Collaborative Communities Of Practice Research Articles

Advancing Teachers' Professional Development: Exploring Models and Impact Assessment on Ict Integration in Colleges of Education

The integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into education has revolutionized teaching and learning practices, necessitating proficient teacher utilization of ICT tools. This paper explores diverse models of advancing teachers' professional development in ICT integration, assessing their impact on pedagogical practices and educational outcomes. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, highlighting effective strategies and gaps in existing research. Models like collaborative communities of practice, job-embedded learning, and blended learning are examined for their alignment with modern educational goals. Teacher perceptions and attitudes are explored, emphasizing the influence of institutional support and collaborative learning environments. Pedagogical strategies for effective ICT integration, supported by technological resources, administrative backing, and policy frameworks, are discussed. The study's impact assessment reveals improvements in teachers' ICT skills and subsequent positive effects on student learning outcomes. Recommendations for best practices, such as customization, blended formats, and administrative support, are derived from the findings. Overall, the research underscores the multifaceted approach necessary for successful teacher professional development in the context of ICT integration, enhancing the quality of education

Advancing Teachers' Professional Development: Exploring Models and Impact Assessment on ICT Integration in Colleges of Education

The integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into education has revolutionized teaching and learning practices, necessitating proficient teacher utilization of ICT tools. This paper explores diverse models of advancing teachers' professional development in ICT integration, assessing their impact on pedagogical practices and educational outcomes. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, highlighting effective strategies and gaps in existing research. Models like collaborative communities of practice, job-embedded learning, and blended learning are examined for their alignment with modern educational goals. Teacher perceptions and attitudes are explored, emphasizing the influence of institutional support and collaborative learning environments. Pedagogical strategies for effective ICT integration, supported by technological resources, administrative backing, and policy frameworks, are discussed. The study's impact assessment reveals improvements in teachers' ICT skills and subsequent positive effects on student learning outcomes. Recommendations for best practices, such as customization, blended formats, and administrative support, are derived from the findings. Overall, the research underscores the multifaceted approach necessary for successful teacher professional development in the context of ICT integration, enhancing the quality of education

Exploring collaboration in the implementation of a national assessment strategy: perspectives of advanced practice educators

Background: Despite an increasingly competitive market, collaboration on course design between higher education institutes (HEIs) is still relatively under-researched, particularly in the UK. With the implementation of advanced clinical practice apprenticeships, this study focused on a series of workshops facilitated by the Association of Advanced Practice Educators UK (AAPEUK). These workshops aimed to ensure that faculty staff of HEIs, who were intending to deliver the advanced clinical practitioner (ACP) apprenticeship end-point assessments (EPAs), were informed and provisions met the requirements of the EPA assessment plan. Method: This study used a mixed methodology to explore perceptions of the UK's collaborative community of practice, which has been developed in relation to a national assessment strategy, the ACP Apprenticeship EPA ( Institute for Apprentices and Technical Education 2018 ). The survey used open and closed questions, and data and results were analysed separately. The participants of this study were all members of the End Point Assessment Organisation Network (EPAO). Results: The study collected both quantitative and qualitative data from 16 participants to understand their experiences in the EPAO Network. The thematic analysis of the data resulted in three key themes: collaboration, support, and quality and consistency. Discussion: The respondents found creating an environment where sharing experiences in an honest, open and generous group, and supporting each other, were valued. Such measures drove professional growth and empowered educators in the implementation of the ACP EPA. Conclusion: The study's findings demonstrated the benefits of learning communities working as a community of practice, and the positive impact that collaboration had on individuals and faculties in higher education settings.

The effects of international mobility on teachers' power of curriculum agency

AbstractAcross the world, countries have engaged in different iterations of curriculum change, and one of the common denominators of reform is the proposal of more agency for teachers around curriculum making. This is not an easy task for teachers. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the discussion about the effects that international ERASMUS+ mobilities have had on the power of curricular agency of teachers from two European countries. This work is based on an empirical investigation of a qualitative nature which collected the testimonies of four school headmasters, a deputy principal and eleven teachers from Ireland and Portugal, teaching different curriculum matters, who were involved in the ERASMUS+ programme. Our findings evidence a very positive impact on secondary teachers' capacity to self‐organize and achieve agency in relation to curriculum making by adapting their knowledge and skills, learnt through the mobility, to their own culture and context through collaborative communities of practice.

