Experiences of Moving Quickly to Distance Teaching and Learning at All Levels of Education in Finland

Abstract

In this chapter, the teaching and learning in Finnish compulsory education during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring and autumn terms of 2020 will be analyzed and discussed. First, preconditions, such as teacher and student digi-competences and digi-infrastructure for switching to distance teaching and learning, will be analyzed. Second, the organization and experiences of teaching and learning during this time are described based on representative surveys conducted during and after the spring 2020 distance teaching period. Finally, teachers’, principals’ and students’ engagement and well-being during the pandemic will be analyzed based on survey data. Preconditions for organizing effective distance teaching and learning during the 2020 spring term were appropriate teacher and student digi-competences and digi-infrastructure and availability of digi-tools. During the pandemic, teachers’ digi-pedagogy and students’ digi-competences developed. Moreover, several digi-pedagogy and co-teaching innovations were created. However, at the student level, we identified decreased engagement during the pandemic, and at the teacher and principal levels, we identified not only decreased engagement but also increased stress and even burnout. Principals suffered from teachers’ stress, whereas teachers suffered from families’ inequality in coping with distance learning. All in all, the switch to distance teaching and learning was organized effectively, but the distance-learning period weakened the equality of teaching and the conditions for learning.