RSA 4: Teachers Learning in Networked Communities: The TLNIC Strategy

Online Resource:

http://web.ebscohost.com.cucproxy.cuchicago.edu/ehost/viewarticle?data=dGJyMPPp44rp2%2fdV0%2bnjisfk5Ie46bZMr6%2bwS7ek63nn5Kx95uXxjL6orUqxpbBIr6ieUbiotlKyrp5oy5zyit%2fk8Xnh6ueH7N%2fiVa%2brrkq2rrJJsaikhN%2fk5VXj5KR84LPtfvGc8nnls79mpNfsVbOmskmvrbVMsZzkh%2fDj34y73vKF6rzzhOrK45Dy&hid=21

Summary:

            In a report from No Dream Denied (2003), the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF), found that strong induction and mentoring programs that support new teachers are effective in helping them succeed and remain in the profession. However, many programs are limited in their effectiveness due to funding, access to resources, and time restrictions for face-to-face interaction and collaboration.  New teachers find it difficult to find adequate time with mentors and most experienced teachers are already overburdened with the roles they play themselves. 

            These concerns prompted the NCTAF to create Teachers Learning in Networked Communities (TLNC).  TLNC promotes the use of technology to establish professional learning communities.  The network provides resource sharing and collaboration within and across districts.  While creating this network some key themes needed to be addressed.  New teachers need to feel part of a community, new teachers want and need multiple supports, support must be ongoing, developmental, and cumulative, and human networks must compliment technical networks. 

The key is that technology is not solely used as an information downloading source promoting isolated teachers.  The focus is technology’s use as a tool for collaboration and communication creating a new model in which teachers are prepared to succeed in a working community. 

References

National Commission on Teaching and America's Future. (2003). No Dream Denied. A Pledge to America's Children. Washington, D.C.

Burns, M., Fulton, K., Goldenburg, L. (2005) Teachers Learning in Networked Communities: The TLNIC Strategy. Phi Delta Kappan, 87(4), 298-305. 

RSA 3: Teachers Making Connections: Online Communities as a Source of Professional Learning

Summary:

The teaching profession is constantly adjusting to accommodate change. Teachers are

under constant pressure to learn new skills, update their knowledge and change classroom

practices (Richardson, 1990).  Current professional development programs are failing to achieve successful change in teachers’ practice (Guskey, 2002). Online communities may be a source of continuous professional development for teachers.  The article, Teachers making connections: Online communities as a source of professional learning (2010), presents the findings of a study that was conducted on three online communities for teachers. The study identifies what an online community is and their potential as a source for professional learning for teachers.

Collaboration is widely identified as an important activity in encouraging teacher learning.  Online communities offer teachers a collaborative forum to discuss change and gather evidence of how successful a change was in a classroom.  Participants can then decide, based on discussions in chat rooms and through other online media, whether to try the suggested strategies or approaches themselves (Galland, 2002). Online communities are also not constrained by time.

The results from the study has shown that membership to online communities provides

teachers with a rich source of professional learning. Perhaps the most significant result collected from the survey was the result that 86.7% of members considered it to be a meaningful form of professional development.

References

Duncan-Howell. (2009). Teachers making connections: Online communities as a source of

professional learning.  British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(2), 324-340. 

Galland, P. (2002). Techie teachers—web-based staff development at your leisure. TechTrends, 46(3), 11–16.

Guskey, T. R. (2002). Professional development and teacher change. Teachers and Teaching, 8(3/4), 381–391.

Richardson, V. (1990). Significant and worthwhile change in teaching practice. Educational

Researcher, 19(7), 10–18.