Adapting English Teacher Professional Development to Shifting Educational Situations in Higher Education: Trends and Prospects

This study explores the need for transforming professional development for English teachers. Similarly, it focuses on the overview of traditional professional development methods and proposes alternative approaches, such as personalized learning and collaborative communities of practice. In addition, the article highlights the importance of aligning professional development with the evolving demands of the English language curriculum and the challenges posed by digital technologies. The study explores the necessity of adapting English teacher professional development programs to changing educational conditions through thematic-based content analysis of the research found in Google Scholar and Eric databases. Furthermore, related papers and litmaps were used to analyze the authorship and coverage of the study. Recent research from the ERIC and Google Scholar databases strengthens the need for ongoing, workplace-based, and personalized professional development programs that are connected with the evolving demands of the English language curriculum and digital technology. The findings of this study, thus, reinforce the need for transformative professional development programs that are aligned with the changing demands of the English curriculum and digital technology and prioritize the individualized learning needs of instructors. The research underlines the necessity for English teachers to adjust their professional development practices to meet the ever-evolving requirements imposed by the English curriculum. The results suggest that professional development strategies should be adapted to meet the changing educational circumstances. Overall, the study offers guidelines for the design and implementation of transformative professional development programs that improve teacher learning and student outcomes.

Our stories, our selves: Star Wars fanfictions as feminist counterpublic discourses in digital imaginaria

Fanfiction has a long and varied history in the Star Wars franchise since it began in 1977 with the debut of the first film, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The decade of the 1970s created new possibilities for science fiction multiverses and metanarratives; science fiction became an adaptive film genre that could be reimagined with seemingly infinite narrational results. The myriad of genre films that were released in the mid-to-late 1970s revealed dynamic syntheses with horror (e.g. Alien, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Close Encounters of the Third Kind), franchises that previously had existed solely on television (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) and musical theatre (The Rocky Horror Picture Show). Cinematic audiences became increasingly accustomed to science fiction tropes and themes in film; audience participation in the theatre (e.g. The Rocky Horror Picture Show) expanded to print zines (often with fanfiction) for multiple franchises as well as fan conventions. Fanfiction’s beginnings as an analogue culture dramatically changed with the advent of the internet and the evolution of fandoms as digital cultures. Web-based platforms such as FanFiction.net and Archive of Our Own (AO3) host sundry fan communities’ creative outputs including podcasts, art and, most frequently, fanfiction stories. The release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015 immediately captured the fandom’s imagination; the animosity and tension between the new villain Kylo Ren (Ben Solo) and protagonist Rey of Jakku particularly fascinated the young adult fans who were lately converted to the Star Wars fandom due to this pairing (known as Reylo within the fandom and within cinematic circles). The newest generations of fans were acclimated to audience participation and paratextual interactions due to their positions as digital natives. The Reylo fan phenomenon particularly erupted into fanfictions as critical data artefacts, even predicting Reylo as a romantic pairing years before the second and third films in the franchise trilogy Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The Reylo pairing is just one example of how online Star Wars fanfiction communities expand audience participation to autonomous collective identity formation. This article examines feminist fanfictions in the Star Wars fandom as gendered critical data artefacts, as collaborative communities of practice, and as counterpublic discourses that apply feminist critiques to conventional gender roles within the most recent film trilogy and the fandom itself.

Forming a Collaborative Community of Practice of EFL Teachers through Self-study Research

The current study is a self-reflective autoethnographic research study, which aims to explore how two in-service English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in Japan built a collaborative and mutually supportive community of practice, and how they shared and re-constructed their expertise through interacting with each other. Prior to the study, both of the participating teachers from different teaching contexts shared a similar struggle: a lack of collegiality and a quest for creativity. An online journal forum was created where they recorded their thoughts, difficulties and challenges in their everyday teaching practice for one year. They also gave comments and feedback to each other online. As a result, participation in an online collaborative community of practice enabled them to reflect on and adjust their teaching practices. In particular, the role of collegiality in sharing teaching strategies impacted the teaching of English as a foreign language in diverse contexts, both public and private schools. It also had an impact on teaching different language skills (oral communication for one participant and reading and translation for the other) and the use of students' native language as assistance. By taking on the role of a diagonal mentor, they also found a way to make their professional voices heard.

