Professional Learning Networks Research Articles

Professional learning networks: a descriptive phenomenological study with primary school teachers in Greece

Purpose Professional learning networks (PLNs) involve teachers’ collaboration with others outside of their school to improve teaching and learning. PLNs can facilitate teachers’ professional growth and school improvement. This study aims to explore the drivers for participation within PLNs, the enactment process and the impact of PLN participation on teachers, students and schools in Greece. Design/methodology/approach A descriptive phenomenological study was conducted to explore the lived experience of primary school teachers participating in PLNs. Findings The findings showed that individuals who were open to change were driving innovation to address a need or a lack in their daily practice that was not satisfied within their usual community of practice. The key element of the participation was peer collaboration with openness of communication without attendant accountability pressures. The change was mainly identified in teacher skills and the school climate. An individual could bring change only if the school is already open to change. In some cases, resistance to change in schools was identified before enactment or during enactment. The transformation of teachers’ and leaders’ stances is discussed, enabling the opportunity to maximise school improvement. Originality/value The study examines PLNs as European Union-funded initiatives that are developed by teachers in centralised education systems under the phenomenological research paradigm. It explores the PLNs in a different setting compared to the existing conceptual theory of change for PLNs.

From Research to Retweets—Exploring the Role of Educational Twitter (X) Communities in Promoting Science Communication and Evidence-Based Teaching

Twitter has evolved from its initial purpose as a microblogging social network to a pivotal platform for science communication. Equally, it has gained significant popularity among teachers who utilize communities like the German #twitterlehrerzimmer (TWLZ; Twitter teachers’ lounge) as a digital professional learning network. (1) Background: To date, no studies examine how science communication is conducted on Twitter specifically tailored to teachers’ needs and whether this facilitates evidence-based teaching. (2) Methods: Answering the three research questions involved a comprehensive mixed methods approach comprising an online teacher survey, utility analysis using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) models, and machine learning-assisted tweet analyses. (3) Results: Teachers implement research findings from the TWLZ in their teaching about twice a month. They prefer interactive tweets with specific content-related, communicative, and interactive tweet features. Science communication in the TWLZ differs from everyday communication but notably emphasizes the relevance of transfer events for educational practice. (4) Conclusions: Findings highlight that dialogue is essential for successful science communication. Practical implications arise from new guidelines on how research findings should be communicated and encourage teachers to reflect on their Twitter usage and attitude toward evidence-based teaching. Recommendations for further research in this emerging field are also discussed.

Shifts in Professional Development and PLNs Among Post-Remote Teaching Educators

The pandemic greatly impacted education, including how educators approach professional development (PD) and the people, spaces, and tools they access for resources and support. Our survey study explored changes and continuity in PD and professional learning networks of education professionals from the school year 2019 to 2022. Our findings from the survey responses and interview data indicate that while some aspects have changed, others remain unchanged regardless of the impact of the pandemic.

A Framework for Teaching Music Online. By Carol Johnson. Bloomsbury Academic.

In A Framework for Teaching Music Online, Carol Johnson formulates a clear and precise framework for teaching music online that is supported by 17 peer-reviewed articles she has authored on this topic. Well-known for her scholarship, Johnson’s framework is designed to guide online teachers of music through a well-reasoned and logical step-by-step process using clear communication, authentic design, and quality assessment. The three-part process explores her framework starting with design and assessment of case studies. She then focuses on practical application of designing an online teaching space using technology tools and approaches as supporting learning mechanisms. In the final section of the framework, Johnson capitalizes on future innovations that delve into sharing knowledge and creating professional learning networks. The framework masterfully allows for discipline specificity in an arts-based discipline with niche areas such as music performance, theory, history, and composition. Johnson ensures that authentic supports are in place for all.

State-Wide Programming for Supporting New Special Education Teachers: A Rural Perspective

Supporting beginning teachers continues to be problematic for education systems across the nation. Issues concerning recruitment and retention have long plagued the profession. The onset of the global pandemic exacerbated these issues, particularly across rural communities. Researchers continue to advocate for the need to provide beginning teachers with supports such as professional development, mentoring, and consultation to help improve retention and overall school/professional outcomes. The delivery of these supports must go beyond traditional methods of implementation, especially considering the lack of resources that schools encounter. This article is a program description of a regional approach for providing instructional coaching, professional development, and professional learning networks for beginning teachers, with a specific focus on its impact on special educators in rural communities.

