Qualities virtual school teachers perceive as desirable in prospective virtual school teacher applicants Kathryn Kennedy, Ph.D. candidate Dr. Cathy Cavanaugh, Assoc. Professor School of Teaching & Learning University of Florida VSS 2009, Austin, TX

Purpose for the study What virtual school teachers see as qualities of online teachers Inform virtual schools of the possible benefits of having their teachers help in the hiring process Inform teacher education programs of how to prepare teachers for virtual school employment Inform pre-service and in-service teachers who are interested in becoming virtual school teachers

Study Design RQWhat qualities do virtual school teachers look for in virtual school teacher candidates? SettingLarge virtual school in S.E. U.S. Sample9 virtual school teachers (4 recently hired, 5 experienced) Data collectionSemi-structured interviews (One interview per participant, 60 minutes per interview)

Study Design (cont.) Sample questions from Interview Guide: 1.What do you see as being the most important qualities that a teacher must possess to be effective in the VS? 2.Describe the interview process. 3.What are your responsibilities in any given day at the VS? 4.What are the expectations that the VS has for you as a teacher?

Study Design (cont.) Data analysisConstructive grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006) Theoretical sensitivity; theoretical sampling; open, focused and selective coding; constant comparative method; memoing; theory development Data validityMember check, feedback, audit trail

Results Passion for kids Awareness of self Willingness to accept and adapt to change

Sample Excerpts - Passion for kids …you have to really like kids. Some people try to get jobs at VS just because they don’t want to be in the classroom anymore and they think it’s going to be easier because there’s no real classroom management you know with behavior issues. And so they feel that in a way they’re getting away from the kids. But in reality, it’s actually the opposite. You have to like kids enough to call them in the middle of the night if they need help. You have to like kids enough to have long conversations on the phone with them and be more comfortable… Nancy, Recently-hired

Sample Excerpts - Self-awareness …I kind of feel like I am the CEO of my company because I am the one who is setting my schedule, working as hard as I want to work, putting the time in to give the students the best service I can… Denise, Experienced

Sample Excerpts - Change …They [the virtual school teacher candidates] need to be lifelong learners. They need to be able to continue learning and want to continue learning because something new comes up every day in our world and we need to be able to embrace those new technologies, new systems, new pedagogies. It’s change, but it’s a good thing to look at things differently and to be able to embrace the change… Sara, Experienced

Implications No different from F2F teacher qualities… Teacher professional development Change management Reflection Changing role of teacher Individualized education plans Teachers hiring teachers Empower teachers Instill mission & goals

Future Research Virtual school teacher induction process Mentoring relationships Socialization of new teachers

Any questions? Kathryn Kennedy Dr. Cathy Cavanaugh