Addressing student attrition within higher education online programs through a collaborative community of practice

Student retention is a key strategic issue in higher education affecting student experience, university funding, and reputation. It is critical for institutions to identify factors that impact upon student success, build effective strategies to enhance student outcomes, and respond to the emerging evidence-base of distance student engagement. The University of Tasmania has one of the highest attrition rates in Australia, at 28 percent for commencing bachelor students. Studying by distance is a known risk factor affecting attrition and it is vital that we understand the challenges that ‘at risk’ distance students face when they engage in higher education and how to best support them for success. This study describes a Community of Practice approach that identified four key challenges to reduce student attrition in online degree programs: (i) the importance of knowing your students, (ii) the difficulty in getting reliable data, (iii) the need for ‘belonging’ for online students and early, meaningful engagement, and (iv) student access to known academics. With no magic bullet to reduce student attrition rates, we present a range of targeted and connected early interventions designed to support students to succeed and enhance their learning experience.

Increasing high school teachers self-efficacy for integrated STEM instruction through a collaborative community of practice

BackgroundTeachers can have a significant impact on student interest and learning in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects and careers. Teacher self-efficacy can also significantly affect student learning. Researchers investigated the effects of teacher professional development and integrated STEM curriculum development on teacher self-efficacy. Participants in the study included high school science and engineering technology teachers enrolled in a National Science Foundation–ITEST project called Teachers and Researchers Advancing Integrated Lessons in STEM (TRAILS). The TRAILS program sought to prepare teachers to integrate STEM content using engineering design, biomimicry, science inquiry, and 3D printing as pedagogical approaches. Teachers learned within a community of practice working alongside industry partners and college faculty. The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of the 70 h of professional development to train three cohorts of teachers over 3 years on teacher self-efficacy. The research design utilized a quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group approach, including an experimental group and an untreated control group.ResultsMeasurements on beliefs about teacher self-efficacy were collected on pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest survey assessments. Researchers analyzed the T-STEM survey results for teaching self-efficacy using the Wilcoxson signed-rank test for detecting significant differences. Science teachers showed a significant increase in teacher self-efficacy comparing the pretest and delayed posttest scores after TRAILS professional development and STEM lesson implementation (p = .001, effect size = .95). Additionally, significant differences between groups (science experimental vs science control group teachers) using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test were detected from pretest to posttest (p = .033, effect size = .46), posttest to delayed posttest (p = .029, effect size = .47), and pretest to delayed posttest (p = .005, effect size = .64). There were no significant differences detected in the control group. Engineering technology teachers showed no significant differences between the pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest self-efficacy scores.ConclusionsThe results indicate the science teachers’ self-efficacy increased after professional development and after lesson implementation. Potential implications from this research suggest that the science teacher participants benefited greatly from learning within a community of practice, engaging in science practices, and using science knowledge to solve a real-world problem (engineering design).

Rise of the e-Nurse: the power of social media in nursing

The internet and social media have changed the way society communicates, requiring the nursing workforce to develop effective digital literacy skills and attain levels of e-professionalism. The internet provides a unique environment that both connects and disrupts with powerful and unpredictable consequences for healthcare. A networked nursing workforce can influence and create collaborative communities of practice that will develop and shape healthcare. Nurse education must engage with technology and social media to provide a future-ready workforce capable of delivering future eHealth reforms.

A tool for capacity building: teacher professional learning about teaching writing

ABSTRACTThis paper reports on qualitative research from an Australian, K-6, faith-based school about teachers’ experience of a job-embedded professional learning initiative (the Whole-School Benchmarking of Writing, WSBoW) that was designed to improve teachers’ capacity to apply data-driven decision-making to achieve improvements in student learning. Teacher interviews provided the data about experiences and influences on teching practice. The findings demonstrated that the professional learning initiative provided teachers with a supportive pedagogical tool for focusing their teaching practices on improving student learning. A research based evaluative framework was used as a heuristic to analyse the change initiative. This study used the framework and employed a social constructivist and sociocultural epistemology that recognised the importance of leadership and school context in the development of a culture focused on collaborative communities of practice and data-driven teacher decision-making. The study has significance for leaders, schools and systems that engage teachers in professional capacity building.

