Supporting the professional development of teachers using mobile messenger apps.

• In Event: Roundtable Session 3
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Perspectives from teacher education: technology-mediated learning, cultural responsiveness, and cultural heritage

Proposal

This paper explores the characteristics of effective continuing professional development (CPD) of teachers using mobile messenger apps. In 2021 the British Council started using mobile messenger apps. in Venezuela in order to provide in-service training to secondary school English teachers who otherwise would have difficulty in being able to receive training because of a lack of connectivity or access to computers. Since then, our use of mobile messenger apps. with associated communities of practice has continued in Venezuela and has been extended to supporting rural and indigenous communities in Chiapas, Mexico and in the province of Cordoba in Argentina.

I will start by discussing the research which was commissioned (Patsko, 2023) to examine existing evidence of mobile messenger and related technology supported CPD in order to improve the design and delivery of the programme with the resulting insights. This research included a survey of teachers in Chiapas, and the teachers also took part in classroom observation that monitored changes in their practice as a result of the training.

Next, I will talk about the combination of ongoing asynchronous and weekly synchronous sessions which targeted the input for teachers on professional practices based on their self-declared needs has proven to be successful. In general, the use of mobile messaging, especially when combined with the establishment of communities of practice is a good potential model for the provision of CPD for teachers in remote/rural contexts.


I will then briefly speak about how this type of CPD is engaging and effective for the development of teachers, particularly when it is 1) designed to be long-term, not one-off 2) is teacher-centred, critical, and reflective 3) is context-relevant and involves a range of key stakeholders 4) has as its overall goal to improve students’ learning.

I will then finish with a discussion of benefits, risks and challenges. Benefits of the programme include:
• It is inclusive, removing or reducing barriers to participation. such as the need to travel to in-person sessions, and by utilising mobile devices and commonly found messaging software.
• A combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, with interactive tools such as quizzes and polls, and sharing practical examples using multimedia (videos, teaching material, etc.) facilitates engagement.
• Establishing communities of practice to facilitate peer learning and knowledge sharing enables a sense of belonging and purpose.
• Teachers also develop skills beyond language learning, improving their own language skills, and a greater awareness of how technology can be used for learning.

As might be expected, the programme is not without risks or challenges, but overall, the evidence from these programmes in the Americas suggests that the use of mobile messaging, especially when combined with communities of practice has the potential for providing effective CD for teachers in remote/rural contexts, especially when access is to professional development opportunities is limited. It is believed that similar programmes could also be useful to teachers in other similar contexts provided it is adapted appropriately to take into account local circumstances and the needs of the teachers.

Author

• Graham Stanley, British Council