Web-Supported Communities for Teacher Professional Development: Five Cautions

Najafi, Hedieh; Clarke, Anthony

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Web-Supported Communities for Teacher Professional Development: Five Cautions

Najafi, H. & Clarke, A. (2008). Web-Supported Communities for Teacher Professional Development: Five Cautions. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 8(3), 244-263. AACE.
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Journal Information

Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education
ISSN 1528-5804
Volume 8, Issue 3, September 2008
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)

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Table of Contents

Authors

Hedieh Najafi, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto, Canada; Anthony Clarke, University of British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

This interpretive case study explores an attempt to add an online component-the On-line Literacy Project-to a successful face-to-face professional development community. Participants were six members of the Literacy Project, which was carried out in the school board of a western Canadian city. The principal theoretical framework informing the study was Lave and Wegner's (1991) community of practice. Analysis of data, collected over 7 months, showed that although participants acknowledged the potential of the Online Literacy Project the concept was poorly understood, received little support, and was not deemed relevant for a number of reasons, many of which are reported in the information and communication technology literature. However, a number of distinctive factors emerged in this study that serve as cautions for others interested in similar professional development endeavors.

Keywords

References

Barab, S. A., & Duffy, T. M. (2000). From practice fields to communities of practice. In D. H. Jonassen & S. L. Land (Eds.), Theoretical foundations of learning environments (pp. 25-55). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
Barab, S. A., MaKinster, J. G., Moore, J. A., & Cunningham, D. J. (2001). Designing and building an on-line community: The struggle to support sociability in the inquiry learning forum. Educational Technology Research and Development, 49(4), 71-96.
Barab, S. A., MaKinster, J. G., & Scheckler, R. (2004). Designing system dualities: Characterizing an online professional development community. In Barab, R. Kling, & J.
Barnett, M. (2002). Issues and trends concerning electronic networking technologies for teacher professional development: A critical review of the literature. Paper presented at the annual meeting of American Educational Research Association, New Orleans.
Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32-42.
Clarke, T., Storlund, J., Wells, J., & Wong, G. (2004). Improving literacy standards through a systemwide approach to professional learning. Paper presented at the National Staff Development Council 2004 conference, Vancouver, BC.
Cuthbert, A., Clark, D. B., & Linn, M. (2002). WISE learning communities: Design considerations. In K. A. Renninger, & W. Shumar (Eds.), Building virtual communities: Learning and change in cyberspace (pp. 215-248). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Fusco, J., Gehlbach, H., & Schlager, M. (2000). Assessing the impact of a large-scale online teacher professional development community. In C. Crawford et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education
International Conference 2000 (pp. 2178-2183). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computers in Education.
Guskey, T. R. (2003). Result-oriented professional development. In A. Ornstein, L. Behar-Horenstein, & E. Pajak (Eds.), Contemporary issues in curriculum (3rd ed. Pp. 321-329). New York: Allyn and Bacon.
Harasim, L., Hiltz, S. R., Teles, L., & Turoff, M. (1997). Learning networks: A field guide to teaching and learning online. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Hargreaves, A. (2003). Teaching in the knowledge society: Education in the age of incertainty. New York: Teachers College Press.
Havelock, B. (2004). Online community and professional learning in education: Research-based keys to sustainability. AACE Journal, 12(1), 56-84.
Huberman, M. (1992). Teacher professional development and instructional mastry. In A. Hargreaves & M. Fullan (Eds.), Understanding teachers development (pp. 122-132). New York: Teachers College Press.
Klecka, K. (2003, April). Trust, safety, and confidence: Building the foundation for
Klecka, C., Clift, R. T., & Cheng, Y. (2005). Are electronic conferences a solution in search of an urban problem? Urban Education, 40(4), 412-429.
Klecka, C. L., Clift, R. T., & Thomas, A. T. (2002). Proceed with caution: Introducing electronic conferencing in teacher education. Critical Issues in Teacher Education, 9, 2836.
Kling, R., & Courtright, C. (2004). Group behavior and learning in electronic forums: A sociotechnical approach. In S. Barab, R. Kling & J. H. Gray (Eds.), Designing for virtual communities in the service of learning (pp. 91-119). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Lave, J. (1997). The culture of acquisition and the practice of understanding. In D.
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lieberman, A. (1995). Practices that support teacher development. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(8), 581-596.
Loucks-Horsely, S., Harding, C. K., Arbuckle, M. A., Murray, L. B., Dubea, C., & Williams, M. K. (1987). Continuing to learn: A guide for teacher development. Andover, MA: The Regional Laboratory for Educational Improvement of Northeast and Islands.
Loucks-Horsley, S., Hewson, P. W., Love, N., & Stiles, K. E. (1998). Designing
Marshall, C., & Rossman, G.B. (1999). Designing qualitative research (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Merkel, C. B., Xiao, L. Farooq, U., Ganoe, C. H., Lee, R., Carroll, J. M., & Rosson, M. B. (2004, July). Participatory design in community computing contexts: Tales from the
Field. In Proceedings of the Participatory Design Conference 2004 (pp. 1-10). New York: Association for Computing Machinery
Merriam, S. B. (1988). Case study research in education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers.
Muscella, D., & DiMauro, V. (1995). Talking about science: The case of an electronic conversation. Cambridge, MA: TERC Communications.
Reynolds, E., Treahy, D., Chao, C., & Barab, S. (2001). The Internet learning forum: Developing a community prototype for teachers of the 21st century. Computers in the Schools, 17(3/4), 107-125.
Schlager, M., & Fusco, J. (2004). Teacher professional development, technology, and communities of practice: Are we putting the cart before the horse? In S. A. Barab, R.
Schlager, M., Fusco, J., Koch, M., Crawford, V., & Phillips, M. (2003, June). Designing equity and diversity into online strategies to support new teachers. Paper presented at the National Educational Computing Conference, Seattle, WA.
Schlager, M. S., Fusco, J., & Schank, P. (2002). Evolution of an online education community of practice. In K. A. Renninger & W. Shumar (Eds.), Building virtual
Selwyn, N. (2000). Creating a ‘connected’ community? Teachers’ use of an electronic discussion group. Teachers College Record, 101(4), 750-778.
Stake, R. E. (1995). The art of case study research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.
Zhao, Y., & Rop, S. (2001). A critical review of the literature on electronic networks as reflective discourse communities for inservice teachers. Education and Information Technology, 6(2), 81-94.