Local Strategies: Creating and Nurturing Collaborative Communities of Practice

In 2006 the faculty at Champlain College were charged by a new president to design and implement, within a year, a new interdisciplinary general education curriculum for all traditional undergradua...

Developing Discussion Leaders Through Scaffolded Lesson-Study

ABSTRACTIn this study we report the findings of a two-year professional development study using scaffolded lesson-study to encourage and support four teachers' desire to use discussion with increased frequency and quality. We joined a collaborative community of practice made up of one university researcher, two classroom teachers, and a political science professor in the first year. In the second year, each initial teacher recruited one mentee from his or her school. The four teachers collaboratively designed discussion materials, observed each other lead the discussions, and then reflected and critiqued the materials. Our article reports evidence that lesson-study positively influenced the quality of the teachers' discussion facilitation, their appreciation for lesson-study as a professional development model, and their adoption of broader cultural principles necessary for independent inquiry-oriented teaching practice.

Alleviating praxis shock: Induction policy and programming for urban music educators

ABSTRACTAn integral part of a teacher learning continuum ranging from preservice education to professional development for experienced educators, new teacher induction holds particular potential to effect change in urban education. Accordingly, this article offers recommendations for induction-related policy and programming capable of supporting beginning music educators' professional growth in urban settings. Four programmatic components well-suited to addressing urban music teachers' distinctive learning needs are discussed: professional development tailored to urban settings, collaborative communities of practice, mentoring, and school-university partnerships.

An organizational guideline for gynecologic oncology services.

Documented variations in practice compelled the need to establish a network that would facilitate the flow of patients through the care continuum of a provincial health care system in accordance with best practices. Therefore, a guideline was developed to provide recommendations for the optimal organization of gynecologic oncology services in this higher resource location to improve access to multidisciplinary care and appropriate treatment. A systematic review was conducted of Web sites of international guideline developers, relevant cancer agencies, and Medline and EMBASE from 1996 to 2011 using search terms related to gynecologic malignancies, combined with organization of services, patterns of care, and various facility and physician characteristics. The results of the review were combined with expert consensus and stakeholder consultation to develop a gynecologic oncology services organizational guideline. The evidence review yielded a lower quality evidence base; therefore, recommendations were determined through consensus, including guidance for physician and hospital specialization, and other domains including human and physical resources. Definitive surgical treatment of most invasive cancers by subspecialist gynecologic oncologists is recommended. In addition, it is recommended that these subspecialists provide care within designated gynecologic oncology centers. The recommendations also outline which services, such as radiation therapy, may be provided in other affiliated centers. Multidisciplinary team management is also endorsed. These recommendations are intended to allow a collaborative community of practice, supported by formal interorganizational processes, to evolve to facilitate adherence to guidelines and best practices at a system-wide level.

Careers and communities: Interdisciplinary work and individual advantage

Communities of practice scholars have neglected the question of how practices arise in nascent communities and how emergence involves a balance of collective and individual agency. We suggest that considering how individuals pursue career progression may be a way of understanding the emergence of collaborative communities of practice in terms of both individual and collective advantage. To investigate this, we conducted qualitative research within a university context where interdisciplinary research communities did not exist prior to our study, enabling us to observe community emergence. Our findings provide insights in relation to two particular areas. First, we briefly consider how the development of interdisciplinary practices can lead to the emergence of communities. Second – the main focus of this paper – we explore how career issues have an impact on participation in interdisciplinary collaboration, and thereby influence community formation. We develop theoretical and practical insights, and consid...