The influence of virtual professional learning networks on pre–service teachers’ professional learning and growth

This qualitative study focuses on pre–service teachers’ engagement in virtual professional learning networks and perceptions of how their virtual professional learning network participation influences their professional learning and growth. Online survey and group interview data were collected from the participants (n=41) and analysed thematically. The analysis showed evidence that pre–service teachers were successful in engaging in virtual professional learning networks in diverse ways via utilising multiple social media spaces and establishing various online connections. In addition, findings revealed that participants’ virtual professional learning network engagement supported their professional learning and growth in multiple ways. Respondents stated acquiring new pedagogical and digital knowledge and skills, and forming both their current and future teacher identities. They also appeared to reflect upon and transform their perceptions and beliefs about teaching and learning as a result of their virtual professional learning network participation. Moreover, their virtual professional learning networks were identified as increasing their sense of security via offering them a more comforting, secured and supportive social space.

Look who’s talking: Professional conversations of learning designers on Twitter during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted every aspect of life, forcing educational institutions to pivot rapidly to emergency remote learning. Within higher education, learning designers stepped forward and shouldered much of the responsibility of supporting institutional change on an unprecedented scale to ensure continuity of student learning. Although there is a large corpus of literature about the experiences of teachers and students during the pandemic, little is known about the experience of learning designers during this time and how their professional learning was supported. This mixed-methods study provides insights into how Twitter was used by learning designers as part of their professional learning network (PLN) during the pandemic. Using social network analysis and thematic analysis, Twitter provided a level playing field for learning designers within the @TELedvisors community who were highly engaged in global professional and social conversations, with access to continuous learning and social support. We argue that Twitter has undertilised potential for amplifying the voices of underrepresented third space workers within higher education contexts and is an important component to a learning designer’s PLN in the post-pandemic era. This paper will be of interest to learning designers, the @TELedvisors community, professional organisations that support learning designers and other third space professionals. Implications for policy or practice: Twitter can be an effective tool for learning designers and other third space workers as a way to access continuous professional development and to build global, non-hierarchical connections with like-minded professionals outside their institution. Learning designers and other third space workers should include Twitter as an effective and important component of their PLN. Twitter can be used as a tool for amplifying the voices of learning designers and raise the profile of their contributions to higher education by showcasing their skills and expertise to broader audiences.

Open innovation networks: a driver for knowledge mobilisation in schools?

PurposeIn organisational and innovation research, the term “open innovation” refers to the inflow and outflow of knowledge to and from organisations: with open innovation theory suggesting active exchanges of knowledge with external actors leads to the development of exploitable new ideas. In the field of education, however, the exchange of knowledge with external parties represents a paradigm shift. In response, this article presents findings from research design to explore the nature and composition of school innovation networks, and the effects of such these networks on knowledge mobilisation.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws on data from a representative random sample of 411 German school leaders. Respondents were asked to detail their engagement in open and closed innovation activity and their school's external collaborations during the last 12 months. A latent class distal outcome model was developed to examine whether different types of collaboration associate with different knowledge mobilisation processes.FindingsThe study findings suggest that schools in Germany mainly use internal knowledge for innovation, with external knowledge exchange taking place on a very limited basis. Knowledge mobilisation varies depending on the innovation network. The authors use the findings to indicate new insights for how schools can further innovate learning and teaching in future.Originality/valueAlthough there is increasing discussion on Professional Learning Networks in schools, the discourse on knowledge mobilisation within educational networks is limited, making concept of open innovation so far completely absent from discourses on school improvement. This paper initiates the population of this new research space.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING NETWORK ACTIVITIES OF INDONESIAN TEACHERS: DIFFERENTIAL ITEM FUNCTIONING ANALYSIS OF TEACHERS’ BACKGROUNDS

Teachers’ professional development was gradually shifting to the learning paradigm. Developing a professional learning network (PLN) using social media platforms was one method of teachers’ learning. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the level and differences of activity of teachers when engaged in social mediabased PLN using a non-experimental quantitative design. A total of 504 teachers were sampled, and data were collected using PLN Activities Questionnaire (TPLNAQ). Furthermore, the Winsteps application was used to perform the Rasch model analysis. The findings indicated that all teachers sampled had a moderate level of social media-based PLN activities. The demographic factor of qualifications significantly differed between teachers who joined the social media-based PLN. However, some instrument items showed significant differences in responses to the demographic factors of the teachers sampled, namely gender, age, teaching experience, qualifications, and certification.

Facilitation of Value Creation in Professional Learning Networks

Professional learning networks (PLN) in Higher Education represent new social configurations for networked workplaces in which education, research and innovation can be combined. Here academic staff engages with others outside of their everyday organisational community. This study identifies and conceptualizes essential behaviours that facilitators of professional learning networks use to promote value creation of various kinds. 
 
 The two-phase study started with an empirical field study on the value creation stories of 11 participants within 3 professional networks to investigate essential facilitator behaviours. A panel study including 30 researchers, lecturers and practitioners representing a wide range of learning and innovation networks, was conducted to validate and enrich the findings derived from the field study. 
 
