An Exploration of Victorian Kindergarten Educators’ Experiences of Remote Teaching During COVID-19 Lockdown

COVID-19 changed the pedagogical practices of early childhood education as many educators across Australia had to quickly adapt to remote teaching. Remote teaching refers to the practice of providing education to students who are not physically present in a classroom setting, typically using digital platforms and online tools. This approach presented significant challenges, especially for kindergarten or preschool educators in Australia. This was partly because the Early Years Learning Framework which underpins learning in the early years emphasises hands-on, interactive, play-based learning, and educators had to work out how to continue to support play-based learning online. As Victorian kindergarten educators experienced the longest lockdown in Australia, they possess valuable insights into the experiences of remote teaching. This study aims to explore Victorian kindergarten educators’ experiences of remote teaching during COVID-19. Kindergarten education in Victoria typically encompasses children aged between 3 and 5 years old, forming part of the broader spectrum of early childhood education, which involves educational services provided to children from birth to year eight. Informed by social constructivist theory, this study collects insights about kindergarten educators’ teaching contexts and practices, technologies, resources and the forms of support that shaped their remote teaching and learning experiences. The methodology for this study is constructivist grounded theory involving systematic but flexible guidelines to collect and analyse data, and to create theories from that data. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 kindergarten educators in Victoria via Microsoft Teams. The findings suggest shifting expectations of educators’ roles and responsibilities during the COVID-19 lockdown with a significant theme centred around the transition of educator identities. The concept of transitioning reflects the shift from the traditional role of educator to that of an innovative online educator, liaison, essential worker, and team player. The findings illustrate the complexity of kindergarten educators’ roles during the pandemic. They provide timely insights into the new realities and unique challenges of remote teaching and learning in kindergarten contexts. They also highlight the critical role that educators play for both the children and the community, and they give voice to the silent workers of the pandemic, early childhood educators. The findings suggest that these educators, often overlooked as essential workers, warranted greater recognition, appreciation and support for their contributions during the COVID-19 lockdown. They can also contribute to further developing response and support measures for kindergarten educators in future emergencies.<p></p>