holmes oeb 2011

Improving Teachers’ Professional Development in an eTwinning Online Learning Community

December 2011Online Educa conference, Berlin

Brian Holmes, Lancaster University & European Commission

with the support ofDr. Julie-Ann Sime, Lancaster University, UK

Tiina Sarisalmi, Municipality of Orivesi, Finland Anne Gilleran, European Schoolnet, Belgium

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

2http://www.slideshare.net/holmebn


1. Research context

2. Methodology

3. Results

4. Conclusions

3http://www.slideshare.net/holmebn3

Study on learning communities supported by ICT

Benefits for learners:• Online communities support intentional and

non-intentional learning

• Participants can follow and observe life of others, encouraging reflection

• Support active learning of all key competences and transversal skills

• Online communities provide new opportunities for equality (Ala-Mutka, 2010)

• Greater individual understanding through a group endeavour (McConnell, 2006)

1. Research context

Online learning communities


1. Research context

Case study: an eTwinning Learning Event

• eTwinning supports teachers across Europe

° Joint pedagogical projects ° Continuous professional development° Thriving community of teachers

° ‘Learning Events’

° Short, intensive online sessions, in groups

° Focused on a theme, led by a subject expert

° Involve teachers in hands-on, non-formal learning with peers

° My case

° ‘Exploiting Web 2.0: eTwinning and Collaboration’

www.eTwinning.net

http://www.etwinning.net/


1. Research context

Research questions

In an eTwinning Learning Event (LE) for teachers’ continuous professional development:

– How does the online learning community influence the development of teachers’ competence and practice?

– How do social and facilitation aspects influence collaboration and learning?


1. Research context

2. Methodology

3. Results

4. Conclusions



2. Methodology

Theoretical framework

• Cognitive presence active learners in a community° Constructing meaning through sustained

communication° Essential for critical thinking

• Social presence feeling a person is ‘real’° Projecting personal characteristics into the

community° Directly contributes to success of learning

• Teaching presencedesign and support for active learning° Support and enhance cognitive and social

presence for the purposes of learning° Design often led by teacher° Facilitation often shared with learners

(Garrison et al, 2000, p.88)

COGNITIVEPRESENCE

Communication Medium

SOCIALPRESENCE

SupportingDiscourse

Community of Inquiry

TEACHING PRESENCE(Structure/Process)

SettingClimate

SelectingContent

EDUCATIONALEXPERIENCE


2. Methodology

Action research• Completed two cycles of action research

1. Initial LE, April 2010, 156 teachers

2. Revised LE, Oct-Nov 2010, 142 teachers

• Participative research

Worked together with Tiina Sarisalmi, a teacher and the domain expert

Supported by EUN, the LE organisers Participated as tutor

• Data collection and analysis

– Initial and final interviews

– Final online questionnaire

– Coding of discussion forums using the Community of Inquiry framework

Cycle of Action Research (O’Leary, 2004; Koshy, 2010, p.7)


1. Research context

2. Methodology

3. Results

4. Conclusions



3. Results

Recommendations from 1st LE

• Increase social presence° More support for socio-emotional

aspects (Kreijns et al, 2003, Zenios & Holmes, 2010)

° Give time to develop trust, shared values and reciprocity (McConnell, 2006)

• Reinforce cognitive presence° Activities for critical thinking° Reflection in practice and

meta-cognition (Schön, 1983, Kolb, 1984)

• Strengthen teaching presence° Increase facilitation and

‘orchestration’ at key points (Dillenbourg, 2008)

Meta-cognition: reflection on own practice and competence

Web 2.0 tools and collaboration

Cognitive activities

° Introductions° What is web 2.0?° Documenting the learning

° Planning and managing a project

° Sharing videos, presentations, photos

° Collaborative learning

° Conclusion and evaluation

Social activities

° Introductions° Social interaction° Mutual support° Feedback° Stories


3. Results

The revised LE

• Added time for practice and reflection– 12 days for the LE cognitive activities, 19 days to try out in own

teaching practice, 2 days of final reflection in the LE

– Encouraged sharing of stories, feelings and reflections

• Added a virtual staff room– A place for informal discussion and reflection in practice

– Tables of small groups to foster stronger ties

• Increased facilitation– Moderator/facilitator at key points to encourage and support

– Encouraged mutual support and facilitation

week

1st LE

2nd LE

Cognitive activities Applying ideas in practice Final reflection

41 2 3


3. Results

All messages over time in staff room

Frequency of messages related closely to activitiesand to the messages from tutors

Almost no messages whilst applying ideas in practice


3. Results

Coding for cognitive presence

Example of Edita: illustrates the progression in cognition for a typical participant

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Messages in order of time (first to last)

