Investigation of Teacher Roles in Educational Practices in the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study

In the research, it is aimed to analyze the roles of teachers teaching in distance education in the Covid-19 pandemic period and to investigate the obstacles encountered in the realization of these roles. The study was conducted phenomenological research. The criterion sampling technique is used to select participants. Participants were chosen from the teachers of Mathematics, Foreign Language, Science, Turkish and Social Studies who teach at least 15 hours or more per week in distance education. The data collection process in which data triangulation was performed included diaries kept by teachers for five days, individual interviews and focus group interviews. Transcripted data were analyzed by content analysis technique. The roles of the teachers who participated in the study were “communicator”, “collaborator”, “facilitator” and “learner” teacher during the distance education in Covid-19 pandemic. There are obstacles in the realization of roles in issues such as injustice / inequality in education, subject-centered program, structure of the education program, professional development, student and parent unwillingness. The features that teachers should have in the process of distance education as technopedagogical content knowledge, planning instructional activities, being able to measure distance assessment and provide student motivation


Introduction
Education is the most effective dynamic in resolving the existential pain of a society regarding its present and future. There are strong relationships between the achievements of the individuals in the educational processes and the fulfillment of the functions of the society. Therefore, functional education practices are essential for healthy socialization. Professionally designed and implemented training programs face some dilemmas in crisis situations, and emergency response actions are developed in these situations.
With the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, societies tried to adapt to the changes in social, cultural, economic and educational fields (Tzifopoulos, 2020). During the pandemic process, countries have taken various measures against emerging problems (ETF, 2020). Along with Turkey, most countries have suspended face-to-face education practices due to pandemic-related reasons and alternative education practices have come to the fore. These reflexes shown in a crisis situation are interpreted as successful; however, it is seen that there are scientific gaps in the analysis and evaluation of distance education caused by the pandemic.
When the studies on educational practices during the Covid-19 pandemic process are examined, it is seen that this process has been studied in terms of different topics. In these studies; Kaden (2020), Adıgüzel (2020), Kurnaz, Kaynar, Şentürk Barışık and Doğrukök (2020), Demir and Özdaş (2020), Ünal and Bulunuz (2020) investigated teachers' views on the pandemic process; Zawacki-Richter (2020) studied the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on higher education; Duman (2020) and Paudel (2021) evaluated the distance education process applied during the pandemic process; Arslan and Şumuer (2020) stated the problems experienced by teachers regarding classroom management in online lessons in the distance education process; Sarı and Nayır (2020) include the problems faced by teachers during the pandemic period education process; Muthuprasad, Aiswarya, Aditya, and Jha (2021) analyzed students' perceptions and preferences regarding the online education process during the pandemic; Christian, Indriyarti and Wibowo (2021) stated the effectiveness of the tools used in the elearning process on students; Zhang, Wang, Yang and Wang (2020) investigate the problems experienced in distance education with the pandemic and the arrangements to be made in education policies related to it; Alper (2020) examined the compatibility of teachers to distance education with the pandemic process. Studies in the literature shows that the difficulties experienced during the pandemic process, the impact of the educational practices, situation assessments of the experiences of teachers and students in the education process, and studies on education policies are included. It is seen that the transition to distance education-based education practices around the world with the pandemic has had an impact on the studies.
During the pandemic, most countries are making efforts to create distance education platforms, and countries that have distance education platforms are making efforts to update the platforms (The European Training Foundation [ETF], 2020; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2020; Ünal & Çokyaman, 2021). Teachers and students continue their education processes with distance education as much as before the pandemic. In distance education, teachers carry out a distance education process that has its own characteristics with both individual differences, differences in their branches, and educational differences created by the conditions brought by the pandemic process. Every educational program in which the teacher is involved, no matter how excellent, is as functional as the quality of the teacher. Therefore, the examination of teacher function in distance education applications during the Covid-19 pandemic period stands out as a research topic.
The role of the teacher is defined by cultural and social events and the environment, as well as academic and professional determinants. In addition to internal effects such as self-perception in the role of the teacher, the views and expectations of the teacher's role that emerge from other stakeholders such as students, parents, colleagues, school leaders and society are also effective (Makovec, 2018). A teacher is an education employee who has responsibilities to both her/his students and the community she/he is in, tries to deal with the feelings and needs of his students, strives to understand people correctly, has important responsibilities in improving school and teaching and raising students who meet expectations (Can, 2004). Due to these responsibilities, different role definitions were made for the teacher.
