Navigating Technophobia: Need for Upskilling and Reskilling English Teachers

Abstract

The Pandemic which brought forth unforeseen circumstances in the field of education saw a rapid change in the methodology of the teaching and learning process, which transformed conventional classroom education into a new realm dominated by technology. This sudden change, with its newness, has attracted all the stakeholders of the educational institutions. However, teachers who have crossed the 40s or 50s find difficulty in coping with the present situation. Their confidence level worsens due to their inability to handle online classes independently. The present paper analyses the problems faced by the language teaching community towards the execution of their academic duties during the pandemic. The study found that women English teachers above 50 encountered several psychological and emotional distress in the teaching process during online classes. Some of the teachers even feel technologically unequipped to navigate the tech-centric era of education because of which they are worried about continuing teaching in case of a similar scenario.