Priorities and possibilities for teacher professional learning in a (post)COVID-19 era

This paper aims to strengthen understandings of both the current status of and future directions around teacher professional learning in Canada. Bearing in mind the significant shifts in teacher professional learning as a result of the pandemic, the paper utilises an existing framework around the features of high-quality professional learning from a prior study to analyse recent trends in teacher learning needs and professional learning modalities to identify priorities and possibilities for the future of teacher learning in the (post) COVID-19 era. Particular attention is paid to what we refer to as the COVID conundrum. On the one hand, the proliferation of online learning opportunities necessitated by the pandemic resulted in an increase in access for educators who have not been served well by traditional face-to-face models of professional learning. By the same token, however, the sheer volume of learning opportunities, combined with the privatisation and globalisation of online teacher learning (Educational International 2020a), presents challenges around ensuring professional learning is relevant and contextualised to local teaching and learning contexts.