From the past to the present, the roles of teachers have been discussed in many aspects within the framework of different topics, within the scope of various competencies and characteristics. For example, teacher roles include teacher professionalism (OECD, 2001), effective teacher skills in the teaching process (Lemov, 2010;Melvin, 2011), standards for the use of technology in education (The International Society for Technology in Education [ISTE], 2017) has been discussed within the scope of 21st century teacher qualifications (Churches, 2008;Cox, 2015;Palmer, 2015).
OECD (2001)  Openness (It is important to be able to work with parents and non-teachers in complementary ways rather than subverting other aspects of the teacher's professional role) Lemov (2010) stated that the teaching process is a great art, that works of art are based on the mastery and application of basic skills learned individually through diligent study. By saying "teach like a champion" to teachers, he gathered 49 techniques that teachers should have in the learning process, under 7 titles. These skills appear as teacher qualifications. According to Lemov (2010), determining high academic expectations, planning for academic success, structuring and presenting the course, ensuring the participation of students in classes, creating a strong classroom culture, setting and maintaining high behavioral expectations, building character and confidence are the characteristics that teachers should have. Melvin (2011) stated that effective teachers have some responsibilities. These are organizing environments for change, organizing physical space and materials, applying a reflective teaching model, self-regulation, holding classroom meetings for success, using technology in the classroom, modeling as a leader, practicing at recess, collaborating with parents, creating and maintaining a coherent environment. Within the perspectives of Lemov (2010) and Melvin (2011) it can be said that a strong leadership quality of the teacher should come to the fore for the functionality of the programs.
Apart from these roles, teachers, who are the most important practitioners of the education system with the intensive use of technology, have very important roles in the planning of education and training activities. The International Educational Technologies Association (ISTE) (2017) has created ISTE Standards for teachers and emphasized the importance of teachers' development in these standards, which will help students become empowered learners. These standards are; Learner; Teachers continually improve their practices by learning from and with others, and discovering promising applications that leverage technology to improve student learning.
Leader; Teachers seek leadership opportunities to support student empowerment and success, and to improve teaching and learning.
Citizen; Teachers inspire students to contribute positively and participate responsibly in the digital world.
Collaborator; Teachers maintain and develop a culture of collaboration with both colleagues and students to improve practice, explore and share resources and ideas, and solve problems.
Designer; Teachers design authentic, student-focused activities and environments that recognize and accommodate student diversity.
Facilitator; Teachers facilitate learning with technology to support students' achievement of the ISTE Student Standards.
Analyzer; Teachers understand and use data to guide their teaching and support students in achieving their learning goals.
Considering the International Educational Technologies Association (ISTE) (2017) standards, it is seen that the perspective of the teacher coincides with the prominent teacher roles in alternative education programs such as learning teacher, designer teacher, leader teacher, guide teacher.
In some studies, the roles and responsibilities of the teacher among the 21st century teacher skills were examined. Churches (2008) stated that 21st century teachers should have adaptive, visionary / creative, collaborative, risk-taking, learner, communicator, model and leader roles. Cox (2015) underlines that teachers must be in a position that "future-proof, a master of technology in the classroom, knows how to collaborate, adapts (can adapt and adapt teaching styles to include different learning modes, adapt to curriculum and requirements, and use their imagination to teach in creative ways), lifelong learner, advocate of the profession (which keeps parents and students informed of what is going on in education and addresses issues directly)" Palmer (2015) identified 15 characteristic features for 21th century teachers. She stated that among these characteristics, there should be teacher characteristics `who can apply student-centered classroom and personalized teaching, make students productive, learn new technologies, globalize, collaborate, open to innovations, and continue to learn` Teaching, which is defined as a profession, has unique differences within the framework of the basic characteristics of curriculums. For example, when the philosophy of education differs, the roles and responsibilities of teachers also differ. In this regard, the need to examine possible changes in teacher roles in distance education practices during the pandemic period necessitated this research. This study differs from the researches in the literature examining the roles of teachers in distance education in that it deals with distance education in a crisis situation (Covid-19 pandemic). In the study, it was aimed to analyze the roles of teachers working in distance education applications during the Covid-19 pandemic period and sought answers to the following questions: 1. What are the roles of teachers working in distance education practices during the pandemic period and what are the obstacles to the realization of these roles? 2. What should be the characteristics of teachers working in distance education applications during the pandemic period?

Method Research Design
The purpose of the research is examined with the post-positivist paradigm and analyzed with the phenomenology pattern, which is one of the qualitative research methods. Phenomenology defines the common meaning of individuals' experiences with a concept or phenomenon (Creswell & Poth, 2018). It is a method of inquiry in which the meaning and source of experiences are examined in depth (Manen, 2014). Phenomenology aims to analyze the interpretations of the participants about the phenomenon examined based on their experiences. Therefore, the experiences of the teachers involved in distance education applications during the Covid-19 pandemic process and their interpretations of teacher roles are presented.

