they were still operating without much official support regarding tech platforms or online curriculum.
Some schools/districts provided teachers with lists of resources to consult regarding remote education, but did not provide guidance on how to actually deliver curriculum.
Continuing on from hereÉ

Slide 20
Éthe next section focuses on the human toll.

Slide 21
We found that early stage response from leadership was consistent for all 10 interviewed teachers Ð the first priority was the health and well-being of the students.
In line with this focus, for the first week after spring break, teachers were told not to begin instruction or assignments and were asked by their principals to simply make contact with families by phone or email. Teachers at some schools inquired primarily about their studentsÕ ability to access technology and manage remote education while others were also concerned with their studentsÕ more basic well-being.
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Teachers worked to help provide some continuity of care, helping essential worker parents access district-provided, school-based childcare and connecting families with school support workers and other community service systems, like basic meal services.
Even with this available support, teachers still recounted stories of families in various forms of distress including those whose parents had lost employment and worried about their ability to provide basic needs like food and shelter. Other scenarios include anecdotes of 10 year olds with anxiety made more severe by the current stressors, young elementary school students left at home with frail grandparents, and teenagers now with more and longer shifts keeping them away from their education. 
Several teachers broke down in tears during their interviews and noted that they were completely overwhelmed. One stated that the conversations they were asked by their principal to facilitate with families should have been handled by staff trained for these situations or that teachers should have been better prepared if they were asked to have those conversations.

Slide 22
All of the interviewed teachers stated that their workloads and schedules had changed. Early in the transition, most of the teachers were working much longer and irregular hours. After recognizing that this was not sustainable for their own well-being, most of these teachers decreased their workload. Some teachers chose to maintain regular school hours around 9 am to 3 pm while others adopted a more flexible approach, particularly high school teachers whose students tend to be online more later in the day.
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Several of the teachers with younger students and/or students with special needs noted that they are now working less than normal as most of their duties necessitate engaging with students in person. For teachers with educational aides, the experience has been mixed. A few teachers said their educational aides have been very helpful with checking in on students and managing behaviour in online sessions, while other teachers reported that their school/district directed them not to rely on or reach out to educational aides as remote education was not their job.
Student/parent workload varied by grade but was typically consistent across districts. All but one of these interviewed teachers reported that they had been instructed by their schools and/or districts as to the number of hours per day/week they should expect their students to be engaged and these numbers were typically even across the province Ð around 1 hour per day for elementary schools students and around 2 hours per day for high school students. The one teacher who reported that they had not been giving guidelines for student workloads was engaging Grade 1 students for about 2-3 hours per day.

Slide 23
The community aspect of school was noted as a source of support and satisfaction for teachers, students and parents.
Beyond academics, schools are a significant source of social-emotional development for children and the primary source of childcare for families.
Teachers worried about their studentsÕ/familiesÕ mental health and financial security.
And some teachers wanted to connect with students via gaming and social media as they are already connecting with each other there.
They understood the abuse concerns around using such platforms, but noted that some forms of regulation may be able to help mitigate those concerns.
This brings us to your next sectionÉ

Slide 24
Éon Technology and MethodsÉ

Slide 25
So, what tech were teachers using?
Among the 40 participants surveyed, 58% reported Microsoft Teams, 22% reported Zoom and 20% reported Google Classroom as their primary platforms for remote education. Several surveyed and interviewed participants also noted myBlueprint and FreshGrade as primary platforms. In conjunction with these platforms, email is also used by many teachers, especially for students who have trouble using the other platforms.

Slide 26
Several teachers noted that there was initial confusion, contradiction and changes regarding what platforms and resources could and could not be used.
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88% of teachers received no training, neither practical nor pedagogical, for remote education.
Teachers stated that their schools/districts directed them to use a particular platform and provided instructions for accessing that platform, and several teachers received some help logging into platforms.
Teachers taught themselves and learned how to use technology platforms on the fly, via trial and error, from colleagues, and via Google search and YouTube tutorials.

Slide 27
All teachers experienced technical issues Ð mostly due to student, parent and teacher lack of access and lack of skills.
Many students do not have their own dedicated computer, tablet or smartphone and have to share with siblings and/or parents. Some students do not have access to any device (or a device capable of running the required tech platforms) and some also have limited or no internet connectivity. One teacher noted that some of their students rely on public libraries for technology and online access but cannot do so as public libraries are now closed. Even among students with access to devices and networks, many do not have the technical abilities to participant in remote education. This is not just among younger, elementary school students, but also older, high school students as well. Parents often have to get involved, but even then they donÕt always have the skills. And, these same struggles faced by students and parents are also faced by teachers.
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Several teachers reported that they do not have sufficient access to devices for teaching remotely. Some do not have school/district provided computers, only tablets, which are not sufficient to deliver curriculum. Among teachers with school/district provided computers, many of those are too old or slow to be useful. These teachers resorted to using their own personal computers which they are also sharing with their own children and/or partners. And, as they have not been trained for remote education, they also face barriers due to their lack of skills.
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Teachers and students also had problems with accessing platform accounts due to incorrect and/or forgotten user names and passwords. Resolving these issues was difficult due to the processes involved in reclaiming and/or resetting accounts. In some cases, teachers reported that they and/or students had given up accessing certain platforms. These problems are particularly burdensome, annoying and difficult because teachers and students have multiple accounts for various different platforms.
Nearly all elementary and a significant portion of high school activities are typically performed offline. The new tech processes were reported as cumbersome which created additional load for teachers and often led students and parents to Ôdrop offÕ in participation.