These references have been extracted automatically and may have some errors. If you see a mistake in the references above, please contact info@editlib.org.

[1] Barab, S. A., & Duffy, T. M. (2000). From practice fields to communities of practice. In D. H. Jonassen & S. L. Land (Eds.), Theoretical foundations of learning environments (pp. 25-55). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

[2] Barab, S. A., MaKinster, J. G., Moore, J. A., & Cunningham, D. J. (2001). Designing and building an on-line community: The struggle to support sociability in the inquiry learning forum. Educational Technology Research and Development, 49(4), 71-96.

[3] Barab, S. A., MaKinster, J. G., & Scheckler, R. (2004). Designing system dualities: Characterizing an online professional development community. In Barab, R. Kling, & J.

[4] Barnett, M. (2002). Issues and trends concerning electronic networking technologies for teacher professional development: A critical review of the literature. Paper presented at the annual meeting of American Educational Research Association, New Orleans.

[5] Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32-42.

[6] Clarke, T., Storlund, J., Wells, J., & Wong, G. (2004). Improving literacy standards through a systemwide approach to professional learning. Paper presented at the National Staff Development Council 2004 conference, Vancouver, BC.

[7] Cuthbert, A., Clark, D. B., & Linn, M. (2002). WISE learning communities: Design considerations. In K. A. Renninger, & W. Shumar (Eds.), Building virtual communities: Learning and change in cyberspace (pp. 215-248). New York: Cambridge University Press.

[8] Fusco, J., Gehlbach, H., & Schlager, M. (2000). Assessing the impact of a large-scale online teacher professional development community. In C. Crawford et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education

[9] International Conference 2000 (pp. 2178-2183). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computers in Education.

