Teachers in Malta, their professional identity and their experience of school closures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

One of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the way we organised teaching and learning. This case study evaluates the experience of teachers in Malta during the initial stages of school closures and the way they have been forced to adapt their practices in order to meet the needs of their learners and wider communities. Five themes which help to evaluate the re-imagining of teachers’ identities are explored in this research paper: the professional expectations on teachers, the new technological skills and knowledge teachers were expected to acquire, teachers’ stress, teachers’ identity and sense of agency, and teachers’ resilience. This study, using an analysis of desk research, provides an understanding of how the role of teachers in Malta was perceived and how their work processes were transformed. Moreover, the themes that are discussed help to bring to the fore teachers’ narratives of their newly acquired practices, but also a realisation of the need for professional learning and a vision that supports teachers in similarly challenging scenarios. A number of implications which emerge from these themes, in terms of the impact on teachers’ lives, careers and sense of identity, are highlighted, together with recommendations, in the Conclusion, for teachers and teacher educators.