A review of teacher Agency during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Building resilience to manage future challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on educational provision at all levels. Lockdowns instituted in many parts of the world led to an unprecedented number of school closures, affecting almost 90% of the world’s student population. Many schools and teacher education providers responded to the disruptions, without the processes, policies, procedures, or infrastructure in place. This need to respond quickly without the usual institutional guidance created a unique opportunity to explore how teachers used their individual and collective agency to face the challenges posed by COVID-19. During this presentation, we will share research findings from the University of Edinburgh and Monash University to allow us to reflect and discuss how we might exercise agency to build resilience in the teaching profession. We hope this presentation will be useful for teachers, researchers, and academics as we look back at the lessons we learned and look forward to how we manage future challenges.