Language Teaching in the Time of COVID-19

Abstract

This chapter examines the experiences of world language (WL) teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time that required pedagogical pivots at all levels of the educational landscape. The objectives of this chapter are twofold: 1) to identify the main challenges encountered by WL teachers of different languages at distinct levels and with diverse teaching experience and 2) to highlight the successful practices these educators used to foster language learning during this disruptive time. To explore these goals, a phenomenological study was conducted with 27 WL teachers of Spanish, French, German, Chinese, or Russian in the K-16 context, including pre-service and experienced in-service educators. Thematic analyses of participants' responses for a semi-structured interview and survey revealed five salient themes related to their primary challenges and successes: engagement, community, comprehension, balance, and mental health. The lived experiences articulated by these WL educators have important pedagogical implications for (re)conceptualizing best practices in the future.