Changes and Perspectives in Teacher Training Methodology

Abstract School closures induced by the COVID-19 crisis have led to the rethinking and reshaping of teacher training considering the norms of online and blended learning, and the pressure to embrace the possibilities offered by information and communications technology. We propose to examine the new perspectives and necessary changes related to three domains in which our institution – the Teacher Training Institute of Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, Faculty of Technical and Human Sciences – offers training: foreign languages, social sciences, and engineering. Different areas of education have been affected in different ways by the pandemic. In language teaching, familiarity with pre-existing platforms and programs helped the transition to online education. In the field of social sciences, the transfer of theoretical information did not cause any particular problems, but the development of interpersonal relationships, interactivity, and communication became more difficult. In the domain of engineering, practical education has become nearly impossible, as in order to develop certain practical skills students need access to laboratories equipped with special tools, devices, and instruments. In our study, we will focus on ways of updating and developing our methodology courses based on new paradigms and good practices presented in the specialized literature, also reflecting on feedback received from our teacher trainees related to their difficulties and needs revealed by the shift to online teaching.