(Re)defining the Teaching-Learning Process During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Portuguese Experience

Abstract

In mid-March 2020, following the decision reached by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control facing the COVID-19 pandemic, the Portuguese government ordered the closure of schools. This resolution presented a great challenge: to transform classroom activities into online sessions using digital technologies for thousands of students in primary, secondary and higher education. If we can consider that this challenge was met, proving the ‘visionary’ character of Connectivism, it is necessary to highlight the adaptation of teachers and students to the new world of virtual classes. In order to assess the ‘Teaching Practices in the Time of the Pandemic, ' as well as the opinion of teachers on face-to-face, blended or online classes, a Likert-type questionnaire was applied. The results are presented and discussed here. The main conclusions reaffirm the preference for the face-to-face model, articulated with distance learning practices. The lack of contact with students and colleagues, the heavier workload and stress, the worsening of inequalities among students and inhibition of collaborative work are the most focused problems with online teaching.