Teachers' continuous professional learning in digital contexts - an exploratory study

Abstract

This paper presents an exploratory study on teachers' professional learning in the face of the diversity of challenges they have been facing, especially in recent years. The main objective was to understand the functioning and development of learning ecologies in a group of schools in the north of the country, in a context of social and cultural plurality where various projects involving digital resources are being realized. A mixed approach was used, with a questionnaire being applied to teachers and focus groups being held with reference teachers who are influential in the community and who coordinate departments and/or projects. The results show that the teachers have developed collaborative working methods based on activities, relationships, interactions, and the construction of digital resources for their continuous updating. In this process that shapes new approaches to professional learning, it was possible to identify some factors that, potentially, encourage or hinder the development of learning ecologies.  Ongoing research in other school clusters will provide a more solid understanding of these approaches and support future recommendations for teachers' professional development.