An international perspective for ‘Improving teacher professional development for online and blended learning: a systematic meta-aggregative review’

Abstract

This paper is in response, from an international perspective, to the manuscript entitled “Improving teacher professional development for online and blended learning: a systematic meta-aggregative review” (Philipsen, B., Tondeur, J., Pareja Roblin, N. et al . 2019). The impact of the manuscript has been reinforced by the claims of international organisations like UNESCO and ILO, as far as they highlight that Teacher Professional Development (TPD) for Online and Blended Learning are a priority in the present scenario. The findings can be clearly applied to guide appropriated TPD for the recovery as well as for a resilient education system. Nevertheless, the research was conducted in a West-European context where most learners use computers on an everyday basis, while half the world’s students do not have access to a household computer, and this has determined the emergency response to the pandemic. Dreesen et al. ( 2020 ) reported that most of the countries have adopted a remote education based on some combination of digital platforms, television, radio, take-home packages, home visits, text messaging and phone calls. It would be very interesting to incorporate these recent discoveries in the use of frugal technologies and elucidate if new components should be aggregated for TPD strategies from an international perspective. As far as the authors adopted the approach of a systematic meta-aggregative review, new data supported by unequivocal or credible evidence can be conveniently incorporated without reinterpreting the original findings.

Self-Perception of Digital Competence of Educators During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Analysis of Different Educational Stages

“…Several studies [54,55] have addressed this demand for future teachers at Faculties of Education, as well as for active teachers by means of Professional Development programs. It can be said that COVID-19 has emphasized the importance of teacher professional development for online and blended learning [56].…”

Filipino Teacher Professional Development in the New Normal

“…After this pandemic, teachers will play new roles. Therefore, the future of learning requires carefully generating the new roles teachers must play in online and blended learning (OBL) and an international perspective in both TPD and faculties of education will help to build resilient education systems for the long term (Portillo & de la Serna, 2020).…”

Professional Development for Sustaining the ‘Pivot’: The impact of the Learning Design and Course Creation Workshop on Six Belarusian HEIs

“…A study of eleven academics over six years from Finland revealed that TPD that sought to build reflective practice and peer interaction assisted most in the development of a teacher identity (Nevgi & Lofstrom 2015). Although developed pre-pandemic, responses to the six component TPD framework suggested by Philipsen et al (2019), agree that whilst it provides a useful mechanism to structure a post-COVID TPD discussion (Heap, Thompson & Fein 2020;Lockee 2020;Portillo & Lopez de la Serna 2020) the fact that it was conducted in a West-European context 'is an overall limitation from an international perspective' (Portillo & Lopez de la Serna 2020: 2).…”