EFL TEACHERS' LEARNING THROUGH COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

Guru membutuhkan pembelajaran yang berkelanjutan di ruang kelas yang berubah dengan cepat saat ini. Potensi transformasional dari komunitas praktik (CoP) dapat menjadi platform untuk pembelajaran berkelanjutan dan pertumbuhan kolaboratif di antara para guru. CoP mengeksplorasi bagaimana komunitas dapat menawarkan ruang bagi para guru untuk bertukar informasi, mendiskusikan isu-isu, dan berkolaborasi untuk memecahkan masalah. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengeksplorasi proses pembelajaran guru EFL selama program CoP dalam mengembangkan media pembelajaran yang terintegrasi dengan teknologi. Penelitian ini menggunakan desain studi kasus yang melibatkan guru-guru bahasa Inggris yang mengikuti program Pengembangan Profesi Guru Kolaboratif DIGI. Data diperoleh melalui chatting Telegram dan video Telegram untuk melihat interaksi selama program berlangsung, media pembelajaran yang digunakan, dan wawancara untuk mendapatkan informasi lebih lanjut terkait pengalaman mereka. Data dianalisis dengan menggunakan analisis tematik yang mengacu pada teori CoP dari Wenger (1998). Temuan menunjukkan bahwa strategi pembelajaran kolaboratif dan partisipatif untuk guru EFL terlihat jelas dalam CoP. CoP mendukung para guru untuk berbagi pengetahuan dan pengalaman mereka, memberikan dan menerima kritik, dan menunjukkan praktik terbaik mereka. CoP juga memungkinkan para pelatih untuk membantu para guru untuk belajar, misalnya dengan mengajukan pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang dipandu. Membangun hubungan yang baik adalah komponen penting lainnya dalam pelatihan, karena hal ini mengarah pada percakapan profesional. Pengetahuan konten pedagogis teknologi juga tercermin dalam media pengajaran mereka. Hasil penelitian ini berkaitan dengan proses partisipasi dan kolaborasi guru dalam program CoP, oleh karena itu dalam penelitian selanjutnya disarankan untuk melihat lebih dalam mengenai integrasi praktik reflektif dalam program CoP. Selain itu, penelitian ini juga disarankan untuk melakukan eksplorasi melalui observasi kelas, sehingga dapat memberikan gambaran mengenai implementasi praktis pembelajaran CoP di kelas. Penelitian ini tidak hanya berkontribusi dalam memahami proses pembelajaran dalam CoP, tetapi juga menyoroti implikasi praktis untuk meningkatkan pengajaran dan pembelajaran EFL. Teachers require continuing learning in today's fast-changing classrooms. Transformational potential of community of practice (CoP) can be a platform for continual learning and collaborative growth among teachers. CoP explores how communities may offer a space for teachers to exchange information, discuss issues, and collaborate to solve problems. This study aims to explore the process of EFL teachers’ learning during a CoP program in developing technology-integrated learning media. This study adopted case study design involving English teachers who joined DIGI Collaborative Teacher Professional Development program. The data were gained through Telegram chat and Telegram video to see the interaction during the program, the learning media, and interview to get further information related to their experience. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis referring to theory of CoP from Wenger (1998). The findings indicated that collaborative and participatory learning strategies for EFL teachers were evident in the CoP. CoP supports teachers to share their knowledge and experiences, deliver and receive criticism, and demonstrate their best practices. CoP also allows trainers to assist teachers to learn, such as by asking guided questions. Building rapport is another important component of practice since it leads to professional conversation. Technological pedagogical content knowledge is also reflected in their teaching media. The results of this research relate to teachers’ participation and collaboration processes in the CoP program, therefore in future research it is recommended to look more deeply into the integration of reflective practice in the CoP program. Besides, it is recommended for exploring through classroom observation, therefore it can shed light on the practical implementation of CoP learnings in the classroom setting. This research not only contributes to understanding the learning process within CoPs but also highlights practical implications for enhancing EFL teaching and learning

Professional Development in Early Childhood Education: Effects of a Virtual Community of Practice on Implementing Best Practices

abstract: This mixed methods study examined whether participation in a virtual community of practice (vCoP) could impact the implementation of new skills learned in a professional development session and help to close the research to implementation gap. Six participants attended a common professional development session and completed pre- , mid- , and post-intervention surveys regarding their implementation of social emotional teaching strategies as well as face-to-face interviews. Both quantitative and qualitative data was examined to determine if participation in the vCoP impacted implementation of skills learned in the PD session. Quantitative data was inconclusive but qualitative data showed an appreciation for participation in the vCoP and access to the resources shared by the participants. Limitations and implications for future cycles of research are discussed.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 201

