Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic dropped educators across the world straight into remote learning with little time to prepare. As some have inevitably struggled, other middle grades educators have overcome beginning hurdles to not only survive, but thrive amidst this new challenge. One teacher in particular, despite being in her first year, has found innovative ways to connect and motivate her middle grades students in a virtual environment. This article extends the steps, tips, and resources article (Author 3, Author 2, & Barker, K. S. also in this issue?) to provide a personal example of the successes (and yet still challenges) that exist when “quaranteaching” is done well. From tiktok videos, to kahoot games played over zoom, to contests to encourage attendance and increase motivation, Amanda Woods, winner of the National Association of Professors of Middle Level Education (NAPOMLE) Teacher Candidate of the Year in 2019, shares how she continues to meet the developmental needs of her young middle grades students even when she cannot see them physically each day.
Author Bio
Amanda E. Woods, a Navy veteran, is a first-year mathematics teacher at Grovetown Middle School and a 2019 graduate of Augusta University where she obtained a BSEd. in Middle Grades education. She is the 2019 winner of the National Association of Professors of Middle Level Education Teacher Candidate, and top three finalist for Rookie of the Year in her school district. She sponsors her school’s award-winning Junior Model United Nations, and vertical mentorship club for 6th grade students to tutor 4th grade students at a local elementary school.
Stacie K. Pettit, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and Middle Grades Program Coordinator in the Department of Teaching and Leading at Augusta University. She is the secretary for the Middle Level Education Research (MLER) SIG and on the executive board for the Georgia Association of Middle Level Education (GAMLE).
Dr. Christi L. Pace is an assistant professor at Augusta University in Augusta, GA. She has worked with teacher education candidates for over the past decade and is actively involved in university-school partnerships with surrounding schools. Prior to her postsecondary work, Dr. Pace taught middle and secondary ELA for over 20 years and holds dual certification in both Texas and Georgia.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Woods, Amanda; Pettit, Stacie K.; and Pace, Christi
(2020)
"Quaranteaching in the Time of Covid-19: Exemplar From a Middle Grades Virtual Classroom,"
Becoming: Journal of the Georgia Association for Middle Level Education: Vol. 31:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
DOI: 10.20429/becoming.2020.310103
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/becoming_journal/vol31/iss1/3
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons, Online and Distance Education Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons