Teaching in the pandemic: reconceptualizing Chilean educators' professionalism now and for the future
Journal of Professional Capital and Community
ISSN: 2056-9548
Article publication date: 27 October 2020
Issue publication date: 25 November 2020
Abstract
Purpose
This essay explores the effects of school buildings closure during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on Chilean teachers' and principals' professional role and values, highlighting implications for reconceptualizing educators' professionalism for the post-pandemic era.
Design/methodology/approach
Competing versions of Chilean educators' professionalism during the pandemic were analyzed based on government guidelines, national teachers' association statements, news reports and testimonies from teachers and principals collected from webinars.
Findings
The guidelines that the ministry issued after school building were required to close motivated educators to challenge a version of professionalism founded on new public management (NPM) policies, which mandated external control and emphasized students' academic outcomes. By challenging the dominant NPM perspective of professionalism, educators advocated for professional autonomy as well as students' and communities' well-being.
Originality/value
This essay offers insights into how the Chilean school system's response to the crisis evidenced competing notions of educators' professionalism. As the pandemic continues to be an ongoing phenomenon, four implications for reconceptualizing educators' professionalism are drawn, which could inform and offer guidance to practitioners and policymakers in the post-pandemic era.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to acknowledge the insightful comments and suggestions from the anonymous reviewer(s) that helped strengthen this manuscript. Also, support from ANID/PIA Basal Funds for Centers of Excellence FB0003 is gratefully acknowledged.
Citation
González, Á., Fernández, M.B., Pino-Yancovic, M. and Madrid, R. (2020), "Teaching in the pandemic: reconceptualizing Chilean educators' professionalism now and for the future", Journal of Professional Capital and Community, Vol. 5 No. 3/4, pp. 265-272. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPCC-06-2020-0043
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited