T HE P EDAGOGY & P RACTICE OF V IRTUAL S CHOOL T EACHING : M EETING THE N EEDS OF V IRTUAL S CHOOL T EACHERS THROUGH P ROFESSIONAL D EVELOPMENT Meredith DiPietro, PhD University of North Carolina at Charlotte

P URPOSE & G OAL Purpose: This presentation aims to expand the existing body of research for virtual schooling by focusing on an underexplored area: professional development The goal of this presentation is to provide a model and framework to: inform the development of new professional development programs and evaluating existing professional development programs for VS teachers.

D ISTINCTIONS OF K-12 V IRTUAL S CHOOL P ROFESSIONAL D EVELOPMENT Understanding Virtual School Pedagogy: Pedagogic practices: instructional strategies and techniques to support students’ achievement Technology practices: the selection and integration of web-based or computer based resources to support students’ development of content knowledge Professional Development: Identifying Needs Differentiation and distinctions of pedagogic and technological strategies used by virtual school teachers to meet varying content and curricular goals

M ETHODS : U NDERSTANDING D ISTINCTIONS IN P RACTICE Utilizing a cross case analysis approach to reexamine existing data: 2 sets of Interview Data: Conducted with in- service Virtual School Teachers representing four main content areas: math, science, English, and history/social studies from two virtual schools 2 sets of Survey Data: Administration of the Virtual School Teacher Survey to two virtual schools

U NDERSTANDING V IRTUAL S CHOOL P ROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT : I DENTIFYING N EEDS Outcomes of Cross Case Analysis: Interview data: A framework to categorize virtual school teachers content specific use of pedagogic and technology practices to facilitate: students’ knowledge construction, support student learning, engage students with the content, and make the content accessible (DiPietro, 2008, DiPietro, 2010, DiPietro, Submitted) Survey Data: Virtual school teachers identified 3 main areas as a professional development need: Technology based skills Content based technology integration Finding and evaluating quality resources for my online classes

C OMMON THEMES Unifying themes: Use of practices to facilitate students interaction with and understanding of the content in a meaningful way. Common to All VS Teachers: Strategies for delivering content & Interact with students (both 1 on 1 and in group setting): Wimba, Instant Messaging, Texting Utilize the tools of the LMS: Built in assessments, Use strategies to organize content effectively Facilitate student understanding of the content using technology tools: Wikis, WebQuests, Animoto

D IFFERENTIATING THEMES Unique: English Blogs, Discussions, collaborative writing tools, practices that facilitate students writing skills Unique: Math/Science Tools to support students understanding of complex concepts – teacher created simulations (Scratch), access to environments that could allow students to have concrete experiences with content (Second life example) Social Studies/History, Geography Visual representations of history (time line creators) and interactive maps (Google earth), wikis

F UTURE W ORK : W HAT C ONTENT S PECIFIC S KILLS A RE R EQUIRED ? Content Area Knowledge construction Support student learning Engage students with the content Make the content accessible English Social Studies/History Math Science

F ULFILLING C ONTENT N EEDS Articulated needs: Opportunities to observe other VS courses; Opportunities to share experiences implementing new strategies How to utilize discussion boards to foster meaningful dialogue about the content building community Aside from Content Area….Factors for consideration The LMS system The amount of control/autonomy VS teacher has Student’s access to technology (firewalls, equity, etc)

S UPPORT F ROM E XISTING L ITERATURE Core Characteristics: Drawing from Existing Research General foci: content specific knowledge, opportunities for active learning, and the development of coherence Collective par ticipation : Grouping participants that share a common context, supporting the exchange of ideas, development of materials, and formation of understanding (Birman, Desimone, Porter & Garet, 2000; Garet, et al., 2001)

C ONCLUSION : I NTERPRETING THE V ALUE Benefits of implementing the framework: Evidenced by research literature and outcomes from the field of virtual schooling and professional development Optimize the online instructional context and overall quality of educational experience offered to students The dimensions and distinctions of virtual school teaching presented in the framework can: Inform developing and existing state-level certification requirements Inform developing virtual school policy

C ONTACT I NFORMATION : Meredith DiPietro University of North Carolina Charlotte