Teaching in the midst
Negotiating student needs and institutional demands during crisis through pedagogical triage
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21345568 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hilary N Tackie (0000-0002-4413-4823, SUNY New Paltz, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-22 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-31 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Curriculum Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-0272 • E-ISSN: 1366-5839 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00220272.2026.2680403 |
| OpenAlex | W7162949519 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 49 |
In order to establish virtual schooling in the midst of COVID-19, educators negotiated often conflicting responsibilities to their students and the institution. Focused on how this negotiation impacted pedagogy during the ongoing crisis, this paper conceptualizes pedagogical triage as a critical determinative sensemaking process that narrows and adjusts curricula and practice. Using qualitative survey data collected from over 850 Chicago area educators on their experience of the COVID-19 school, I reveal patterns in how educators re-evaluated and adjusted their practice based on the perceived or real needs of students as well as educators’ professional responsibilities. The paper leans on frameworks of inhabited institutionalism and sensemaking to define how crisis, in combination with educators’ interactions with and responsibilities to students, result in a practice of pedagogical triage. By conceptualizing COVID-19 as a slow-moving disaster, I argue that this pedagogical triage is relevant to the high-stress reality of educators teaching in the context of polycrisis
Crisis management · Higher education · Negotiation · Qualitative research · Triage · Work (physics) · Education, Leadership, and Health Research · Educational Philosophies and Pedagogies · Higher Education Practises and Engagement
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| Highly cited | No |
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