The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic forced the world to respond in new and unconventional ways. Quick thinking and unusual flexibility were required whilst operating under conditions of uncertainty and fear. This article deals with agility in the implementation of distance learning during the Covid-19 pandemic as it occurred at Ohalo College of Education with the outbreak of the epidemic in Israel in March 2020. Within 48 hours from the moment that Israel’s government announced a nation-wide lockdown, the College shifted from frontal teaching and learning to social distancing and distance teaching. The College adopted agile leadership that led to moving 700 courses to distance learning and teaching, with 150 lecturers and 1,500 students in their homes; the semester continued, but differently, in light of the lockdown and limitations ordered by the government. It is clear that such swift organization, executed with maximum flexibility, did not benefit from proper planning and was far perfect. This article offers a look at academic agility as demonstrated during the transition of a college of education to distance learning under emergency conditions. It will be examined through an analysis of survey responses from students. The goal of the survey was to assess students’ attitudes toward the implementation of this strategy.
The education system, is responsible for the training of each new generation, and consequently adapts itself over the years to changes in the surrounding society. Technological changes, the information revolution and changes in work habits necessitate fundamental change in teaching methods, so that it can appropriately prepare future generations for modern reality. The Teaching and Education College in northern Israel offers programs to train "future teachers", highlighting dynamic environments, the integration of technology in teaching and innovative pedagogy. A qualitative study used an open-ended questionnaire to investigate students' perceptions of the concepts "innovative pedagogy" and "integration of technology in teaching" during their first practicum year in the education system. Findings showed that the young students find it difficult to conceptualize these concepts and describe them in a superficial and concrete manner. Mediation is needed, to connect college learning of these concepts with the students' practical work in the field.
The present article aims to throw some light and clarify the image of the “teacher leader” as it is seen from the viewpoint of graduates and trainees in the M. Ed. program at the Ohalo Academic College. This research offers a porthole through which it is possible to observe their future role. The main research questions examined (1) How is the image of the teacher-leader visualized by the research’s population? (2) What is the desired image of the teacher-leader as described by the respondents? Which leadership traits are seen by the respondents as the most dominant/meaningful? (3) Is there a difference between the respondents’ perception of the term “teacher-leader” and their perception of the term “teacher”? (4) Is it possible to identify a main pattern that emerges from the analysis of all the respondents’ answers to the statements and the open-ended questions? The responses to the research questions were derived from mixed method data collection and analysis. The research instrument was a validated questionnaire that was distributed to graduates and trainees in the studied program (N = 137). 54 questionnaires were completed. The main findings indicate that all the indices investigated in the quantitative part of the questionnaire, received high grades. Thus, the image of the teacher-leader is described as an exalted role, with distinguished characteristics and especially personal relations with pupils and their staff. The mean personal relationship index was the characteristic that received the highest grades (4.76). The reliability of the indices, as measured by Cronbach’s α (α = 0.853) was found to be very high. In the qualitative part of the questionnaire, respondents were asked to conduct a deep observation and express it in their own authentic words: the respondents’ “voice”. Analysis of the responses found that the most dominant categories related to the index of personal characteristics (49) in relation to the “teacher-leader” and the teacher. Two main axes were identified from the processing of the different findings: a high level for the index of interpersonal relations with pupils and colleagues, and the central position of personal characteristics. In short, analysis of all the findings identified that there was a main trend whereby the graduates and trainees of the program see the image of the teacher-leader as holding distinct personality traits for leadership. These characteristics were translated in practice into strategies for educational work that could empower pupils, which would be expressed in improved learning achievements.
The Covid-19 pandemic forced institutions of higher education to adopt agile leadership behaviors. The current research aims to examine how the leadership at the Ohalo teacher training college in Israel dealt with the crisis caused by the pandemic. The research hypothesis, predicting a positive relationship between the college leadership’s decisions and lecturers’ positive evaluations regarding these decisions, was confirmed. Previous research has given scant attention to the relationship between running an academic institution and applying principles of adaptive leadership during a crisis. This article presents a case study of adaptive leadership at an academic institution during the Covid-19 pandemic. The conclusions suggest that ensuring the continued functioning of an organization during a crisis requires skills and competencies reflecting multifaceted and adaptive leadership, agility, and direct channels of reciprocal, cooperative communication. Opportunities for initiative taking should be provided, and a consistent policy must be maintained that aims to “flatten the hierarchy curve.”
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