Building an executive functioning toolbox: an interactive online course for school-based occupational therapy practitioners

School-based occupational therapy practitioners actively support students’ functional participation in school-related activities. Underlying these daily school activities are executive functioning skills. Although addressing executive functioning (EF) skills is within occupational therapy’s scope of practice, school-based practitioners typically do not support the development of these skills in students. Identified factors that contribute to this gap in practice are limited (1) EF knowledge, (2) availability and access to EF resources, and (3) time to complete job demands. To address this clinical gap, an interactive online course for school-based occupational therapy practitioners was developed which presents current EF research, knowledge, and resources. The course utilizes interactive features to support practitioners in applying course information in the school setting. This includes practicing EF assessments, designing EF interventions, and preparing advocacy resources and dissemination tools to share with school administrators and school staff about the importance of addressing executive functioning skills in school-age students. The objective of the online course is to develop a community of occupational therapy practitioners committed to improving EF skills in students through contributions in research, assessment, interventions, and school collaborations

Leraren leren als gelijken : wat werkt?

no abstract

Using Online Communities to Prepare Teachers to Operate as Transformative Intellectuals

Online communities have the potential to help teacher education programs inform and prepare future teachers to teach children equitably and confront social injustices. Online communities of scholars, activists, and artists can be used as a resource for teacher educators to prepare teacher-candidates and in-service teachers to participate in teacher inquiry and practitioner research. In turn, the research that they generate can be used by preservice and in-service teachers in the future. Online communities can also be used by classroom teachers as a form of professional development. My study included six participants – undergraduate college students, classroom teachers, and teacher-educators – from two social-justice and human-rights oriented online communities of teachers, #SaturdaySchool and #EduColor. Using observational fieldnotes, reflective journal entries, demographic survey data, interview transcripts, and archival data of past usage of the hashtags #SaturdaySchool and #EduColor during weekly Twitter teach-ins and monthly Twitter chats, respectively speaking. Findings for this study’s first research question describe the values/beliefs and behaviors shared within each community and across both communities. Using archival data from Twitter and other social media platforms as well as demography survey data, this study’s second research question examined the roles of non-human entities within online places by examining usage of individual hashtags, a weekly Twitter teach-in, and the online communities #SaturdaySchool and #EduColor. The findings of this study could be useful for many grade-school classroom teachers, teacher educators and teacher education programs, teacher professional development programs, curriculum developers, and designers of educational innovation. This study sought to improve the understanding of online communities of practice, in general, by examining the roles of the digital information and communication technologies that mediate them

Hidden in Plain Sight : Knowledge Broker Teachers and Professional Development

This qualitative study was prompted by initiatives that addressed the need for teachers to engage in professional development that enables them to be 21st century ready. Recommendations put forth by government and business have stressed that professional development foster connected teaching and create networked educators by emphasizing peer-topeer collaboration and sharing. Despite this focus, little attention has been paid to the role that regular teachers play in becoming professional developers for their colleagues. My study investigated how four K-12 teachers, that I termed “knowledge broker teachers,” created new pathways for informal, teacher professional development in their schools. Extending on the concept of “knowledge brokers” from business studies, knowledge broker teachers serve as an informal source of professional development, moving knowledge from those who have it to those who need it. This study’s purpose was to examine examined how knowledge broker teachers built and shared their knowledge, and to identify their attributes. I applied a situated learning approach to frame this study, emphasizing the social nature of learning. Participants included four K-12 knowledge broker teachers and 12 of their teacher colleagues with whom they shared knowledge. Data collection included the use of interviews with participants and screen casts of the knowledge broker teachers’ online activity. Data analysis employed open coding to generate categories, then themes. Three findings about knowledge broker teachers emerged: brokers, brokering, and brokerage. Brokers encompassed the context-dependent ways the four knowledge broker teachers shape-shifted and assumed different personas (e.g. knower-learner, comrade, cheerleader, shrinking violet) enabling them to be knowledge broker teachers. Brokering entailed the processes they used to build and share knowledge. These included processes of making connections through online and face to face opportunities, taking advantage of moments of kismet, and tailoring knowledge to match their colleagues’ ability. Brokerage involved the actions that affected the quality of social relationships and the emergence of trust between the knowledge broker teachers and their colleagues. Brokerage actions presented by the knowledge broker teachers included giving and taking knowledge with colleagues, recognizing and honoring their colleagues’ potential, and being expected to go above and beyond. My study recognized the existence of knowledge broker teachers and their effect on informal professional development. However, given the findings, formalizing their roles in schools may have a detrimental effect on their ability to build and share knowledge. Considering ways to leverage these findings may provide new ways for thinking about informal teacher professional development

