Abstract:

Talking about innovation requires a paradigm shift sustained in education in which teaching and learning demands a new way of thinking and doing. Reimers & Schleicher (2020) refer that, during the pandemic, imposed period by COVID 19, the way we could move forward in the learning-teaching process was through the implementation of remote emergency teaching, namely the use of new digital platforms that come to stay (Fuchs, 2022). Other challenges arise during the relationship between the innovative work and transformation leadership which, providing strong implications on schools’ organization (Messmann et al., 2021; Tahili et al., 2022). This paper is a part of an ongoing research project that aims to identify and understand the challenges experienced by leaders, in the 2nd Level of Basic Education in Portugal. Three case studies (public schools) were identified with explicit programs for innovation at the time of transition to the new model and practices of remote emergency teaching, within the scope of public policies and pedagogical strategies. Seeking to perceive the learning losses and school results regarding the strategies implemented during the pandemic and post-pandemic periods. The research is based on a holistic view of educational models and metamorphoses of a technological, organizational, cultural, and pedagogical nature. Figueiredo (2022) reinforces that it is not possible to think about education without looking strategic changes ideas; whether the organizational level, according to the quality of management models and administrative practices which derive from a transformative culture to face the digital challenges that corroborate the search for pedagogical dynamics adjusted for a remote teaching model with face-to-face. Within this context, this work intends to answer the following research questions: How did educational practices in innovative schools during the pandemic by COVID 19 perceived by school leaders, in terms of technological, organizational, cultural and pedagogical levels? During an exploratory phase of the study, three semi-structured individual interviews with school leaders were conducted between April and June 2022.The main finding focused on the analysis of the lessons learnt carried out in the context of remote education during the lockdown periods in 2020 and 2021. Implications for schools innovation and improvement will be discussed.

Keywords:

COVID-19, Remote Emergency Teaching, Innovation, School Leaders.