[10] Guskey, T. R. (2003). Result-oriented professional development. In A. Ornstein, L. Behar-Horenstein, & E. Pajak (Eds.), Contemporary issues in curriculum (3rd ed. Pp. 321-329). New York: Allyn and Bacon.

[11] Harasim, L., Hiltz, S. R., Teles, L., & Turoff, M. (1997). Learning networks: A field guide to teaching and learning online. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

[12] Hargreaves, A. (2003). Teaching in the knowledge society: Education in the age of incertainty. New York: Teachers College Press.

[13] Havelock, B. (2004). Online community and professional learning in education: Research-based keys to sustainability. AACE Journal, 12(1), 56-84.

[14] Huberman, M. (1992). Teacher professional development and instructional mastry. In A. Hargreaves & M. Fullan (Eds.), Understanding teachers development (pp. 122-132). New York: Teachers College Press.

[15] Klecka, K. (2003, April). Trust, safety, and confidence: Building the foundation for

[16] Klecka, C., Clift, R. T., & Cheng, Y. (2005). Are electronic conferences a solution in search of an urban problem? Urban Education, 40(4), 412-429.

[17] Klecka, C. L., Clift, R. T., & Thomas, A. T. (2002). Proceed with caution: Introducing electronic conferencing in teacher education. Critical Issues in Teacher Education, 9, 2836.

[18] Kling, R., & Courtright, C. (2004). Group behavior and learning in electronic forums: A sociotechnical approach. In S. Barab, R. Kling & J. H. Gray (Eds.), Designing for virtual communities in the service of learning (pp. 91-119). New York: Cambridge University Press.

[19] Lave, J. (1997). The culture of acquisition and the practice of understanding. In D.

[20] Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[21] Lieberman, A. (1995). Practices that support teacher development. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(8), 581-596.

[22] Loucks-Horsely, S., Harding, C. K., Arbuckle, M. A., Murray, L. B., Dubea, C., & Williams, M. K. (1987). Continuing to learn: A guide for teacher development. Andover, MA: The Regional Laboratory for Educational Improvement of Northeast and Islands.

[23] Loucks-Horsley, S., Hewson, P. W., Love, N., & Stiles, K. E. (1998). Designing

[24] Marshall, C., & Rossman, G.B. (1999). Designing qualitative research (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

[25] Merkel, C. B., Xiao, L. Farooq, U., Ganoe, C. H., Lee, R., Carroll, J. M., & Rosson, M. B. (2004, July). Participatory design in community computing contexts: Tales from the

[26] Field. In Proceedings of the Participatory Design Conference 2004 (pp. 1-10). New York: Association for Computing Machinery

[27] Merriam, S. B. (1988). Case study research in education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers.

[28] Muscella, D., & DiMauro, V. (1995). Talking about science: The case of an electronic conversation. Cambridge, MA: TERC Communications.

[29] Reynolds, E., Treahy, D., Chao, C., & Barab, S. (2001). The Internet learning forum: Developing a community prototype for teachers of the 21st century. Computers in the Schools, 17(3/4), 107-125.

[30] Schlager, M., & Fusco, J. (2004). Teacher professional development, technology, and communities of practice: Are we putting the cart before the horse? In S. A. Barab, R.

[31] Schlager, M., Fusco, J., Koch, M., Crawford, V., & Phillips, M. (2003, June). Designing equity and diversity into online strategies to support new teachers. Paper presented at the National Educational Computing Conference, Seattle, WA.

[32] Schlager, M. S., Fusco, J., & Schank, P. (2002). Evolution of an online education community of practice. In K. A. Renninger & W. Shumar (Eds.), Building virtual

[33] Selwyn, N. (2000). Creating a ‘connected’ community? Teachers’ use of an electronic discussion group. Teachers College Record, 101(4), 750-778.

[34] Stake, R. E. (1995). The art of case study research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

[35] Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.

[36] Zhao, Y., & Rop, S. (2001). A critical review of the literature on electronic networks as reflective discourse communities for inservice teachers. Education and Information Technology, 6(2), 81-94.

Web-Supported Communities for Teacher Professional Development: Five Cautions

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