Innovation in Language Learning

During the first wave of the covid-19 pandemic (March 2020), the Greek government, like almost all governments in the EU, decided the suspension of schools. This unprecedented occasion made imperative the need to organize and implement Online and Distance Learning for all students accross all levels of the Greek educational system. This type of Online and Distance teaching mode is defined world-widely as “Emergency Remote Teaching” [1], since, it is associated with a temporal shift of traditional teaching to an alternative instruction mode, due to crisis circumstances. The courses have not been originally desinged for distance learning but, instead, involve the traditional face-to-face instruction conducted through Online and Distance Learning due to an emergency [2].
After the first pandemic wave, schools started re-opening gradually, with the necessary health restriction measures, while Online and Distance Learning was implemented in cases of students and teachers belonging to high-risk groups or in when classes or schools were closed due to positive covid-cases [3].
During the implementation of Online and Distance Learning many problems arose with respect to the effectiveness of platforms and online systems and the readiness of schools, teachers, students and parents to respond to the challenging conditions necesseray for the organization and implementatin of Online and Distance Learning [4]. Within this framework, recent research [5]-[6] points out the need to investigate not only the techological readiness of teachers and schools, but also their readiness to respond to the pedagogical and teaching  adaptations required by this situation.
On the basis of the above, the present paper investigates and presents research data on the opinions and perceptions of Greek primary school teachers as regards their role during Online and Distance instruction of language classes.

Keywords: Online and Distance Learning, teacher perceptions, Greek primary school, language courses, covid -19 

References:
1] Hodges, C. Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T. & Bond, A. (2020). The Difference between Emergency Remote Teaching and Online Learning. Retrieved on 25 October, 2020, from:  https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning
[2] McMurtrie, B. (2020). Preparing for Emergency Online Teaching, The Chronicle of Higher Education.
[3] Azevedo, J., Hasan, A., Goldemberg, D., Syedah, I. & Geven, K. (2020). Simulating the potential impacts of COVID-19 school closures on schooling and learning outcomes: A set of global estimates. Policy Research Working Paper. World Bank.
[4] Uwezo, K. (2020). Are our children learning? The status of remote-learning among school-going children in Kenya during the Covid-19 crisis. Nairobi: Usawa Agenda.