Innovative Instructional Strategies for an Online Community of Learners

2017 ◽  
pp. 499-526
Author(s):  
Margaret L. Niess ◽  
Henry Gillow-Wiles
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Instructional Strategies ◽  
Instructional Practices ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Learning Trajectory ◽  
Community Of Learners ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Pedagogical Content ◽  
Content Development ◽  
Teacher Professional

This qualitative, design-based research identifies innovative instructional practices for teacher professional development that support an online community of learners in reconstructing their technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) for teaching mathematics. This analysis describes instructional practices that guide inservice teacher participants in inquiring and reflecting to confront their knowledge-of-practice conceptions for integrating multiple technologies as learning tools. The research program describes an online learning trajectory and instructional strategies supporting the tools and processes in steering the content development in a social metacognitive constructivist instructional framework towards moving from “informal ideas, through successive refinements of representation, articulation, and reflection towards increasingly complex concepts over time” (Confrey & Maloney, 2012). The results provide recommendations for online professional development learning environments that engage the participants as a community of learners.

Innovative Instructional Strategies for an Online Community of Learners

2018 ◽  
pp. 542-569
Author(s):  
Margaret L. Niess ◽  
Henry Gillow-Wiles
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Instructional Strategies ◽  
Instructional Practices ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Learning Trajectory ◽  
Community Of Learners ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Pedagogical Content ◽  
Content Development ◽  
Teacher Professional

This qualitative, design-based research identifies innovative instructional practices for teacher professional development that support an online community of learners in reconstructing their technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) for teaching mathematics. This analysis describes instructional practices that guide inservice teacher participants in inquiring and reflecting to confront their knowledge-of-practice conceptions for integrating multiple technologies as learning tools. The research program describes an online learning trajectory and instructional strategies supporting the tools and processes in steering the content development in a social metacognitive constructivist instructional framework towards moving from “informal ideas, through successive refinements of representation, articulation, and reflection towards increasingly complex concepts over time” (Confrey & Maloney, 2012). The results provide recommendations for online professional development learning environments that engage the participants as a community of learners.

Knowledge-Building Communities

2019 ◽  
pp. 139-167
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Strategies ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Electronic Portfolio ◽  
Classroom Observations ◽  
Community Of Learners ◽  
Theoretical Knowledge ◽  
Pedagogical Content ◽  
Geographically Dispersed ◽  
Practical Experiences

Inservice teacher preparation must balance theory with practical experiences to support teachers for integrating their theoretical knowledge into their teaching practice. Online instruction provides the potential for practical education experiences but questions how classroom observations might be conducted in the teachers' classroom practices, particularly where teachers are geographically dispersed. This chapter describes a research-based application of a teacher education course framed by the online TPACK learning trajectory using the systems pedagogical approach and guided active participation for blending online and practical experiences in a course directed toward enhancing teachers' TPACK. This multiple case descriptive study of an online analogue to traditional classroom observations examines the use of the Scoop Notebook for gathering classrooms observations. The online observation technique gathers the inservice teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), more specifically their TPACK-of-practice. The Scoop Electronic Portfolio development process describes teachers' active engagement in their classrooms, transitioning their scholarly theoretical knowledge to practical knowledge accompanied with in-depth, rich reflections on classroom actions and artifacts. The course blends their practical experiences through the Scoop process with asynchronous community of learners' explorations and discourse around instructional strategies for integrating technologies. The benefits of this blended work with the Scoop Electronic Portfolio with an online community of learners' collaboration and inquiry about instructional strategies demonstrates the participants' thinking about teaching with technologies in ways that transformed their TPACK. The results describe the teachers as engaged in action research using Scoop artifacts as objects to think with for ultimately transforming their TPACK-of-practice.

Online Learning Trajectory for Knowledge-Building Communities to Reframe Inservice Teachers' TPACK

2018 ◽  
pp. 839-862 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret L. Niess
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Knowledge Building ◽  
Inservice Teachers ◽  
Learning Trajectory ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Pedagogical Content ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Content Development ◽  
Instructional Processes ◽  
Knowledge Building Communities

Knowledge-building communities facilitate learning through collaborative explorations and investigations using today's technologies as learning tools. Such communities support teachers in developing their Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (or TPACK) so they are able to rearrange educational experiences using a systems pedagogical approach for engaging students in communication, collaboration and inquiry-oriented technologies. A current educational setting for reframing inservice teachers' knowledge involves online instruction. A researcher conjectured, empirically supported online TPACK learning trajectory provides guidelines for teacher educators as they design new online coursework for guiding teachers in enhancing their TPACK. Using a design-based research methodology, a social metacognitive constructivist instructional lens frames this online learning trajectory for organizing the course content development by interweaving descriptive tasks with specific pedagogical strategies towards reframing inservice teachers' knowledge through knowledge-building communities. The resulting trajectory describes a dynamic interaction of key tools and instructional processes for scaffolding the content towards an enhanced TPACK understanding.