Comunidades de prática online: contributos para a prática letiva: um estudo de caso no âmbito da educação em ciência envolvendo professores e investigadores

Doutoramento em Didática e FormaçãoAs comunidades de prática (CoP), bem como a investigação-ação, têm vindo a ser apontadas na literatura como formas de promover o desenvolvimento profissional de professores, potenciando a melhoria das suas práticas letivas. Contudo, as evidências empíricas relativas às práticas letivas desenvolvidas por professores no âmbito dessas configurações sociais são escassas. Neste estudo procura-se contribuir para colmatar essa lacuna ao analisar uma CoP online, que envolveu professores de ciências e investigadores em Educação em Ciência (EC) e se constituiu no âmbito do projeto “Investigação e práticas lectivas em Educação em Ciência: Dinâmicas de interacção” (IPEC), com enfoques distintos, a que se alude abaixo. A investigação realizada envolveu uma metodologia de natureza predominantemente qualitativa, descritiva, exploratória e do tipo estudo de caso único, sendo o caso as práticas letivas desenvolvidas pelos membros da CoP referida e as dinâmicas de interação entre os mesmos. Como técnicas de recolha de dados, recorreu-se principalmente à observação mediada pela plataforma online de apoio ao desenvolvimento do projeto (dados estatísticos e as mensagens registadas automaticamente) e recolha de documentos. Quanto às técnicas de análise de dados, optou-se principalmente pela análise de conteúdo e análise documental interna, tendo-se triangulado dados de diferentes fontes. Com base no Interconnected Model of Teacher Professional Growth, que Clarke e Hollingsworth propuseram em 2002, e em instrumentos de análise resultantes da revisão de literatura, adaptados aos enfoques definidos, a análise da CoP selecionada incidiu sobre: a) os domínios externo e das práticas de desenvolvimento curricular (DC), ou seja, as suas dinâmicas de interação durante dois anos letivos; b) o domínio das consequências nas práticas letivas, no que concerne às estratégias de ensino de ciências desenvolvidas; c) a evidências do seu carater inovador; e d) aos princípios de DC operacionalizados através do módulo curricular desenhado, implementado, avaliado e disseminado pelos membros da CoP. Os resultados indicam que a) a participação dos membros variou ao longo do período de interação e que a sua dinâmica se enquadra numa adaptação das fases de desenvolvimento de CoP proposta por Wenger e colegas em 2002, com dois ciclos de investigação-ação; b) a CoP desenvolveu estratégias de ensino diversificadas, pouco exploradas por professores e coerentes com diversas recomendações da literatura, de forma consistente; c) as práticas letivas são inovadoras, do tipo challenging, tendo incluído o envolvimento de professores que lecionavam nas escolas dos professores membros da CoP; e d) a CoP operacionalizou vários princípios de DC recomendados na literatura, nomeadamente a flexibilidade e diferenciação. Os resultados empíricos permitiram ainda validar as dimensões do modelo de Clarke e Hollingsworth, assim como adaptar à especificidade do caso analisado.Pelo acima referido, embora reconhecendo as limitações do estudo, nomeadamente relativas às opções metodológicas efetuadas, foi possível inferir que o trabalho realizado no seio desta CoP online de professores e investigadores contribuiu para a inovação e melhoria de práticas letivas de EC. Do estudo resultam ainda instrumentos de análise que se consideram relevantes, dado poderem vir a ser usados em investigações futuras, assim como poderem vir a orientar professores de ciências que desejem alinhar as suas práticas de ensino com recomendações da investigação em EC. Por fim, são apresentadas recomendações relativamente ao envolvimento de professores e investigadores em CoP online, no âmbito da EC, assim como relativamente a possibilidades ao nível de investigações futuras, nomeadamente a validação dos instrumentos e das recomendações apresentadas em contextos mais abrangentes e transversais.Communities of practice (CoP), as well as action-research, have been pointed in the literature as ways of promoting teachers’ professional development, endorsing the improvement of their teaching practice. However, empirical evidence regarding the teaching practice developed by teachers in those social configurations are scarce. This study aims to contribute to address this shortcoming by analysing an online CoP of science teachers and Science Education (SE) researchers formed under the project “Investigação e práticas lectivas em Educação em Ciência: Dinâmicas de interacção” (IPEC), with different foci, alluded to below. The research involved a mainly qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory single case study methodology. It focused on both the teaching practice developed by the members of the referred CoP, as well as their dynamics of interaction. As far as data collection techniques, we resorted mainly to observation mediated by the online platform of support of the development of the project (statistic data and posts automatically recorded) and documents collection. Regarding data analysis techniques, we resorted mainly to content analysis and document analysis. Data from different sources has been triangulated. Based on the Interconnected Model of Teacher Professional Growth that Clarke and Hollingsworth proposed in 2002, as well as in analysis instruments that resulted from the literature review, adapted to the foci of the study, the analysis of the selected CoP was made on: a) the external domain and domain of practice of curricular development (CD), in other words, their dynamics of interaction during two school years; b) the domain of the consequences in the teaching practice, regarding the developed science teaching strategies; c) evidence of their innovative nature; and d) the principles of CD operationalized through the curricular module that the members of the CoP designed, enacted, evaluated and disseminated. The results show that a) the members’ participation varied during the interaction period and their dynamic fits an adaptation of the stages of development of a CoP proposed by Wenger and colleagues in 2002, with two cycles of action-research; b) the CoP developed diverse teaching strategies, usually not explored by teachers, and coherent with commendations in the literature in a consistent way; c) the teaching practice was innovative, in a challenging way, and included the involvement of teachers that were teaching in the schools of the teachers who were members of the CoP; and d) the CoP operationalized several principles of CD commended in literature, namely flexibility and differentiation. The empirical results also allowed to validate the dimensions of the Clarke and Hollingsworth’s model, as well as to adapt to the specificity of the analysed case.Considering the above, whilst acknowledging the study limitations, namely regarding the methodological options, it was possible to infer that the work developed in this online CoP of teachers and researchers contributed to the innovation and improvement of teaching practices in SE. From this study also resulted analysis instruments that we consider relevant, as they can be used in future research, as well as to guide science teachers who wish to align their teaching practice with commendations from SE literature. Lastly, commendations are presented, regarding the involvement of teachers and researchers in online CoP in SE contexts, as well as the possibility of future research, namely the validation of instruments and of the presented commendations within broader and transversal contexts

