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Abstract
The opportunity to engage in discussion with others about teaching issues is essential to a teacher’s professional development, and can potentially be afforded through online discussions. The following study explored the use of online discussion as a way to engage beginning teachers in professional development. An investigation was conducted to determine what ten beginning teachers discuss during a year‐long electronic discussion, how often and at what times of the year they tend to participate, and if online discussions hold promise for future use in the professional development of beginning teachers. Transcripts of the online discussions revealed seven categories of first‐year teacher discussion that might be used to tailor future professional development activities with novice teachers. Patterns in what times of the year these topics arose and when beginning teachers tended to participate indicate when appropriate support might be given during the induction phase of teaching. Examination of the topics that generated the most activity provided evidence of cognitive development among the beginning teachers. Finally, interviews with the first‐year teacher participants acknowledged several benefits of the system and allowed for exploration of ways in which the online discussions might be adapted to better meet beginning teacher needs.