Study Group
The study group was determined by the criterion sampling technique, "in which all the cases are sampled which fit a particular criterion being studied" (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2017). Participants were selected among Mathematics, Foreign Language, Science, Turkish and Social Studies teachers who teach at least 15 hours or more distance education per week in the 2020-2021 academic year. The demographic information of the participating teachers according to the measurement processes employed to solve the research problem is given in Table 1. Cresswell and Poth (2018) stated that in the general characteristics of phenomenology studies, a heterogeneous group was defined in terms of size ranging from 3-4 participants to 10-15 participants. Starks and Brown Trinidad (2007) found that typical sample sizes for phenomenological studies ranged from 1 to 10 individuals; Polkinghorne (1989) recommends that researchers interview 5 to 25 people who have experienced the phenomenon (as cited in Cresswell & Poth, 2018). The size of the study group (11 people daily, 17 interviews) in this study is suitable for phenomenology studies.

Data Collection Tools
In the study, diary and semi-structured interview forms were used for data diversity. Since the interview focuses on the meanings of the individual's experiences, it is seen as an appropriate data collection tool in phenomenological studies (Kvale, 1996). In phenomenological studies, it is important to collect and explore the experiential definitions of individuals who can convey their experiences verbally or in writing (Manen, 2016). For this reason, data were collected from written experiences with diaries and from oral experiences with interviews. In addition, individual and focus group interviews were conducted using the semi-structured interview form prepared by the researchers to ensure data diversity.
In the study, a semi-structured interview form prepared by the researchers was used to collect the data. For the validity of the interview form, which was created by reviewing the literature, the evaluation of two different field experts working in the field of Curriculum and Instruction was taken. In line with the opinions of field experts, necessary corrections were made in terms of language and content, and interview form was created.

Data Collection Process
The data collection process was carried out considering the pandemic conditions, and focus group interviews and individual interviews were carried out through online applications.
In focus group interviews, all participants were simultaneously involved in the online meeting and a researcher moderated the discussion. The entire meeting was recorded.
Within the scope of the research, 2 separate focus group studies (6x2) and one-to-one interviews were conducted with 5 people on a voluntary basis.
With the aim of reflecting the experiences of the teachers in the distance education process in a sincere way, 11 teachers reflected their experiences through diaries on 5 different days.

Data Analysis
The data analysis technique is the content analysis. Written diaries and data recorded in the semistructured interviews were converted into transcripts. In the coding of the data, each participant teacher T1, T2, T3…. coded as. At this stage, the analysis process was carried out in four stages: coding the data, finding the themes, arranging the codes and themes, defining and interpreting the findings (Yıldırım & Şimşek, 2016). Similar data were tried to be brought together by following an inductive way within the framework of certain concepts and themes. Transcripts were reviewed by the researchers and analyzed separately for coder reliability. In the analysis, first the codes were created, then categorization was made and the last themes were reached.

Validity Reliability Measures / Credibility
In the study, more than one data collection method was used by making data diversification. The recorded data has been transcribed. While the transcripts were being created, care was taken to write exactly the answers they gave to the interview questions. Findings supported by direct quotations. For coding reliability calculation in the content analysis of the data collected in the research, Miles & Huberman (1994) reliability formula was used: Reliability = Consensus / (Agreement + Disagreement). As a result of the calculation, the reliability of the coding was 77%. Reliability calculations above 70 percent are considered reliable for research (Miles & Huberman, 1994). Lincoln and Guba (1985) suggest that long-term interaction, depth-based data collection, diversification, expert review, and participant confirmation strategies can be used to ensure the credibility of qualitative research. In this research process, long-term interaction was made with teachers from 6 different branches, not only with focus or individual interviews, but also with teachers from as many different branches as possible by using both methods. For depth-oriented data collection, the researchers questioned whether they met the research questions by critically examining the diary and the data reflecting the sincere feelings of the teachers in depth, and the data collected both in the focus group interviews and in the individual interviews, by recording them in the process. In terms of diversity, while the researchers tried to provide data diversity with diaries and interviews in the research, it was supported to create diversity with different participants by trying to interview as many people as possible with a group of teachers from six different branches and by keeping a diary. In terms of expert examination, the researchers involved in the study bear the title of field experts. In terms of participant confirmation, it was carried out by asking whether the findings obtained from randomly selected diaries and interviews revealed the thoughts of the participants. In this research, it is seen that the necessary processes related to credibility are provided.

Ethics Committee Approval Information
An application was made to Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee for data collection studies within the scope of the research, and ethics committee approval was obtained with the decision of the Graduate School of Education Ethics Committee dated 30/03/2021 and numbered 06/28.

