WhatsApp: Creating a virtual teacher community for supporting and monitoring after a professional development programme

Moodley, M.

doi:10.15700/saje.v39n2a1323

Cited by 30 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Another study conducted by Moodley ( 2019 ) in South Africa, utilized a WhatsApp group post a face-to-face training to sustain the training initiative and provided situational support for teachers who were geographically dispersed. As in the case of Hanewald ( 2013 ), Moodley ( 2019 ) linked the success of the vCoP to the face-to-face phase and the full acquaintance of the members with the WhatsApp. These findings seem to also coincide with those of a study from New Zealand conducted by Keown ( 2009 ).…”

Section: Virtual Communities Of Practice and Professional Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teachers’ virtual communities of practice: A strong response in times of crisis or just another Fad?

Ghamrawi

2022

Educ Inf Technol

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived effectiveness of a virtual community of practice (vCoP) designed to support knowledge and expertise sharing between K-12 teachers during Covid-19 pandemic. Besides, it aimed at exploring the potential of such vCoPs in delivering effective professional development, in general, and during crisis in particular. The vCoP was developed by the researcher herself as part of a consultancy to the UNESCO. The sample included 696 participants who were members of the vCoP. The research methodology adopted was mixed methods. Quantitative data was collected through surveying; and qualitative data was collected through 8 focus group interviews each involving 6 participants. Statistical analysis was used to analyze survey data, while interviews data was analyzed using theme-based analysis. Findings showed that participants viewed vCoPs as effective tools for e-professional development in general and during crisis in particular. Facilitators and blockers confronting vCoP nourishment are presented and discussed. Discussions and conclusions are offered at the end of the study.

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Section: Virtual Communities Of Practice and Professional Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teachers’ virtual communities of practice: A strong response in times of crisis or just another Fad?

Ghamrawi

2022

Educ Inf Technol

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“…Where schools remain closed, or re-close, the use of various forms and combinations of technology and learning delivery modalities will be necessary to ensure teacher skills and student learning are strengthened and enhanced. Teachers can learn through online courses, collaborate (within and across schools) using internet-based applications such as WhatsApp and Telegram, and participate in virtual PLCs (Cansoy, 2017;Moodley, 2019;Tarisayi & Manhibi, 2017). The best of these technology-supported approaches should be extended beyond COVID-19-related closures to enable the smaller dose, more frequent trainings recommended under Component 1.…”

Section: Additional Note: Considerations For Covid-19mentioning

confidence: 99%

Higher Grounds: Practical Guidelines for Forging Learning Pathways in Upper Primary Education

Sowa

Jordan

Ralaingita

et al. 2021

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To address chronically low primary school completion rates and the disconnect between learners’ skills at the end of primary school and the skills learners need to thrive in secondary school identified in many low- and middle-income countries, more investment is needed to improve the quality of teaching and learning in upper primary grades. Accordingly, we provide guidelines for improving five components of upper primary education: (1) In-service teacher professional development and pre-service preparation to improve and enhance teacher quality; (2) a focus on mathematics, literacy, and core content-area subjects; (3) assessment for learning; (4) high-quality teaching and learning materials; and (5) positive school climates. We provide foundational guiding principles and recommendations for intervention design and implementation for each component. Additionally, we discuss and propose how to structure and design pre-service teacher preparation and in-service teacher training and ongoing support, fortified by materials design and assessment, to help teachers determine where learners are in developmental progressions, move learners towards mastery, and differentiate and support learners who have fallen behind. We provide additional suggestions for integrating a whole-school climate curriculum, social-emotional learning, and school-related gender-based violence prevention strategies to address the internal and societal changes learners often face as they enter upper primary.

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“…WhatsApp group platforms offer mathematics teachers an opportunity for CPD to learn and elevate their teaching skills (Kopung, 2016;Moodley, 2019;Motteram et al, 2020). According to Moodley (2019), WhatsApp promotes peer collaborative mathematics learning, ubiquitous mathematics learning, synchronous and asynchronous mathematics learning and anonymous mathematics learning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mathematics Teachers’ Use of WhatsApp Groups as a Platform for Continuous Professional Development in Tanzania

Kihwele

Mgata

2022

AJOTE

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Updating mathematics teachers’ pedagogical skills and content knowledge is inevitable as the trend of students’ performance in Tanzania is alarming. Currently, social media have been one of the strategies for elevating mathematics teachers’ professional competencies through online learning communities. The study aimed at examining how mathematics teachers use Informal WhatsApp Groups (IWGs) as one of the social media for Continued Professional Development (CPD). Key study questions are what are the perceptions of mathematics teachers on the benefits of IWGs in CPD? How do mathematics teachers use IWGs for CPD-related activities? What are the challenges they encounter? And what Mathematics teachers recommend for better use of IWGs for CPD? Two IWGs were involved with a total of 54 mathematics teachers who are currently teaching in secondary schools. The open-ended questionnaire was shared in the IWGs, and members accepted to fill it. Ten members including those who have been in the IWGs for a longer period, those who frequently posted or asked questions, and group leaders were invited for interviews. The findings show that the IWGs have contributed to teachers developing their pedagogical skills and content knowledge through sharing experience, and materials and demonstrating teaching practices in video clips. The challenges include the problem of internet accessibility, inactiveness of members, and lack of effective criteria for evaluating the validity and reliability of information shared. The recommendation is for the authorities to set supportive policies and practices that will create enabling environments for mathematics teachers on CPD.

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WhatsApp: Creating a virtual teacher community for supporting and monitoring after a professional development programme

Cited by 30 publications

References 22 publications

Teachers’ virtual communities of practice: A strong response in times of crisis or just another Fad?

Teachers’ virtual communities of practice: A strong response in times of crisis or just another Fad?

Higher Grounds: Practical Guidelines for Forging Learning Pathways in Upper Primary Education

Mathematics Teachers’ Use of WhatsApp Groups as a Platform for Continuous Professional Development in Tanzania

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