Teaching in times of corona: a look at the challenges from the perspective of research on learning and instruction

As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nationwide school closures caused exceptional circumstances that created new and unpredictable challenges for teachers In this article, we synthesize research on learning and instruction to examine how teachers can teach effectively in a pandemic First, we shed light on the disadvantages associated with exclusively taking a view on the surface structures of teaching in the discussion about good teaching under pandemic conditions Second, on the basis of the deep structures of teaching, we present challenges caused by a pandemic for high-quality teaching in terms of cognitive activation, student support and classroom management Third, we discuss more specifically how instructional activities can be intentionally designed by teachers with regard to stimulating motivation, presenting information, processing information, practicing, enhancing transfer, and providing feedback to facilitate learning in times of a pandemic In this context, we also discuss the important role of parental support for learning Fourth, we provide recommendations for good teaching under pandemic conditions and discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic can be seen as a chance for research to generate knowledge on new forms of individual learning that could enrich future teaching © 2020, The Author(s)