Teaching and Learning Through Social Networks: The Role of Informal Teacher Educators

• In Event: Saturday Roundtable 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Contemporary Technology Topics in Teacher Development (Table 18)

Abstract

Through social networks some teachers capture the attention of many teachers and facilitate educator professional development through their informal training activities. In this study, we analyze the #CharlasEducativas project, an online space where many such informal teacher educators influence their fellow educators. Through social network analysis, we selected the 27 informal teacher educators with the highest levels of closeness centrality and betweenness centrality; i.e., the teachers most valued by the community. 21 participants were interviewed to find out their perceptions of the main characteristics that make up successful professional development activities. Informal teacher educators appreciate the informal peer-to-peer learning that is generated, the possibility of transferring what has been learned to the classroom, and the interaction between participants.

Authors

• Paula Marcelo-Martinez, University of Sevilla

• Ingrid Mosquera-Gende, International University of La Rioja