Disorienting dilemmas and transformative learning for school placement teacher educators during COVID-19: challenges and possibilities

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in teacher educators dealing with multiple problems caused by the disruption to the professional preparation of pre-service teachers. This led to modified  arrangements for teaching, learning and assessment on an  emergency basis. For teacher educators, the challenges and disruptions caused by school and HEI closures may also be seen as opportunities to learn and reshape traditional roles  and practices. In this study, we sought to understand how  COVID-19 shaped and transformed the lived experience of teacher educators involved in school placement in Ireland. This research utilises Mezirow’s Transformative Learning framework  starting with the disorienting dilemma of COVID-19 and maps  the teacher educators’ responses to the resultant challenges  and possibilities. Using a qualitative approach, the researchers analysed data from online surveys, focus groups and reflections,  to consider continuity and change through the ‘Now What’ stage of Rolfe et al.’s framework. The insights gained from this research will add to the growing international literature on the changes to pre-service teacher education provision, by presenting the persistent challenges of dealing with COVID-19 and potential changes within the practicalities of school placement in Ireland.