Creating a digital culture of care: COVID-19 and digital teaching

Abstract

In this summer program, preservice teachers are recruited to work with children from the community and are mentored closely by two faculty members who are literacy education professors. This allows the candidates to learn from faculty mentors and their peers, a proven model for effective field experiences. Despite the research being done on remote learning due to COVID-19, the factors dictating the necessity of caring classrooms—such as systemic inequities and mental health’s impact on student achievement—are more prevalent than ever and missing from the literature. The findings of the qualitative case study indicate the need for intentional work in preservice programs on creating caring digital classrooms. The findings also indicate the immediacy of the mental health concerns for children learning digitally due to COVID-19.