Creating connections: The role of virtual communities of practice in teacher continuing professional development

Perspective Article

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Published on: January 31, 2023

Community engagement

6 min read

Katie Cork, Deputy Head, St Mary’s School, UK Even before the COVID pandemic, teachers were using social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to develop their knowledge and skills of both the taught and hidden curriculum (Clarke, 2009). During the two periods of remote learning in 2020 and 2021, schools prioritised logistical challenges associated with delivering the curriculum to a distributed pupil population, and much of the formal, face-to-face CPD was cut from school activities (Leonardi et al., 2021). The internet enabled teachers around the world to access meaningful, timely and impactful CPD as members of Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoP). This article will examine the nature of VCoPs and discuss the role that they can play in providing meaningful, timely and impactful continuing professional development (CPD) for early career teachers (ECTs) and more experienced colleagues. A community of practice is a group of people who share a concern or passion for som

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Creating connections: The role of virtual communities of practice in teacher continuing professional development

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