Supporting teacher reflection during online professional development: a logic modelling approach

ABSTRACT

This article aims to shed light on our understanding of how teacher reflection could be fostered through online teacher professional development. In this respect, the presented article starts from three theoretical foundations, namely the characterisation of online teacher professional development, logic modelling and fostering teacher reflection. Based on these foundations, a logic model is constructed and subsequently used to analyse an online teacher professional development programme. The examined online teacher professional development trajectory is the Digital Didactics programme, which originated in Flanders (Dutch-speaking part of Belgium). Twenty participants and four coaches participated in the study. The results explain how reflection was fostered through several online teacher professional development programme features. The reflective practices that formed the main outcomes of this study were mainly from a behavioural, attitudinal and social nature. The conclusions drawn can inform both theory and practice on how online teacher professional development could instigate teacher reflection.

KEYWORDS:

• Teaching online
• online teacher professional development
• online technologies

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. www.digitaledidactiek.be

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Agentschap Innoveren & Ondernemen (Agency Innovation and Entrepreneurship) and the Agentschap voor Innovatie door Wetenschap en Technologie (Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology) [grant number: 140029].

Notes on contributors

Brent Philipsen

Dr Brent Philipsen is a researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Karel de Grote University of Applied Sciences in Belgium. He focuses on teacher professional development strategies for online and blended learning.

Jo Tondeur

Professor Jo Tondeur is Assistant Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and University of Ghent. He focuses on ICT integration in teaching and learning processes.

Susan McKenney

Professor Susan McKenney focuses her research on understanding and supporting the interplay between curriculum development and teacher professional development, and often emphasises the supportive role of technology in these processes.

Chang Zhu

Professor Chang Zhu is Professor in Educational Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and focuses mainly on electronic learning environments and e-learning design.