Bringing in professional Experience to a Discussion Mediated by a Blended-learning Environment: How and What do Teachers Learn?

Abstract

We discuss the results of a study aimed at shedding light on the influence that the sharing of professional teaching experiences may have on teachers’ professional learning. The focus is on the uses that participants make of their notes about their lesson planning experience in an in-service blended learning course, and the mediation strategies undertaken by the tutor in the virtual sessions. The study suggests that bringing in professional experience, which is generally well accepted, appears to be irrelevant, or may show a modest impact on professional learning development. Specific expertise is necessary for tutors to be able to support the meaning making process and effectively help in-service teachers to move from the mere exchange of experiences towards the appropriation of the target concepts.