Results
The findings of the research are presented in this section. Within the scope of two research questions, in the first part, the findings regarding the roles of teachers involved in distance education practices during the pandemic period and the obstacles to the realization of these roles; in the second part, the findings about what the characteristics of the pandemic period teacher should be are given.

The Roles of Teachers in Distance Education Practices during the Pandemic Period and the Barriers in Realizing These Roles
In the study, it was seen that the roles of teachers working in distance education applications during the Covid-19 pandemic period came to the fore as communicator, collaborator, learner and facilitator. The obstacles to the realization of the teacher roles that the teachers wanted to display also differed according to the roles. The analysis of these prominent teacher roles and the evaluations of the obstacles to the realization of these roles are given in the figures below.
The role of the communicator teacher and the barriers to the realization of the role. It has been observed that different dimensions have an effect on teachers' communication in the distance education process. In the realization of the communicator role, dimensions such as the fact that communication is a natural and necessary process brought by the pandemic, it is an internal responsibility, it is seen as a solution in reaching students, it is used for the lesson, it is seen as a support for the solution of problems by communicating with parents have come to the fore. The opinions of the teachers on this subject are as follows; A natural and necessary situation caused by the pandemic; T3-"In this process, we were in contact with the school administration, other teachers, parents and students separately. Even now, this process continues intensively. Our Whatsapp groups were used extensively to ensure communication very often." Internal responsibility; T7-"When I started my teaching career, I preferred not to apply the features that I did not like in my teachers. For example, we were afraid to ask questions. I didn't want to be like this with my students, I always wanted them to ask me questions. I also struggled with this in distance education." T13-"The questions of the students who ask questions can be all week, sometimes even at very late hours, so I answer their questions in detail as much as I can, my aim is to support them as much as possible without breaking them out of the process. When I find an interested student asking questions, I try to ensure that the process is beneficial in terms of efficiency.
Reaching students for the lesson; T1-"We all floundered at first, and then we tried to reach the children as much as we could. Because the biggest problem was reaching the children. We kept in touch by establishing social media groups to reach children." T6-"I set up whatsapp groups to increase effectiveness. They ask questions from there, and I make a voice narration. I try to keep them calm. I'm trying to encourage. Sometimes there are students who ask questions even at 12 o'clock at night. I even answer them." A support for solving problems by contacting the parent; T8-"I called the families of the students who did not attend my classes. I asked them if they knew that their students did not participate, and if they did not, why did they not?." T3-"In this process, I met with the parents mostly, we didn't even know most of the parents when we were at school, the two times a year we see at the parents' meetings. Now we are in constant communication, we have telephones, we have a social media group.
T2-"In my parent groups, I try to guide them by being informed about course announcements and assignments posted on eBay. I also post leaf tests and lecture notes on parents' phones. When his parents are informed, he solves the majority." Against the realization of the role of a communicator teacher in the distance education process; it has been stated that different dimensions such as lack of time, anxiety about finishing the curriculum on time, student's technological inadequacies and the student's unwillingness to participate in the lesson are effective. Teachers' views on this subject are as follows: T7-"The most troublesome situation of my course is the lack of time for students and teachers to express themselves, the intensity of the curriculum and the anxiety of finishing the curriculum on time" T15-"Not being able to reach some students makes me sad. When I ask their friends, they say they have financial difficulties. Although I try to reach and support, it is difficult for us to communicate like other students." Considering the opinions of teachers, it is seen that the role of teachers as communicator teachers in the distance education process of the Covid-19 pandemic comes to the fore. Teachers emphasized their communication skills in order to carry out the distance education process in a healthy way and to close the existing deficiencies. In this process, due to the conditions caused by the pandemic, it is seen that teachers have a responsibility of communicating with students or parents in the distance education process, in the process of reaching students more easily. However, it has been observed that teachers who want to communicate have student-based problems such as student's technological inadequacies or the unwillingness of the student. On the other hand, it has been observed that teachers who want to communicate more with their students in their classes, lack of time and the concerns of finishing the curriculum on time prevent the formation of the communication process.
The role of collaborative teacher and barriers to realization of the role. It has been observed that different dimensions have an effect on teachers having a collaborative role in the distance education process. The collaborative role was carried out in solving problems with colleagues, in the processes for parents and students, and in reflection on learning processes. The opinions of the teachers are given below.

