Bringing It to the Teachers: Building a Professional Network among Teachers in Isolated Schools

Autor/inn/en	McLean, Fiona M.; Dixon, Roselyn M.; Verenikina, Irina
Titel	Bringing It to the Teachers: Building a Professional Network among Teachers in Isolated Schools
Quelle	In: Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 24 (2014) 2, S.15-22 (8 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1839-7387
Schlagwörter	Geographic Isolation; Social Networks; Teacher Associations; Professional Development; Computer Mediated Communication; Communities of Practice; Rural Schools; Focus Groups; Semi Structured Interviews; Educational Practices; Teacher Attitudes; Group Dynamics; Student Behavior; Behavior Problems; Elementary Secondary Education; Foreign Countries; Australia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Social network; Soziales Netzwerk; Lehrerorganisation; Lehrerverband; Lehrervereinigung; Computerkonferenz; Community; Rural area; Rural areas; School; Schools; Ländlicher Raum; Schule; Schulen; Bildungspraxis; Lehrerverhalten; Gruppendynamik; Student behaviour; Schülerverhalten; Ausland; Australien
Abstract	Teachers in isolated schools are often under-resourced and overwhelmed with additional pressures. Teaching in an isolated community can sometimes challenge teachers' skills and knowledge, particularly when additional pressures such as behavioural issues associated with students with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) like behaviours are present. Teachers in isolated schools catering for students exhibiting elements of ODD need additional support and resources, but distance and isolation are barriers to the provision and receipt of these services. Professional support networks are often relied on by these teachers, but these support communities can be hard to build because of the physical distances occurring in rural NSW. Thus, teachers in isolated schools are often faced with dealing with stress and student behaviours on their own, with very little support, which might leave them feeling disconnected. One method of connecting isolated teachers is through an online Community of Practice (CoP). Websites which can enable the development of a CoP have been proposed as a way of solving this problem. This study was developed to examine the building of an online support structure named "Bringing It To The Teachers" to provide for an emergent online professional network for teachers in isolated rural NSW schools. The study involved ten teachers from five isolated schools catering for students who had been identified as displaying oppositional and defiant behaviours. This paper presents the preliminary findings of the study, investigating the elements required for successful development of an online CoP for teachers in isolated rural communities. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Society for the Provision of Education in Rural Australia. P.O. Box 659, Wembly, Western Australia 6913. Tel: +08-9285-0626; e-mail: admin@spera.asn.au; Web site: http://www.spera.asn.au/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01