The Role of Modality: How Resources Support Early Childhood Teachers’ Equity-Oriented Professional Learning

• In Event: Centering Equity & Agency in Teacher Learning: Innovations & Tensions in Professional Development Across Contexts

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to understand how online and offline resources supported five early childhood teachers’ equity-oriented professional learning during the quickly evolving timeframe between 2020-2023. Guided by a sociocultural perspective, semi-structured interviews and professional learning artifacts were collected and analyzed. The findings demonstrate that teachers sought out both online and offline learning to respond to the individual needs of their students and experiences in their local settings. Teachers were supported through gaining new perspectives, accessing strategies and resources, engaging in dialogue, and critically reflecting. However, teachers were supported in different ways based on the modality of the resources that they accessed. Implications from these findings are shared for teachers, schools/districts, and professional learning designers.

Author

• Anna Oliveri, Salve Regina University