Seeing the Invisible: A Retrospective Examination of Education during COVID-19

Abstract

In this article, we examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education. We combined collaborative inquiry and photo-eliciting methods to examine education with a reflective lens and understand changes that occurred during the pandemic. A principal and a vice principal working in different public schools adopted the dual roles of being researchers and participants. The main data source was the conversation that emerged as we reviewed classroom and school photos taken by the participant researchers. The central theme that emerged from the analysis was that the COVID-19 pandemic made the invisible visible, along with two sub-themes: a) The teacher's source of motivation is the student, while the student's source of motivation is the teacher and b) Students care and grow when they can be a part of the history, culture, and story of their school. The pandemic made the importance of human connection in education evident. The findings of the study offer solutions and recommendations informing future education.