Solving problems with colleagues;
T4-"When there was a problem with the lesson, many of our teacher friends, like me, shared their suggestions and solutions. We solved our problems in cooperation." T13-"Platforms were created in virtual environments where teachers support each other and collaborate to do something useful for their students. I can describe this period as the period of collaborations, which I will mention as beautiful next to the sentences that start with "I wish".." Processes for parents and students; T9-"I am sharing the homework checklists back with the students in the distance education process. I even share many of them with their parents. In this way, when they see the pros and cons, they follow a regular homework because the excess of cons disturbs many." T6-" Parent cooperation is also important in this process. I am writing to parents from our parent groups. I'm trying to get them involved too. Like "Please check the solutions of the assignments yourself". Because it doesn't make much sense unless it's checked. I'm throwing out their solutions, I want them to be included in the process."

Reflecting on learning processes;
T9-"Unfortunately, having to teach unilaterally during the pandemic process does not give the desired result. Therefore, I have worked on a process that can continue the education that children work in cooperation with children. They complete the presentations of homework, experiments and activities together. In this respect, I both cooperated with the students and tried to support their cooperation in this process." T10-"In social media groups, students offer advice and solutions to each other's questions. They learn by collaborating until I give the answer." T17-"I tried to reach some parents, I sent a message, I tried every channel, I figured out how to use zoom, and after a while, it got tired of this. The family does not provide that environment for the student. When I couldn't reach some of them, I quit. I see myself as inadequate in this regard." T14-"Not getting the interaction I want from the student does not satisfy me. After a while, my reluctance and the student's decrease in motivation affect the efficiency of the lesson." T26-"During the school period, problem detection was easier and your solution alternatives were much more diverse. Now you are passive and ineffective unless you are constantly trying and communicating with the student." T28-"...It was a pity that some of them remained silent and did not react even though I gave the right to speak. In the classroom, I could see their reactions and choose an attitude accordingly, but I felt bad because I couldn't see the unresponsive student. I wonder if the family joins forcibly, but does she go to bed? or did I just become a teenager's fun in my own way?
When we analyze the opinions of the teachers, the collaborative teacher feature of the teachers came to the forefront in the distance education process of the Covid-19 pandemic. In this process, it is understood that teachers transfer their cooperation with their colleagues, which they sometimes perform in the face-to-face education process, to the distance education process they are in, and try to find solutions to the problems they encounter by collaborating. Involving the parents, one of the stakeholders of the education process, in the distance education process, the teachers cooperated with the parents and ensured that the processes related to the teaching process such as homework follow-up and student attendance are carried out in cooperation with their students. It has been observed that teachers with the collaborative teacher model reflect their collaborative learning skills to the education processes in the distance education process. Also, it was stated by the teachers that the difficulties experienced in establishing communication prevented cooperation regarding to parents' and students' apathy.
The role of the learner teacher and the barriers to the realization of the role. It has been stated that the role of the teacher learning in the distance education process is realized by the effect of different dimensions such as seeing learning as an internal responsibility as a part of professional development and being a necessity in the conduct of the distance education process. The opinions of the teachers are given below: Professional Development / Internal Responsibility; T9-"I do not consider myself very competent in technology, but for this, I try to improve myself by entering all kinds of learning environments where I can participate remotely. In this process, I used new web 2.0 tools more and more." T13-"Being a teacher in this process makes your students feel that if you are very possessive, you should understand that they are good or bad just from their voices and try harder for them. I called some of my students a lot after class or I researched the reasons for my children not submitting their work. This process developed me both professionally and in student psychology and showed that the teacher is not just a lecturer but a guide that prepares me for life." T23-"I constantly examine the current process and try to find the missing and wrong. Of course, my biggest and only supporters are my students. We work together as an R&D unit, discussing how we can achieve our best learning. You feel the need to be renewed and updated every day because learning that goes wrong bothers you."

Obligation for Distance Education;
T8-"This process has given me incredible things. I used to be biased to the most used technology, I would use it on a beginner level. I used it as long as it worked for me. In general, I think it is necessary to teach the lesson live instead of online. But in the end, I learned a lot of things that I didn't know before, and they contributed positively to me in this respect.

Figure 3. The role of the learner teacher and the barriers to the realization of the role
Against the realization of the learner teacher role in the distance education process; It was stated that the insufficient knowledge of technology and anxiety about finishing the curriculum on time were effective. The opinions of the teachers on this subject are as follows;

