From Isolation to Collaboration: A Case Study of Senior High School English Teachers'' Professional Development through Online Communication

• Main Authors: Shu-chuan Chiu, 邱淑娟
• Other Authors: Professor Kao, Hsun-fung
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2004
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/08125571513685548063

碩士 === 淡江大學 === 教育科技學系 === 92 === The importance of teacher professional development is recognized and all kinds of programs are implemented with efforts. However, one-shot, short-term workshops, seminars or conferences often fail to meet teachers’ need of continuous support, partnership, and sharing. In an electronic age, fortunately, technologies have the capacity of providing channels for further communication and interaction, as is found in different forms of online communication and online communities. This qualitative research is conducted with a view to understanding the impact of online communication on the participants in terms of their personal growth and professional development. The participants are seven female high school English teachers, who use Yahoo! Groups as a supplementary communication tool in their busy schedule. The online discussion board serves as an information center and workspace for professional development. Online communication enables them to share their concerns, puzzles, dreams and achievements. Through the inner voices of the participants, this research explores the implicit connotation of teacher development as well as rethinks the roles online communities can play in teachers’ professional lives. The research process enhances self-awareness and reflection of the researcher and the participants as well; the results help the readers to understand teachers as professionals and women as teachers. Data are collected from online message board, online and face-to-face interviews, field notes and the researcher’s journal. The analyses indicate that teachers need mechanisms to save them from isolation while technologies offer them with space not only to communicate but also to collaborate. Even though the way teachers engage in the online community is greatly influenced by such factors as their own beliefs and principles, the written form of communication deepens and widens the degree of interaction. More implications deriving from the findings include the increasing need for online courses designed for high school English teachers, in-school communities of practice encouraged and supported by the administrators, and local online professional communities organized by high school English teachers voluntarily and autonomously.