Unwin, AR;
(2017)
Community of Practice or Practice Communities: Online Teacher Development.
International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies
, 7
(1)
pp. 533-539.
10.20533/ijels.2046.4568.2017.0067.
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Abstract
This paper draws on research from a larger project that concerned new teachers studying the Master of Teaching (MTeach). The research was interested in how teacher’s participation in the online discussions (ODs) contributed to feelings of community and how this helped them develop and understand better their practice. It was apparent that participants felt that elements of community developed during the MTeach and that the ODs helped facilitate and sustain this community. This is something that sometimes contrasted with their experiences in school or was an additional support network for them. The value of these communities manifested itself in participants feeling less isolated, feeling safe, being able to honestly share and compare experiences in a nonjudgmental way, feeling trust and being empowered and more confident about their teaching strategies. The ODs enabled a practitioner focus where participants could share information and experiences and seek advice. This centered on what was happening at school, in their department, in their classroom, with groups and with individual students. Often this involved discussing relatively short term issues and ideas but there was clear evidence of longer term strategies starting to develop and be considered important. These practical issues were not only about their classes and teaching but also about wider early professional development (EPD) matters such as support and power relations. Findings are that the ODs provided a sense of community, with an underlying practitioner focus that developed their criticality. That these gains were the result of careful pedagogic design that underpinned the ODs.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Community of Practice or Practice Communities: Online Teacher Development |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.20533/ijels.2046.4568.2017.0067 |
| Publisher version: | http://infonomics-society.org/ijels/published-pape... |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1549402 |
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