Implementation of Online Teaching in Primary Schools During the First Lockdown in Greece: Teachers Views

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant changes in education, with online teaching emerging as the primary means of teaching. The rapid transition to the digital world has been a significant challenge for teachers and students. This research focuses on primary school teachers' views on online teaching in Greece during the first lockdown. The study examines student-student and student-teacher interaction during online teaching, along with the benefits, challenges, and suggestions for improvement. The research is based on interviews with 15 teachers. The survey findings indicate that there was interaction between teachers and students while there was no interaction between students. The advantages of online teaching were highlighted as continuity of the teaching process, psychological support for students, development of new skills and enhancement of students' autonomy. On the other hand, the disadvantages included technical issues, insufficient teacher training to reinforce existing social inequalities, and the emergence of new forms of inequalities. In order to improve online teaching, it is proposed that teachers and students be trained, the equipment and infrastructure of schools be improved, and online teaching platforms be upgraded.