Mediational engagement in E-learning: An Activity Theory analysis

The emergence of educational technologies offers flexible learning opportunities to students. However, the nature of the online learning environment can lead to disengagement and subsequent minimal participation, which present challenges and concerns in relation to students’ learning. Therefore, in order for learners to have positive learning experiences, it is vital to identify factors that affect students’ engagement in online learning environments. Although the use of learning management systems (LMS) as an asynchronous e-learning platform can influence learner engagement, there is little research on these influences and the ways in which an LMS affects engagement. In addition, studies on students’ perceptions of learning and engagement with synchronous and asynchronous technologies are under-explored. In response to these concerns, this research sets out to gain a better understanding of students’ engagement in e-learning activities. In particular, the study examines mediating factors that affect students’ engagement in e-learning activities in a range of e-learning contexts at the University of Waikato. The study also aims to explore the affordances and constraints of some e-learning tools and their influence on students’ engagement in this context. The research was carried out in the form of three case studies and students and lecturers of the three courses in three different university departments participated in this study. Qualitative data collection methods used in the research were interviews, observations and document analysis. The data were collected throughout the duration of the courses. In exploring the factors that affect students’ engagement in e-learning activities and how the various elements operate together, Engstrom’s (1987) Activity Theory was used as the research framework. Activity theory helps describe learning activities, mediating tools, relationships between elements of activity systems and goals and objectives of activities. The constituents of an activity system include subject, object, tools, rules, community and division of labour. An activity system framework allowed this research to examine the relationships between these elements and also the way elements affect each other. Findings indicated that students’ active participation in the three cases was mediated by the educational technologies, the learning materials, the design of the course and the English language. The analysis also showed that the lecturers’ technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) was reflected through the design of the courses and consequently influenced students’ learning. The development of an online learning community also benefitted students’ learning. Some deliberate strategies like creating spaces for communication both in general and in specific modules provided students with opportunities to work collaboratively, share ideas and useful information, and learn from each other. These interactions also facilitated close connections among students. The guidelines that specified information about the format of written or oral presentations, duration or length, level of formality, assessment criteria/marking guidelines and referencing guidelines also acted as a mediator and influenced the way students participated in activities in all three case studies. The analysis also indicated the importance of participants’ responsibilities in their courses. In particular, as a result of lecturers not defining both their roles and those of their students, some misunderstandings, confusions and frustrations occurred. These mediated students’ engagement. Insights gained from this study related to affordances and constrains of some e-learning tools and their influence on students’ engagement may be of benefit to tertiary educators. The pedagogical strategies that are suggested at the end of this thesis can also be of use to teachers and instructional designers when designing online courses. Overall, the findings confirm the importance of providing appropriate conditions for learner engagement in online learning contexts, and significance of lecturers’ technological pedagogical knowledge on learner engagement and positive learning experiences.

