Teaching practice in the face of COVID-19: experiences and emergency policies from Ecuador and Spain

Abstract

The emergence of COVID-19 in everyday life led to an unprecedented transformation in the ways of relating to others on a global extent, which significantly affected education. This article characterizes the pedagogical adaptations of teachers and school administrators during the confinement and semi-presence stages, with the interest of analyzing their viability in contexts of 'new normality.' In order to respond to this objective, we conducted a qualitative research with 20 teachers and managers of primary and secondary educational institutions in Ecuador and Spain. Through semi-structured and in-depth interviews, this work explores the problems and solutions deployed by teachers and school administrators while addressing how the diversity of perceptions about practice has been shaped according to criteria such as years of teaching experience, teachers' digital competence, the institution's funding scheme, the availability of resources and access to training plans in the centers. The article shows how in the case of Spain, the transition back to the 'new normal' has meant a return to teacher-centered practices and the masterful exposition of content, including the occasional support of digital platforms. Also, the text shows a greater tendency to develop flexible strategies in Ecuador, although this is limited by the budgetary resources of the centers themselves to expand the infrastructure necessary to ensure hybrid modalities.