 From the field study 54 facilitator behaviours were identified. The panel study raised 68 complementary statements on essential facilitator behaviours. Qualitative data analysis lead to five themes of facilitator behaviour. Facilitators’ contributions to value creation in networked workplace contexts can be understood as the interplay of five foci of facilitative behaviour: 1. relationship, 2. space, 3. ownership, 4. direction, 5. result. Findings concerning facilitator behaviours are synthesised in an conceptualisation of the process dynamic of value creation in networked workplaces: The Facilitator Compass.
 
 This paper provides insight on what plays a major role in the success of professional networks: the way they are facilitated. While the role of a facilitator is acknowledged in literature and in practice, this study adds to the knowledge base by showing how academic staff can navigate for value creation in networked workplaces.

Talking leadership into practice: the enactment of teacher leadership in a networked learning community

ABSTRACT The literature suggests that professional learning networks contribute to teacher learning, school, and system improvement. This paper examines the enactment of teacher leadership in a networked learning community (NLC) setting in Singapore, specifically how teacher leadership is enacted through the artifact of talk. In this case study, teacher talk was transcribed and analysed using an interactional approach, which views talk as social practice. The findings show that teachers enact leadership by engaging in pedagogically productive talk, deconstructing their practice, supporting their peers’ learning, and engaging in professional learning themselves. Although there is distribution of leadership, the close examination of talk highlighted differences in leadership practices due to differences in the roles that teachers play or the context of the talk. In addition, the focus on talk prompts a critical reflection of what leadership entails, in that what is not said could be as important as what is said and can constitute demonstration of leadership. The study suggests there is value in integrating research on teacher leadership with research on teacher facilitation of learning in networks and communities. Facilitating learning communities might be a promising in-situ approach to develop teacher leadership.

The Concept and Research of Teacher Professional Learning Networks and Its Implications

The Concept and Research of Teacher Professional Learning Networks and Its Implications

Early career teachers’ expansion of professional learning networks with social media

ABSTRACT Early career teachers (ECTs) face numerous challenges during their transition from preparation programmes into professional employment contexts. Social media platforms have created many new opportunities for teachers’ ongoing professional learning by putting them in contact with other teachers from anywhere in the world. However, being connected to more people also means that ECTs must navigate an increased number of potentially conflicting messages about what and how to teach. Thus, entering the profession presents ECTs external conflicts as they adjust to new colleagues and internal conflicts as they encounter cognitive dissonance between old and new ideas. This study explores how and why ECTs expand professional learning networks (PLNs) – that is, the supports, people and spaces useful for improving teaching and learning – with social media in response to early career challenges. Interviews with nine ECTs demonstrate that they expand PLNs to navigate change, scarcity of resources and conflicting teaching beliefs. Interviewees use social media to look for supports for instructional practise and for connecting socially, but they also described how they maintain boundaries around their social media use. Implications are discussed for ECTs, administrators and education leaders – especially regarding how stakeholders can help alleviate early career pressures on ECTs.

Learnings Networks and Professional Development in Building Energy Management Systems Industry

The energy management systems industry in the built environment is currently an important topic. Buildings use about 40% of the total global energy worldwide. Therefore, the energy management system’s sector is one of the most influential sectors to realize changes and transformation of energy use. New data science technologies used in building energy management systems might not only bring many technical challenges, but also they raise significant educational challenges for professionals who work in the field of energy management systems. Learning and educational issues are mainly due to the transformation of professional practices and networks, emerging technologies, and a big shift in how people work, communicate, and share their knowledge across the professional and academic sectors. In this study, we have investigated three different companies active in the building services sector to identify the main motivation and barriers to knowledge adoption, transfer, and exchange between different professionals in the energy management sector and explore the technologies that have been used in this field using the boundary-crossing framework. The results of our study show the importance of understanding professional learning networks in the building services sector. Additionally, the role of learning culture, incentive structure, and technologies behind the educational system of each organization are explained. Boundary-crossing helps to analyze the barriers and challenges in the educational setting and how new educational technologies can be embedded. Based on our results, future studies with a bigger sample and deeper analysis of technologies are needed to have a better understanding of current educational problems.

Tweeting Your Way to Teaching Excellence

Social Media is a part of life these days, a majority of students use social media as a way to interact with each other, get information and keep up with current events. As teachers we can embrace this and help guide our students on how to use social media as digital citizens properly. This is how two professionals use twitter to engage themselves and their students in professional learning networks (PLNs).

