Examining the Construction of Communities of Practice in a Blended Teacher Education Program

• In Event: 31.054 - Teachers and Teacher Educators Using Action Research to Inform Practice

Abstract

Communities of practice play a critical role in the development of pre- and in-service teachers. Teacher education programs that have residency components and significant online coursework face a special challenge in constructing effective communities of practice between students because students are infrequently in the physical location. This poster will report on an inquiry into the construction and potential effectiveness of communities of practice in a blended, pre-service, residency-based teacher education program: the Penn Residency Master’s in Teaching (PRMT) program. PRMT is a 2-year master’s degree program in which students teach reduced loads in one of nine, geographically isolated boarding schools in the northeastern United States while completing online and face-to-face coursework. Students meet face-to-face for one week each summer and 3 weekends across the year. Online coursework is completed in between face-to-face sessions. With an understanding of the importance of communities of practice in pre-service teacher education, this inquiry sets out to examine the construction of and student experience in communities of practice in this blended residency program. Data for the inquiry consists of pre and post program surveys, feedback surveys from face-to-face meetings, three focus groups, and written records of online group meetings. The findings demonstrate the synergistic interaction of face-to-face and online meetings in the construction of a cohort-wide community of practice that students describe as critical to their development in the program. Findings also demonstrate the importance of: synchronous over asynchronous online interactions, online meetings that allow for a mix of structured activities and unstructured time for student discussions, an “online mentor” to serve as a facilitator of conversations, and the challenges of balancing online coursework with the demands of a residency placement.

Author

• Christopher George Pupik Dean, University of Pennsylvania