Online learning community development with teachers as a means of enhancing initial teacher training

What makes an online community of practice work? A situated study of Chinese student teachers’ perceptions of online professional learning

“…In the UK, recent research affirms the CoPs framework can reduce teacher isolation (Clarke L, 2009;Hramiak, 2007Hramiak, , 2010; develop and enhance student teachers' reflective practice (Boulton & Hramiak, 2012;Seddon & Postlethwaite, 2007); enable them to establish their professional identity (Kelly, Gale, Wheeler, & Tucker, 2007). In Australia, online CoPs are designed to nurture mutual support, peer mentoring and connection (Herrington, Herrington, Kervin, & Ferry, 2006;McLoughlin & Lee, 2010); to support student teachers to define their professional goals and construct communally a professional identity (Balatti, Knight, Haase, & Henderson, 2010;Goos & Bennison, 2008) and to re-appraise the application of educational concepts in their local context (Shin & Bickel, 2012).…”

“…Geographical distance results in inadequate support and guidance from university-based supervisors (Bowen, 2002;Fry & Bryant, 2007;Mayer, 2002). Consequently, student teachers may experience too little communication, support, sharing, and discussion of professional encounters with their peers and supervisors (Bonk, Hara, Dennen, Malikowski, & Supplee, 2000;Hramiak, 2010;Schlagal, Trathen, & Blanton, 1996). Moreover, they are impeded from integrating educational conceptions, which were developed prior to school placement, with experiences gained in practice teaching because of lack of supervision and collegial dialogue, as reported in a range of international contexts (Allen, 2009;Allsopp, DeMarie, Alvarez-McHatton, & Doone, 2006;Le Cornu & White, 2000;Russell, McPherson, & Martin, 2001;Trent, 2010;Zeichner, 2010).…”

Using Online Blogs to Develop Student Teachers’ Behaviour Management Approaches

“…Although they report that students found this somewhat restrictive and many students commented on a wider range of students' postings, such a strategy may have been effective in our context as a way of ensuring that all students at least received some comments on their blogs. Alternatively, the approach reported by Hramiak (2010), whereby groups of students participated in face-to-face community building activities before participating in an online community, may have been effective. An aspect that may have affected student teachers' experience of the task was the degree to which they had support networks within their placement schools, or pre-existing support networks with peers.…”

Designing a consequentially based study into the online support of pre-service teachers in the UK

“…Studies have examined the use of different technologies to create online communities to support pre-service teachers in different countries (Brooke, 2012;Davie & Berlach, 2010;English & Duncan-Howell, 2008;Hramiak, 2010;McLoughlin, Brady, Lee, & Russel, 2007;Wright, 2010). The study reported in this paper focused on the role of social media in teacher education school placement support in the UK.…”

“…Another problem often associated with school placements is isolation (Bodzin, 2000;Hramiak, 2010;Le Cornu & White, 2000;Mayer, 2002), as pre-service teachers are placed in schools away from their university peers and tutors.…”