Cogn

itive

pre

senc

e

Other

Triggeringevent

Exploration

Integration

Resolution

Cog

nitio

nC

ritic

al t

hink

ing

Coding suggests critical thinking reached in later stages Garrison et al (2001)


3. Results

Views of participantsApplying ideas in practice …

‘I was able to apply what I learned in the classroom and my pupils are very excited and they want to learn more’ (final questionnaire)

Staff room …‘most of my time was spent in the staff room, to get ideas, to get support, and to feel proud and happy when my work got commented on. i think the idea of the staff room was the best’ (final interview)

Collaboration does not always work…‘Well in the forum there is merely discussion and I understand that cooperation is a step further and collaboration even further, and I did not enjoy not being able to collaborate in my own group’ (final interview)

Facilitation and feedback from the tutor is not always a good thing …‘I think those are things that can very easily smother the flame of creative thinking and learning’ (email feedback from tutor)

However ...


1. Research context

2. Methodology

3. Results

4. Conclusions



4. Conclusions

From the teachers’ perspectiveOnline learning community The online community supported teachers to develop their professional

competence The community provided an opportunity for mutual support, exchange of

experience and reflection The community was useful for as long as it supported learning

Learning by doing Teachers who applied what they were learning in their own teaching

practice were motivated, gained confidence and were more convinced

Guidance It was beneficial to reinforce facilitation at key points and to back-off as

and when peer support emerged

Social interaction Social interaction was important, it facilitated learning and engendered a

sense of community


4. Conclusions

From an academic perspective

Community of Inquiry The CoI model was a useful framework to analyse the interrelation between

the cognitive, teaching and social aspects (Garrison et al, 2000)

Facilitation and mutual support Increased teaching presence had a positive impact on cognitive presence

(critical thinking) (Dillenbourg, 2008; Shea & Bidjerano, 2009)

Reflective practitioners Applying ideas in practice and reflection with peers reinforced competence

development (Schön, 1983; Kolb, 1984)

Social and community aspects The learning community engendered mutual support, trust and sharing

(Grossman et al, 2000; McConnell, 2006)

Social ties were important for learning, however interaction remained purposeful and the community was ephemeral (Kreijns et al, 2003; Zenios & Holmes, 2010)


References (1 of 2)

Ala-Mutka, K. (2010) Learning in informal online networks and communities, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS), J., European Commission (ONLINE - http://ipts.jrc.ec.europa.eu/publications/pub.cfm?id=3059 - accessed 18.11.2010)

Dillenbourg, P. (2008) 'Integrating technologies into educational ecosystems'. Distance Education, 29 (2), pp.127 – 140

Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T. & Archer, W. (2000) 'Critical Inquiry in a Text-Based Environment: Computer Conferencing in Higher Education'. The Internet and Higher Education, 2 (2-3), pp.87-105

Garrison, D., Anderson, T. & Archer, W. (2001) 'Critical thinking, cognitive presence, and computer conferencing in distance education'. American Journal of Distance Education, 15 (1), pp.7-23

Grossman, P., Wineburg, S. & Woolworth, S. (2000) What makes teacher community different from a gathering of teachers?, Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy, University of Washington

Kolb, D. (1984) Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice Hall.

Koshy, V. (2010) Action research for improving educational practice, 2nd ed., London, Sage publications Ltd.

http://ipts.jrc.ec.europa.eu/publications/pub.cfm?id=3059




References (2 of 2)

Kreijns, K., Kirschner, P. A. & Jochems, W. (2003) 'Identifying the pitfalls for social interaction in computer-supported collaborative learning environments: a review of the research'. Computers in Human Behavior, 19 (3), pp.335-353

McConnell, D. (2006) E-Learning Groups and Communities. Maidenhead, Open University Press.

O'Leary, Z. (2004) The essential guide to doing research, Sage Publications Ltd Riel, M. & Polin, L. (2004) 'Online learning communities: Common ground and critical differences in designing technical environments', in Barab, S., Kling, R. & Gray, B. (Eds.), Designing for virtual communities in the service of learning, pp.16-50, Cambridge University Press

Schön, D. (1983) The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. London, Basic Books.

Shea, P. & Bidjerano, T. (2009) 'Community of inquiry as a theoretical framework to foster ‘‘epistemic engagement” and ‘‘cognitive presence” in online education'. Computers & Education, 52, pp.543-553

Zenios, M. & Holmes, B. (2010), 'Knowledge creation in networked learning: combined tools and affordances', Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Networked Learning 2010, Copenhagen, pp.471-479


Thank you

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holmes oeb 2011

Education

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etwinning learning event

nonformal learning

purposes of learning

etwinningsupports teachers

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methodologyaction research

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