T17-"Our curriculum is very large. I have a hard time for finishing the curriculum on time. The feedback I get is very little even though I teach the lesson so slowly and mutually. So, instead of spending time on other things, maybe it's wrong, but I prefer to solve more questions. So i can't come up with a solution. "
T22-"I could organize competitions and events with web 2.0 tools to make the learning environment more fun, qualified and permanent during the distance education process. I have knowledge on this subject, but unfortunately, the problem of not reaching the course topics on time prevents me. Maybe more activities should be planned or the curriculum should be diluted, but there is no improvement at the time" When we analyze the opinions of teachers, it is seen that the Covid-19 pandemic distance education process makes the role of learner teachers come to the fore. It has emerged in the opinions of the teachers that the transition from face-to-face education to distance education provides compulsory learning of the technological information necessary for the realization of distance education. It has been observed that teachers who define themselves as learner teachers have responsibilities as teachers who research what they can do to make the distance education process more effective, develop themselves and try to apply what they do not know by learning. It has been stated that the ignorance of the teachers, who do not reflect the role of the learning teacher, is an obstacle to their learning. It is seen that finishing the curriculum intensive curricula on time that are not adapted to the distance education process and the subject of learning and applying new things prevent them from being learner teachers. The role of the facilitator teacher and the barriers to the realization of the role. It has been stated that teachers' role as facilitator in the distance education process occurs with the effect of different dimensions such as increasing student participation and student success, transferring the school environment to digital and giving feedback. The opinions of the teachers are given below: Increasing Student Participation; T8-"I have sent photos of the notes and events that I have written on their notebooks from the whatsapp groups for the convenience of those who cannot attend." T5-"For those who do not understand the subject, I share the links of the lecture videos that I find on the Internet at the end of the lesson every week, since it will be difficult for me to explain the subject from the WhatsApp groups, so that those who do not understand the lesson have the opportunity to listen again." T2-"I set up whatsapp groups to increase effectiveness. They ask me questions from there, and I make a voice narration." Increasing Student Achievement;

T27-"Every week, I make a class-based hour to ask what they don't understand on Zoom for an hour. At that time, I answer their questions before the next lesson comes. They ask here at school, like children who ask what they don't understand during playtime."
T2-"…I try to help children as much as possible without pushing them too hard. I sent a question to those who wanted to solve a question in accordance with their level. It was kind of like individualized teaching." T1-"In this process, I opened whatsapp groups in other classes I attended and opened a channel that would allow me to reach them. In addition, I created a youtube channel. In order for the children not to fall behind, I took a video at home with my own effords and sent these links to them." T24-"The distance education process was most productive for students with advanced individual learning skills, but their efforts should be supported and their learning initiatives should be supported." Transferring School Environment to virtual environment; T27-"We are trying to transfer the school environment to the digital environment during the pandemic period. The distance education process is process-oriented, as in face-to-face learning. I am trying to make the lesson more efficient by using digital platforms effectively in distance education." T3-"When we first started the pandemic period, I felt more responsibility. I immediately started preparing lesson videos, I shared them on youtube or whatsapp groups. In the videos, I explained how I explained in class." Giving Feedback; T8-"I asked them to ask me what they did not understand on whatsapp. There have always been situations where I sent a message with a voice recording and I replied in this way. I have many whatsapp student groups, they always ask questions." T23-"Students write the questions they want to ask privately from social media tools until the time we set. As long as they focus on their lessons, I return back in the mode of providing opportunities for them." T10-"I would like to reach children without technological means, but unfortunately we could not. You call her/his family for this, She/he says she/he does not have opportunities, or when there is more than one child at home, this is also a problematic situation." T4-"I'm not good at Web 2.0. I need a training for this process to be effective."

T25-"I think I'm having trouble because of the deficiencies in technology or because I can't transfer what I know to this online environment. I have a lot of theoretical knowledge, I say yes. But I can't manage to transform some things, so I continued in a more classical way. I have a lot of technological knowledge and usage deficiencies. I think I need more knowledge of integrating technology into the classroom."
T5-"We can create more understandable and enjoyable course processes for students, but for this, the curriculum should be reduced compared to distance education. Otherwise, the topics will not be finished on time." Teacher opinions have shown that the intensive use of technological tools in the distance education process has become an integral part of the education process. It has been stated that web 2.0 tools, especially social media tools, are used especially in the academic success of students, in their individual learning and in informing about the course processes. In this way, the education process of the student has been facilitated by technological tools. Teachers who are incapable of using these technological tools or students who do not have these technologies prevent the realization of the teacher role that facilitator increasing student participation (f: 10) increasing student achievement ( technology provides to the teacher. In addition, it has been stated that the teacher's attempt to facilitate learning by diversifying the learning process by making online applications such as competitions and interactions is prevented by the lack of time and therefore the anxiety of not being able to finish the curriculum on time.

