The Role of Socially Constructed Shared Knowledge in Learning to Teach: Collaboration and Reflection in a Computer-Mediated Environment
Source: The Teacher Educator, Volume 43, Issue 1, January 2008 ,
pages 1 – 28.
This research examined the role of computer-mediated communication (CMC) in a partnership that was formed between an educational psychology course for preservice teachers, eight professors from the university's teacher education program, and eight practicing teachers from diverse public schools from across two states.
Participants communicated via chat rooms and threaded discussion lists. The use of computer-mediated communication as a viable means of supporting collaboration and reflection in teacher education is described.
Results from qualitative and quantitative analyses support the notion that CMC enhanced learning outcomes as measured by reflective capacity. Using the Developmental Model of Reflection as a Cognitive Outcome Scale (Crotty, 2001), results from an ANOVA indicate significant growth in the preservice teachers' reflective comments across the semester.