Online Learning Trajectory for Knowledge-Building Communities to Reframe Inservice Teachers' TPACK

2016 ◽  
pp. 21-52
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Knowledge Building ◽  
Inservice Teachers ◽  
Learning Trajectory ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Pedagogical Content ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Content Development ◽  
Instructional Processes ◽  
Knowledge Building Communities

Knowledge-building communities facilitate learning through collaborative explorations and investigations using today's technologies as learning tools. Such communities support teachers in developing their Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (or TPACK) so they are able to rearrange educational experiences using a systems pedagogical approach for engaging students in communication, collaboration and inquiry-oriented technologies. A current educational setting for reframing inservice teachers' knowledge involves online instruction. A researcher conjectured, empirically supported online TPACK learning trajectory provides guidelines for teacher educators as they design new online coursework for guiding teachers in enhancing their TPACK. Using a design-based research methodology, a social metacognitive constructivist instructional lens frames this online learning trajectory for organizing the course content development by interweaving descriptive tasks with specific pedagogical strategies towards reframing inservice teachers' knowledge through knowledge-building communities. The resulting trajectory describes a dynamic interaction of key tools and instructional processes for scaffolding the content towards an enhanced TPACK understanding.

Mathematics Education Technology Professional Development

2018 ◽  
pp. 115-144
Author(s):  
Shannon O. Driskell ◽  
Sarah B. Bush ◽  
Robert N. Ronau ◽  
Margaret L. Niess ◽  
Christopher R. Rakes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Mathematics Education ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Education Technology ◽  
Development Research ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Technology Professional Development ◽  
Pedagogical Content ◽  
Knowledge Framework ◽  
Technology Professional

The effective use of digital technologies in school settings calls for appropriate professional development opportunities that will transform inservice teachers' knowledge for integrating technologies as effective mathematics learning tools. To inform such opportunities, this study examined the contents of published mathematics education technology professional development papers over several decades using Sztajn's (2011) standards for high quality reporting in mathematics professional development research studies, the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge framework, and the Comprehensive Framework for Teacher Knowledge. Both the Professional Development Implementation and Evaluation Model and Education Professional Development Research Framework are recommended for further guidance on reporting key features of mathematics education technology professional development.

Online Communities of Practice as Vehicles for Teacher Professional Development

2012 ◽  
pp. 142-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Meletiou-Mavrotheris
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Statistics Education ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Geographically Dispersed ◽  
Service Training ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Online Communities Of Practice

The affordances offered by modern Internet technologies provide new opportunities for the pre-service and in-service training of teachers, making it possible to overcome the restrictions of shrinking resources and geographical locations and to offer high quality learning experiences to geographically dispersed teachers. The focus of this chapter is the question of how information and communication tools made available online could be effectively exploited to build and study network-based services with the aim of fostering online communities that promote teacher learning and development. The chapter presents an overview of the main experiences gained from a study which investigated the forms of collaboration and shared knowledge building undertaken by a multinational group of teachers participating in EarlyStatistics, an online professional development in statistics education targeting European elementary and middle school mathematics teachers. Findings from the study provide insights into the factors that may facilitate or hinder the successful implementation of an online community of teaching practitioners.

Blended Learning and Professional Development in the K-12 Sector

2011 ◽  
pp. 182-202
Author(s):  
Suzanne Riverin
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teacher Professional Development ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Support Teacher ◽  
Education Network ◽  
K 12

This chapter examines the use of blended learning in an online community which supported teacher professional development in the province of Ontario, Canada for ten years. The online network which was called The Education Network of Ontario/ Le Réseau éducatif de l’Ontario (ENO/REO) used a blend of tools and some face-to-face opportunities to support teacher professional development across the province. Teachers were encouraged to use the ENO/REO environment to join in discussions, create and maintain online projects and share research and curriculum resources. The chapter will focus on a study which examined the effect of long term participation in such a community in order to provide insight into the use of blended learning in online communities for professional development.

scholarly journals Applying constructionist principles to online teacher professional development

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel Mark Ostashewski ◽  
Doug Reid ◽  
Susan Moisey
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Teacher Professional Development ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Social Networking Site ◽  
Just In Time ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Online Teacher ◽  
Online Teacher Professional Development

<p>This report explores the first iteration of a teacher professional development courselet grounded in constructionist theory and activities. This online teacher professional development (oTPD) courselet provided opportunities for teachers to engage in just-in-time, ongoing TPD within a social networking site for educators. The topic of the oTPD was Robotics and Hands-on Activities in the Classroom. The courselet was designed for teachers who are interested in integrating constructionist pedagogies into their practice. Key findings of the first delivery of the oTPD courselet point to a need for flexible access, sharing of resources, and support for constructionist pedagogical activities as a PD value for participants. Findings further support the potential for an ongoing online community of practice around robotics in the classroom. The approach taken in this oTPD courselet of study continues to inform a model of oTPD delivery within a social-networking-enabled environment.</p>

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