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Teachers as Drivers of Their Professional Learning Through Design Teams, Communities, and Networks

Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education

Part of the book series: Springer International Handbooks of Education ((SIHE))

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Abstract

Engaging teachers in cooperative and collaborative processes through which they learn from each other is fundamental in rethinking professional development as being ‘done’ to teachers compared with teachers ‘doing’ or driving their professional learning. This rethinking is underpinned by opportunities that have arisen not only through social networks and the pervasiveness of online media but also from the shift in valuing the exploration of individual interests and needs as well as in the pedagogical reform process. The tenets of effective professional learning, namely, active engagement, teacher voice, creation and collaboration, inquiry and reflection, will be explored in this chapter through two modes of discourse. First, a reckoning of what counts as professional learning activities is proposed to establish the driving force or purpose for teacher learning. This is then developed further in the second part of this chapter where we discuss the various approaches to professional learning with a theoretical analysis of teacher collaboration, teacher teams, communities of practice, and broader social networks. Understanding the genesis, development, and purpose of professional engagement and interaction is key to supporting teachers as the ‘deliverers’ of educational reform who are those tasked with transforming education through ICT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Sarah Prestridge & Katherine Main

Authors
  1. Sarah Prestridge
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  2. Katherine Main
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Correspondence to Sarah Prestridge .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Amsterdam , Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Joke Voogt

  2. University of North Texas , Denton, Texas, USA

    Gerald Knezek

  3. University of North Texas , Denton, Texas, USA

    Rhonda Christensen

  4. University of Otago , Dunedin, New Zealand

    Kwok-Wing Lai

Section Editor information

  1. School of Teacher Education and Early Childhood, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, W, Australia

    Peter Albion

  2. Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Jo Tondeur

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Prestridge, S., Main, K. (2018). Teachers as Drivers of Their Professional Learning Through Design Teams, Communities, and Networks. In: Voogt, J., Knezek, G., Christensen, R., Lai, KW. (eds) Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education . Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53803-7_29-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53803-7_29-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-53803-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-53803-7

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Teachers as Drivers of Their Professional Learning Through Design Teams, Communities, and Networks
    Published:
    21 February 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53803-7_29-2

  2. Original

    Teachers as Drivers of Their Professional Learning Through Design Teams, Communities, and Networks
    Published:
    11 January 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53803-7_29-1

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