ERIC Number: EJ881084
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Mar
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1475-939X
EISSN: N/A
Online Learning Community Development with Teachers as a Means of Enhancing Initial Teacher Training
Hramiak, Alison
Technology, Pedagogy and Education, v19 n1 p47-62 Mar 2010
A purpose-built blend of teaching and learning activities was used with trainee teachers on a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) course, and subsequently evaluated in a cyclical action research study, over a period of two years. The purpose of the blend was to engender the formation of a learning community, by giving them access to each other all through the course, in order to reduce the isolation often felt on school placement. The development of their social presence was encouraged by providing them with the social space in which to construct it. The findings indicate that this blend engendered the formation of a learning community through the creation of social presence and space that reduced isolation on placement for the trainee teachers. Positive voices from the research illustrate that trainees experienced an enhancement of their teacher training course through participation in the learning community. (Contains 2 figures.)
Descriptors: Electronic Learning, Community, Action Research, Distance Education, Online Courses, Trainees, Teaching Methods, Preservice Teacher Education, Program Evaluation, Preservice Teachers, Professional Isolation, Education Courses, Learning Strategies, Graduate Study, Field Experience Programs, Foreign Countries, Student Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, Instructional Effectiveness, Educational Technology, Computer Uses in Education, Computer Mediated Communication, Discussion Groups, Integrated Learning Systems, Internet, Blended Learning
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A