Characteristics of Teachers Working in Distance Education Practices during the Pandemic Period
In the research, technopedagogical content knowledge, planning teaching activities, making distance measurement evaluation and providing student motivation came to the fore in terms of the responsibilities, duties or features that should be in an ideal teacher model for the teachers working in distance education during the Covid-19 pandemic period. The opinions of the teachers are given below: Figure 5. Features that should be in the pandemic period teacher model T11-"web 2.0 tools have been my biggest savior in the process, I wish I could use these tools more often and gain practicality. It is necessary to prepare a content and know how to use technology so that distance education is effective. We need to know how to adapt it to any subject." T2-"So in the distance education, a teacher needs to be prepared to keep kids on the screen with lots of interesting stuff. In other words, I think that something more active should be done rather than the classical teacher-board-student relationship." T5-"As we experienced in the distance education process, our experience on how to design or do the lesson increased. In this process, it is necessary for the teacher to prepare very well before the lesson." T7-" In the lessons, the student-teacher should interact. In this process, I realized that the most supportive thing for the motivation of the teacher is the interest of the students. Their effort to learn triggers your effort to teach." T28-"It is difficult to clearly discern in distance education whether the subject is understood or not. It is absolutely necessary to know how to do the evaluation processes instead of the systems that they send tests and mark them in this process." T23-" In distance education, students are unwillingly reluctant to take the course, except for exam groups. Every teacher friend of mine complains about it. We need to be able to attract students to class." T4-"Distance education is actually an opportunity for individualized teaching. Instead of being behind the class and getting away from the lesson, it is an opportunity to make up for the deficiencies of the students at the same level. Thus, those students can be more motivated to the lesson. Teachers send activities and questions to their students according to their level, and the student is not disconnected from the process." planning teaching activities (f: 5) distance measurement evaluation (f: 3) providing student motivation (f: 8) The opinions of the practitioners of the distance education process about the characteristics that the teachers should have in the process are important. Especially in the technology-based education process, in addition to technology and content knowledge, the processes in which students are handled pedagogically are considered important. In this process, it is stated that it is important to plan the teaching process and to ensure the motivation of the student. In addition to these, it is stated that teachers should have knowledge about what to do in distance measurement and evaluation processes, which they have not experienced before.

