VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE: A STUDY OF CAPACITY-BUILDING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR TEACHERS

Abstract

Barriers of time, money, and geographic isolation have caused educators and educational leaders to seek alternatives to face-to-face, in-person professional learning. Professional Learning Communities are one means of addressing these issues. This convergent parallel mixed methods case study examined one professional learning model – Virtual Communities of Practice. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of interviews and surveys captured the perceptions of four secondary English teachers and four professional learning facilitators. Further, analyses of lesson plans and guided reflections about the lesson plans added to the lesser-developed and more objective data sets having to do with the impact of teacher professional learning experiences on student learning. Findings indicated that collective efficacy, participant and facilitator vulnerability, and working to solve common problems and issues resulted in a greater sense of community among participants in the Virtual Community of Practice. Additional findings indicated that a focus of inquiry, a recognition of teachers’ diverse needs, and attention to the interstitial space could lead to better and more engaged learning in a virtual community of practice.