Community of Practice: A Nurse Practitioner Collaborative Model

A study was undertaken with nurse practitioners (NPs) in 2008-2009 to examine post-legislation role development in British Columbia. The authors used a participatory action research approach to engage NPs in social investigation, education and action, and to explore, from the participants' perspective, how collaboration advances NP role integration in primary healthcare. A particular discovery of the study was the Interior Health Authority Community of Practice (CoP) established in collaboration with health leaders and NPs. The purpose of this paper is to report on the CoP and the five characteristics describing this collaborative CoP model, including sanctioned social structure, knowledge exchange network, practice discovery and innovation, generating meaning and value, and power sharing for strategic improvement. The CoP helped NPs to build collegial and collaborative relationships, enhance practice learning and competence, extend and apply new knowledge, enrich professional identities, and shape health organizational policy and politics. Because healthcare research about CoPs is limited, principles of a collaborative CoP model are offered for broader healthcare use. The authors conclude that a collaborative CoP model addresses the internal interests and needs of participating members while attending to the external concerns of the organization, and thus contributes to healthcare improvement.

Live, online short-courses: A case study of innovative teacher professional development

Teachers are searching for new venues through which they may meet stringent professional development requirements. Under competitive funding from NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Office of Education and the NASA Explorer Schools Project, U.S. Satellite Laboratory, Inc. created a series of live, online, interactive short-courses. In this case study, a mixed methods analysis of a variety of data sources reveals that diverse educators from a variety of classroom contexts view the short-courses as a useful professional development tool, both as a vehicle for a teacher’s own professional growth and for classroom applications. Teachers were particularly interested in the ability to participate in a collaborative community of practice with other educators, instructors, and scientists from across the country, and they found the flexible design of the professional development to be useful. This short-course design offers promise for future professional development opportunities.

Creating a MentoringCoaching Culture for Ontario School Leaders

Mentoring is a highly recognized and accepted strategy for attracting, developing, and sustaining leaders across education sector and beyond. It helps accelerate learning, reduce isolation, and increase confidence and skill of newly appointed school leaders. It can also be a powerful learning and growth opportunity for experienced principals and vice-principals who become mentors. In spring of 2007, Ministry of Education invited Ontario Principals' Council (OPC) and others to a discussion about types of support school leaders needed, given shortage of school principals and unwillingness of many teachers to consider role of school leader. The data collected prior to these discussions revealed a huge exodus of practicing principals due to pending retirement. A Unique Approach The professional association for public school principals and vice-principals, OPC, developed a unique MentoringCoaching program in partnership with Ministry of Education and school districts across province. In recognition of claim from Leithwood, Day, Sammons, Harris & Hopkins (2006) that school leadership is second only to classroom teaching as an influence on pupil learning and that the effects of transformational school leadership on pupil engagement are significantly (p. 5). OPC's program is designed to influence leaders who are able to set direction, build relationships, develop people, develop organization, lead instructional program, and secure accountability (Institute for Education Leadership, 2007) in their schools and districts. The Program MentoringCoaching Program we developed, established in 2008, is grounded in principles and practices of adult learning. It takes a comprehensive approach to professional growth by facilitating knowledge and skill development within a collaborative community of practice and builds on learning from prior mentoring efforts within province. It is distinct in its ability to combine mentoring and coaching into one inclusive program. In this initiative, mentoring refers to a reciprocal learning relationship in which mentors and mentees agree to a partnership. They work collaboratively toward achievement of mutually defined goals to develop a mentee's skills, abilities, knowledge, and thinking (Zachary, 2007). Mentors meet with their mentees on a regular basis and maximize professional learning that evolves through veterans and newly appointed principals and vice-principals working together. As well, use of coaching skills for mentors helps to facilitate desired change through a positive relationship of ongoing support and challenge. The skills and principles of coaching include a focus on taking an individual or group from where they were to where they want to be. Coaching serves as a tool for building individual and team learning capacity and for developing competency and self-awareness. Coaching supports job-embedded, context-specific, and results-driven principles of effective professional development (Nishimura & Sharpe, 2007). MentoringCoaching was adopted as name of program. Bringing framework and skills of coaching to that of mentoring expands what is possible within relationship and network of support as rigor and depth of partnerships develop (Nishimura & Sharpe, 2007). Mentoring combined with coaching provides orientation, skill development, practice, and continuous support that results in a sustainable leadership development strategy and aligns with principles of effective staff development. Ensuring Long Term Growth OPC's efforts required creating a MentoringCoaching culture for school leaders to ensure its long-term growth and sustainability. According to Zachary (2005), best chance for fulfilling promise of mentoring within organizations today lies in creating a mentoring [coaching] culture. …