From Rural China to Canada: Communities of Practice to Support a Teacher Professional Development Study Program Abroad

Autor/inn/en	Romero, Gloria; Vasilopoulos, Gene
Titel	From Rural China to Canada: Communities of Practice to Support a Teacher Professional Development Study Program Abroad
Quelle	In: TESL-EJ, 23 (2020) 4, (13 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1072-4303
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Communities of Practice; Rural Areas; Study Abroad; Faculty Development; English Teachers; English (Second Language); International Cooperation; Institutional Cooperation; Social Networks; Cooperative Learning; Program Effectiveness; Language Proficiency; Teacher Improvement; High School Teachers; Middle School Teachers; Canada (Ottawa); China (Beijing) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Community; Rural area; Ländlicher Raum; Studies abroad; Auslandsstudium; English language lessons; Teacher; Teachers; Englischunterricht; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Internationale Kooperation; Internationale Zusammenarbeit; Institute; Co-operation; Cooperation; Institut; Kooperation; Social network; Soziales Netzwerk; Kooperatives Lernen; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz; High school; High schools; Oberschule; Middle school; Middle schools; Mittelschule; Mittelstufenschule
Abstract	Study abroad (SA) professional development (PD) programs for teachers of English as a foreign language have been key to the implementation of student-centered practices in rural China. This study uses a qualitative approach to examine the experiences of a group of English teachers from Yunnan Province who received PD training in Canada in 2016. Drawing on Wenger's (2002) theory of communities of practice (CoP), we explore how the formation of diverse teacher communities impact the SA learning experience. The findings reveal that, even though a cohort of teachers were exposed to the same curriculum that emphasized collaborative learning, sharing and self-reflective practices, a top-down structured CoP formed in Beijing allowed for a small bottom-up community to form by a select group of Chinese teachers. Wenger's characteristics of a community of practice were present (domain, community, practice) in the small CoP, members were exceptionally motivated and committed to their professional development as language teachers, to sharing and learning inside and outside the classroom, and to working together with colleagues back home. The participants also reported how institutional logistics and responsibilities to the program administrators in Beijing presented challenges to the operation and functioning of the small bottom-up community. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	TESL-EJ. e-mail: editor@tesl-ej.org; Web site: http://tesl-ej.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01