Slide 28
Participants had many suggestions for specific improvements to technology platforms.
These include:
Ability for teachers to direct chat with students.
Ability for students to direct chat with each other.
Addition of parent portals for student accounts.
Ability for teachers to take control of studentsÕ screens.
Parity and consistency in devices and technology platforms was also a popular request from teachers. Many teachers expressed frustration with facilitating a range of devices and resources and suggested that all students be given the same device with the same resources and simple, single sign-on access. 

Slide 29
Every participant gave multiple specific examples of activities that are difficult or impossible to replicate online.
These include:
Utilization of manipulatives.
Hand writing & oral skills.
Interactive demonstrations.
Peer-to-peer learning.
Managing classroom behaviour.
Real-time assessment.
And things like lab studies, games and music.
As well as support for special needs students.

Slide 30
Students often did not attend online sessions or deliver assignments due to conflicts in their family schedule.
Teachers understood and/or were directed by their school/district not to expect full participation.
Most teachers were aware of the ministryÕs requirements for continuous learning (students must engage at least partially in remote education focused on numeracy and literacy), but most did not understand remote education grading criteria. Teachers reported that their school/district had stated that final term grades could not be lower than what students held before spring break or had received the previous term. This was in line with the premierÕs public announcement that all students would pass the current school year.
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However, several teachers noted that this public announcement and subsequent information from their school/district was not detailed enough. One high school teacher noted that the premierÕs public announcement that all K-12 students would pass led some students to believe that they did not need to engage in any remote education during the school shutdown.
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Several teachers reported that they had been directed to grade based solely on delivered assignments but had not been instructed on how to grade those assignments. They do not know if they should base grades on their traditional standards, on an average of delivered assignments or on what they think each individual student was capable of. They also do not know how they would determine grades given the current circumstances and stressors on their students. Most teachers said that their school/district was currently in the process of determining grading criteria but had not yet established protocols and they expected more guidance from leadership on this topic.

Slide 31
Our final section is on Improving Remote Education.

Slide 32
This was our participants first time teaching remotely during a crisis. They all reported a generally unfavourable experience and they would like things to improve as they expect to potentially rely on remote education again in the future.
Teachers are trained to deliver curriculum and provide a constructive experience in a physical setting, and students and parents are supported to operate in this setting. 
Many teachers wished they had the chance to train their students for remote education in a hands-on manner before the crisis began and several reported that they were already planning to do so as soon as it was possible to be together again. 
Despite the overall dislike for remote education, many of the teachers noted some positive aspects that they will continue to incorporate into their practice, and we'll talk about those at the end of this section.

Slide 33
So, what are some things that are really difficult about remote education?
Even with pretty decent implementation of tech platforms, there are still issues with remote education that revolve around lack of student engagement and motivation, lack of structured and dedicated time and space, and lack of direct support and connection between teachers and students as well as for students and teachers amongst their peers.
These are issues that could possible by addressed, at least in part, with better tech solutions, but overall, these issues will likely remain as long as students and teachers are away from school.
However, remote education does provide some benefits, even for in-person teachingÉ

Slide 34
Several teachers stated that they believe the remote education experience has made them more organized and their students more self-directed, but worry that it has also introduced increased anxiety around productivity.
Other benefits include using tech platforms to track assignments and communicate with students and parents, and regular chats with students to share any concerns they might not feel comfortable discussing in more formal settings.
The teachers we spoke to also provided a few tips on remote educationÉ

Slide 35
This tips include packaging and distributing physical learning materials to ensure some continuity and parity for students.
And hosting casual meetings with parents and students, not necessarily for specific educational purposes, but just to provide support and allow the types of communication that might happen more organically in a physical setting, like chatting in the hall during drop off or pick up.

Slide 36
This brings us to our final conclusion and discussion of possible solutions.

Slide 37
Now, when we get into the more developed and higher level opportunities, what are we talking about?
This study identified a number of gaps and pain points in the remote education experience for teachers. It also points to some other important opportunities and considerations.
Improving education sector relations
A better understanding of the personal experience of teachers could help create more buy-in from them and mitigate any blow back that might come from instituting change.
Likewise, more empathetic communication and clearer guidance can set the stage for better success.
From crisis to best practice Ð a few questions hereÉ
How might we use this crisis to galvanize efforts around innovation in remote education?
What can we learn from successful remote education practices around the globe?
The Full Picture
Further studies into parent and student perceptions of the school closures would provide more of this empathetic insight.
Likewise, talking to leaders and managers would shed light onto their goals, challenges and constraints.
And, pulling all these pieces together would provide that full picture and help outline more and better opportunities.
Now Ð Going Back to School
The return to school (whether in-person, remote or hybrid) should be managed with more planning than the original transition. WeÕve already seen some of that blow back, and of course, itÕs to be expected that there will always be some of that, however, with more focus on the human impact of the transition, these things can be managed to make things better for everyone.
This study identified areas where the transition to remote teaching could have been more successful if there was more understanding of the teacher experience and more support from leadership. 
The coronavirus crisis is prompting changes across all aspects of society and although we understand these changes as necessary, we often still have a difficult time enacting them. However, if we approach these changes from a human-centered perspective (by understanding the experiences of all involved), we can improve the change management (by better supporting the whole process).

Slide 38
IÕd like to end on a few very meaningful and impactful quotes from teachers in this study.

Slide 39
Thanks!