Social media: A flexible collaborative learning space for teacher professional learning to integrate education for sustainability in schools
The importance and need for education for sustainability (EfS) are recognised in the New Zealand Curriculum. Teachers face challenges, however, due to lack of support and professional learning about how to integrate EfS in school curricula. Social media can be used for teacher professional learning...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Flexible Learning Association of New Zealand
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning |
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| Online Access: | https://jofdl.nz/index.php/JOFDL/article/view/443 |
| _version_ | 1797965611035262976 |
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| author | Fariba Mostafa |
| author_facet | Fariba Mostafa |
| author_sort | Fariba Mostafa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
The importance and need for education for sustainability (EfS) are recognised in the New Zealand Curriculum. Teachers face challenges, however, due to lack of support and professional learning about how to integrate EfS in school curricula. Social media can be used for teacher professional learning (TPL), and communication and resources can be combined to create flexible collaborative learning opportunities. However, there is little evidence to date of social media being used for TPL in EfS. Based on findings from a wider study exploring teachers’ perceptions of professional learning through social media in EfS, this paper focuses on how social media facilitates flexible TPL in EfS.
The study adopted a mixed-methods approach using questionnaires, interviews, and a combination of document analysis and interviews in three phases. Findings from Phases 1 and 2 suggest that participants see TPL through social media as offering flexibility, and being useful for collaborative learning and support for teachers. In Phase 3, these findings are used to design and establish TPL for EfS teachers using Google+ to facilitate synchronous and asynchronous interactions between teachers, EfS experts, and resources. Although participants understood the flexibility of social media for enabling collaboration and providing support opportunities in EfS, the use of social media for professional learning is particularly attractive for teachers who work in rural and remote areas..
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T02:02:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-434a84c8e1254d00b32f325f01b8f0df |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1179-7665 1179-7673 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T02:02:45Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | Flexible Learning Association of New Zealand |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning |
| spelling | doaj.art-434a84c8e1254d00b32f325f01b8f0df2023-01-03T03:42:01ZengFlexible Learning Association of New ZealandJournal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning1179-76651179-76732021-08-01251Social media: A flexible collaborative learning space for teacher professional learning to integrate education for sustainability in schoolsFariba Mostafa0Waikato University College The importance and need for education for sustainability (EfS) are recognised in the New Zealand Curriculum. Teachers face challenges, however, due to lack of support and professional learning about how to integrate EfS in school curricula. Social media can be used for teacher professional learning (TPL), and communication and resources can be combined to create flexible collaborative learning opportunities. However, there is little evidence to date of social media being used for TPL in EfS. Based on findings from a wider study exploring teachers’ perceptions of professional learning through social media in EfS, this paper focuses on how social media facilitates flexible TPL in EfS. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach using questionnaires, interviews, and a combination of document analysis and interviews in three phases. Findings from Phases 1 and 2 suggest that participants see TPL through social media as offering flexibility, and being useful for collaborative learning and support for teachers. In Phase 3, these findings are used to design and establish TPL for EfS teachers using Google+ to facilitate synchronous and asynchronous interactions between teachers, EfS experts, and resources. Although participants understood the flexibility of social media for enabling collaboration and providing support opportunities in EfS, the use of social media for professional learning is particularly attractive for teachers who work in rural and remote areas.. https://jofdl.nz/index.php/JOFDL/article/view/443education for sustainabilityteacher professional learningsocial media |
| spellingShingle | Fariba Mostafa Social media: A flexible collaborative learning space for teacher professional learning to integrate education for sustainability in schools Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning education for sustainability teacher professional learning social media |
| title | Social media: A flexible collaborative learning space for teacher professional learning to integrate education for sustainability in schools |
| title_full | Social media: A flexible collaborative learning space for teacher professional learning to integrate education for sustainability in schools |
| title_fullStr | Social media: A flexible collaborative learning space for teacher professional learning to integrate education for sustainability in schools |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social media: A flexible collaborative learning space for teacher professional learning to integrate education for sustainability in schools |
| title_short | Social media: A flexible collaborative learning space for teacher professional learning to integrate education for sustainability in schools |
| title_sort | social media a flexible collaborative learning space for teacher professional learning to integrate education for sustainability in schools |
| topic | education for sustainability teacher professional learning social media |
| url | https://jofdl.nz/index.php/JOFDL/article/view/443 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT faribamostafa socialmediaaflexiblecollaborativelearningspaceforteacherprofessionallearningtointegrateeducationforsustainabilityinschools |