Alternancia de lenguas en la comunicación mediada por ordenador entre las personas del Congo

Tesis de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Filología, leída el 12/11/2018Language research in Computer-mediated communication (hereafter CMC) is a relatively new and dynamically evolving field (Herring et al. 2013). Unlike offline (or face-to-face) communication, CMC is, according to Herring (1996), a communication that takes place between human beings via the instrumentality of computers or other devices (e.g. Smartphones, tablets, etc.) that allow users to connect to the Internet. CMC implies the use of the Web 2.0 as a medium of communication. Understood as an umbrella term covering different phenomena – e.g. social networking communication, netspeak and so on – CMC includes different channels such as instant messaging, email, chatrooms, online forums, social networking services, and so on. CMC is characterised by two fundamental and opposing modes (Crystal 2001, 2003). The synchronous mode (or real-time conversation) takes place as all participants (senders and receivers) are simultaneously online during text message exchange (i.e. chat rooms). The asynchronous mode, on the other hand, requires the messages to be stored in the addressees’ inbox until they can be read (e.g. email). Nevertheless, Facebook, on which the present thesis is based, is a CMC channel that involves both synchronous and asynchronous modes (Pérez- Sabater 2012; Maíz-Arévalo 2015). While the literature on CMC is fast-growing, much evidence from many other languages and cultures is still needed (Herring 2010; Thurlow & Puff 2013). Hundreds of languages notably used in CMC remain under-investigated around the world. In the particular case of Congo- Brazzaville, no attempt to investigate the nature of the impact which CMC is making on language(s) has been undertaken so far, though online materials have increasingly penetrated the country...El cambio de código o alternancia de lenguas (Codeswitching), el préstamo, la transferencia cultural y lingüística, la convergencia y el calco lingüístico, generalmente conocidos como fenómenos lingüísticos, son los resultados inherentes del contacto de lenguas. Según los datos, estos fenómenos se producen tanto en la comunicación presencial (o frente a frente) como en la comunicación online (Blom and Gumperz 1972; Poplack, 2001; Gumperz 1961; 1982a; Myers-Scotton 1992, 1993a, 1993b, 2006; Cardenas-Chloros 2009; Bullock & Toribio 2009). Por ello, el presente estudio se centra en el análisis de algunos de estos resultados en un contexto muy específico de la comunicación online (o comunicación mediada por ordenador; CMC en inglés), que es la comunicación mediante la red social Facebook. A pesar de todos los intentos de investigar lenguas en la comunicación online, existe un gran número de idiomas que sigue estando insuficientemente investigado en el contexto de la comunicación mediada por ordenador. En el caso particular del Congo-Brazzaville, no se ha llevado a cabo hasta la fecha ningún intento de investigar la naturaleza de la incidencia que la CMC está teniendo en los usos lingüísticos, aunque la comunicación online en estas lenguas es diaria. La presente tesis tiene la intención de corregir este desequilibrio mediante el análisis del cambio de código (o alternancia de lenguas) en la comunicación online en Congo-Brazzaville. Según los datos, en 2017 el número de usuarios activos de internet es de 400.000 personas son usuarios activos de Internet en la actualidad, y unos sesenta idiomas se hablan dentro de las fronteras nacionales. Por ello, el estudio del cambio de código entre los usuarios de Facebook en Congo es obviamente importante no sólo para investigar el fenómeno como tal, sino también para proveer datos sobre el impacto de CMC (sobre todo Facebook) sobre los idiomas en Congo-Brazzaville. Así pues, el objetivo del presente estudio es doble: (1) evaluar los diferentes idiomas involucrados en el discurso en Facebook de los congoleños y (2) examinar las motivaciones sociolingüísticas del cambio de código, así como la estructura sintáctica en la que se produce...Fac. de FilologíaTRUEunpu