Teaching-learning online during Covid-19: exploring the experiences of the teachers of government primary schools of Bangladesh

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, educational institutions were closed down around the world. The teachers and students had to shift to online teaching-learning. Their experiences of online teaching-learning may differ based on their context. This study explored the experiences of government primary school teachers’ transition to online teaching-learning during COVID-19. This study mainly focused on finding out the initial experiences of the teachers during the lockdown, the challenges they faced and their solutions, and their overall impression of this new practice. The participants of this study were the assistant teachers and the headteachers of government primary schools. They facilitated online learning sessions for their students. They were selected purposefully to conduct this qualitative research. The study found that establishing communication, finding suitable online platforms, adapting to new teaching practices, and supporting the students according to their needs were challenging for the participants. They needed support and training for themselves to face the challenges. With enough facilities such as smart devices, fast internet connections and proper training online teaching-learning can be a great alternative.