Digital pedagogy in dialogue: Student teaching during COVID-19

Abstract

This study depicts the narrative of Noelle, a 22-year-old student teacher from a state university in a large Southeastern U.S. community amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. During Noelle’s student teaching experience in the Fall 2020 semester, educators and students were returning to formal teaching and learning in a variety of face-to-face, virtual, and hybrid configurations. Classroom teachers turned to digital technologies to overcome the barriers presented by virtual student attendance and social distancing. At the same time, student teachers like Noelle were entering classrooms to develop their burgeoning teaching skills. Noelle’s narrative was constructed and analyzed with respect for the inner dialoguing in which she engaged as she developed her digital pedagogy and digitally-mediated teaching approaches. Findings from Noelle’s narrative of digital pedagogy are presented thematically and conclusions and implications for teacher education programs and future research are disseminated.