Growing Innovation in Rural Sites of Learning

Resumen The implementation of a revised curriculum in British Columbia, Canada’s rural schools and school districts is providing rich opportunities to study and document processes that support and prompt system change, as well to generate knowledge that can be shared across the province and more widely. This project aimed to study closely the practices and structures within BC’s Growing Innovation in Rural Sites of Learning professional learning network (PLN), to examine how this partnership between a university, the Ministry of Education, and the BC Rural Education Advisory is spurring innovation through collaborative, inquiry-based professional learning. This study examined how a PLN can generate and mobilize knowledge related to innovative and effective practice, particularly across rural or remote communities, and the role of PLNs in provoking and sustaining educational innovation. Key findings revealed that innovation occurs when educators find openings and gaps that create space and necessity for change, and that collaboration and reflection are key factors in sustaining and spreading innovation. Key drivers of this change included the new curriculum in BC as well as student learning needs and the challenges of the various rural contexts. Key factors in sustainability included administrative and district support as well as the ability to share their learning, including within the network. Keywords educational change, collaborative inquiry, professional development, rural education, professional learning networks.

Measuring the perceived usefulness of social media professional learning networks to elevate agricultural development

Elevating agricultural development requires attention to aspects beyond production such as education and professional development. Individual demands for professional development have influenced the augmentation of recreational social media platforms as vicarious and functioning professional networks as well. The study’s purpose was to understand agricultural education teachers' perceived usefulness of professional social media use to better prepare themselves for positively impacting agricultural development. A random sample of secondary agriculture teachers responded to a self-administered survey instrument. New teachers perceived social media to be useful and also reported a greater number of minutes of use per week for professional purposes; this trend declined with increased years of teaching. Behaviors which teachers reported, in combination with their perceived usefulness and reported use, suggested professional social media use is supportive of andragogical assumptions. The elements of teachers’ professional learning network activitiesinstrument could serve as a valuable tool in explaining the variance in teachers’ professional social media use. Data can be used to inform the development of online professional learning experiences and in preparation of new professionals. Future research should explore the extent to which learning networks prepare agricultural preservice teachers and offer professional learning for practicing teachers to improve online and social media communications for all learners.

Complexity and criticality of long-term collaborative processes

There has been increasing recognition that social collectives, such as knowledge communities and professional learning networks, support teachers and enhance their practice. At the same time, there is little research on how such communities form, are sustained over time, create professional knowledge and practices, and transform the professional lives of their participants. We address these gaps in this paper by drawing on self-study methodology to structure a critical reflection of Luiz’s experiences of participating in an autonomous group of teacher-researchers that constituted their own knowledge community since 2005. Through critical friendship, a complexity thinking lens guided the shared reflection on Luiz’s experience in the knowledge community by considering the relational connections, affective forces, opportunities for action and agential capacities that are continually made and reconfigured within the collective nature of learning communities. In conclusion, we discuss both the facilitation and cultivation of long-term collaborative processes towards a complex, critical, and socially just perspective of PETE.

Building a virtual STEM professional learning network for rural teachers

This study explored the experiences of rural and suburban teachers as they engaged in virtual and hybrid STEM professional learning opportunities, analyzed through an ethnographic case study. Provided are two lenses through which to view the findings. First, from the rural teachers’ perspective, an exploration of the experiences while engaging in virtual and hybrid STEM professional learning, with findings indicating three major themes: 1) increased collaborations, 2) equitable access to resources and learning and 3) increased content and pedagogical content knowledge. The second perspective, from the project leadership, as collaborations across two IHE’s and with multiple district teachers and administrators, led to the design of a professional development model that was successful at initiating a network for rural teachers to engage in STEM learning through investigations, collaborations within and between districts, and coaching activities, aimed at increasing STEM content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge.

Space that was safe to explore and learn: Stretching the affordances for networked professional learning in creativity for educators

What makes impactful online professional development for rural teachers learning creativity and arts integration? In this paper, we describe the results of a mixed method-study that tested a new hybrid online and in-person teacher training experience with K-12 teachers in the Northwestern region of the United States of America in 2019–2020. The study focused on the creative development of rural educators and their preparation to integrate creativity and the arts across the curriculum. Rural schools face challenges in providing ongoing professional learning opportunities to teachers, especially in complex areas, such as creativity and arts integration. However, professional learning opportunities in this area are either lacking or minimally available for many teachers due to a variety of barriers. The results reveal innovations about networked learning approaches to teaching complex topics and practices, such as creativity, which make online learning more experiential and connected for relevance and engagement. As others have found, networked learning can offer transformative experiences. In addition to detailed findings, this paper presents several expanded design principles and specific techniques to make online learning experiences creative and expansive. Implications for practice or policy: Networked learning for educators should be interactive, self-reflective and creative using diverse media and modalities. Professional development developers should focus on instructional routines to help teachers build confidence in their skill building. Professional development developers should consider the creative engagement framework as a guide for the design of teacher training. Teacher outcomes in online professional development should be cohort-based to build peer-to-peer connection and encourage creative risk-taking and collaboration.