Discussion, Conclusion and Implications
According to the research findings, it was seen that the roles of communicator, collaborator, facilitator and learning teacher came to the fore among the teachers participating in the study during the distance education process in the pandemic period.
Effective communication skills are the method used to interact, convey an appropriate message, and this transmission, and teacher's communication skills play an important role in classroom management, pedagogy, and interaction with the classroom (Saunders & Mills, 1999). Khan, Khan, Zia-Ul-Islam and Khan, (2017) concluded in their study that teacher communication skills play an important role in students' academic success. Communication between the teacher and the students; helps students learn about their experiences, needs, readiness levels, and attitudes towards learning, and thus increase the learning rate by arranging the teaching process (Engin & Aydın, 2007). In the distance education applications that come to the forefront during the pandemic process, the communication between the teacher and the students and the interaction that emerges as a result of this communication is very important (Duman, 2020). There are also studies in the literature showing that; in order to better educate students, to establish stronger bonds with families and to develop a partnership with parents, efforts to improve and strengthen teachers' communication with parents have a positive effect (Symeou, Roussounidou, & Michaelides, 2012) and teachers' communication with parents has a positive effect on student success (Sırvani, 2007). Studies on the teacher's communication skills reveal the importance of the teacher's need to adopt communication skills in the education-teaching process.
Teachers' collaborative working methods allow many teachers to feel better about themselves and their work and provide them with opportunities to learn from each other (Johnson, 2010); it contributes positively to improving student achievement by providing teachers with opportunities to collaborate on issues related to curriculum, instruction, and professional development (Goddard, Goddard, & Tschannen-Moran, 2007); Teacher collaboration increases student achievement (Alım & Doğanay, 2016;Ronfeldt, Farmer, McQueen & Grissom, 2015), provides education and learning gaps (Wang, Wang, Li & Li, 2017), provides professional job satisfaction (Olsen & Huang, 2018) contributed to the professional development of teachers and the academic success of the school (Sertkaya, 2016). In addition, in the study conducted on the cooperation of teachers and students in and out of the classroom, it was concluded that the cooperation of teachers with their students creates a synergy inside and outside the school, and teachers prefer cooperation with their students who act as participants and facilitators (Zalyaeva, & Solodkova, 2014).
It is seen that the role of the collaborative teacher is effective both in solving problems with the stakeholders of the education process, in keeping communication channels open, and in the planning and implementation of teaching processes.
In the professional development of teachers, the learning community formed by teachers contributes to the development of teachers. It is considered important for teachers to exchange information, interact and learn from each other based on their practice as an effective approach to teachers' professional development and how the teachers' learner community contributes to teachers' development (Chou, 2011). Studies have shown that through teachers' learning responsibilities, learner teachers improve student learning (Darling-Hammond & Richardson, 2009); psychological factors (teachers' sense of self-efficacy and internalization of school goals into personal goals) have strong effects on teachers' participation in professional learning activities (Geijsel, Sleegers, Stoel, & Krüger, 2009). Model studies in which continuous professional development and learning activities are supported (Cordingley, 2015) also show that it is important for teachers to provide professional development by learning.
With the effective use of technology in the education process, the facilitator roles of teachers have become more evident. Technology has a supportive function in changing the role of teachers. Only by carefully constructing their learning experiences will teachers be able to fully fulfill their facilitator roles (Martinez & McGrath, 2014). The teacher acts as a consultant and facilitator, creative, cultural translator, collaborator, student and school administrator in the online network environment (Xu & Wang, 2015). Considering the effects of technologies on educational processes; students' academic success increases (Çakır & Tan, 2017;Haris, Al-Bataineh & Al-Bataineh, 2016;Lopez, 2010;Xin & Sutman, 2011); it increases the interest, participation and attention (Greene & Kirpalani, 2013;Jang, 2010;Yang & Teng, 2014) and enables students to work according to their individual learning speeds (Dabbagh et al., 2016;Ellis-Behnke, Gilliland, Schneider, & Schneider, 2003;Pimmer et al., 2016;Stickel, 2009) and also increased communication, interaction and feedback between teacher and student (Avery et al., 2010;Koile & Singer, 2006;Yang & Teng, 2014) appears. It is important for the effectiveness of education that technology has become indispensable in the education process with the Covid 19 pandemic and that teachers use this technology as tools that facilitate education processes. In terms of the quality of distance education applications, which come to the fore especially during the pandemic period, it is important to provide teachers with the necessary training support on topics such as virtual classroom, presentation techniques, blending technology, content production and effective use of technology (UNICEF, 2020).
According to the research findings, the teacher characteristics that should be present in the teachers involved in the distance education process; technopedagogical content knowledge has come to the fore as planning teaching activities, making distance measurement evaluation and providing student motivation. With distance education, the face-to-face school environment is transferred to the distance education process and technology-supported education comes to the fore. Therefore, while content, pedagogy, technology, and teaching/learning contexts are each individually important, successful teaching with technology depends on constantly creating, maintaining and re-establishing a dynamic balance between all components (Koehler & Mishra, 2009). In OECD (2020) pandemic period studies, teachers' professional cooperation, providing teachers' learning, providing access to online platforms and resources for collaboration with other teachers, and teachers' support for students' learning are stated as the characteristics that teachers should have in this process. UNESCO (2020) stated that, teacher education processes should be modernized both curricularly and pedagogically; also, teachers should develop student-centered applications, use information technologies and being digitally literate as important characteristics that they should have with the pandemic. Ranellucci and Bergey (2020) stated that with the pandemic, the characteristics that should be in teachers will help in their future teaching careers, and emphasized the importance of emotional and motivational supports in teacher education, and the creation of more resilient teachers who have high self-efficacy and have the necessary tools to support student motivation.
It is an important result that teacher roles are realized in parallel with Education 4.0 and contemporary teacher profile in distance education, which is carried out as education applications during the crisis period. It is noteworthy that the role of the traditional teacher did not come to the fore in the educational practices during the pandemic period, where constructivist approach practices were more likely to encounter the threat of traditional education practices due to the effects of the crisis period. Therefore, it can be said that teachers exhibit a professional development performance by taking initiatives outside of their defined roles and responsibilities. In the process of realizing these roles, there were some obstacles that teachers had to overcome. While the lack of time, anxiety about completing the curriculum on time, student's technological inadequacies and student's unwillingness to participate hinder the realization of the role of the communicator teacher; the realization of the collaborative teacher role is hindered by parents' apathy, students' apathy and lack of communication; student's technological inadequacies, insufficient technological equipment of the teacher and anxiety about finishing the curriculum on time prevent the realization of the facilitating teacher role; also it was stated that insufficient knowledge of technology and anxiety about finishing the curriculum on time prevented the realization of the learning teacher role. It has been observed that the obstacles in the realization of the roles of the teachers are in the issues such as injustice / inequality in education, the subject-centered program approach, the structure of the education program, professional development, student and parent apathy. Considering the results of the research, it is important that the teaching profession stands out in crisis situations in a way that reflects a contemporary teacher profile.
The research has some limitations. Due to the fact that it was a research carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic, a more diverse and wider participant group could not be reached. It would be beneficial to compare the results obtained with the results of the researches to be carried out by including different participant groups in the field of teaching. In addition, it is suggested that the results should be questioned with a quantitative research methodology, as in the hypothetico-deductive method.