Teacher professional learning, provided through formal and informal learning opportunities, is instrumental in developing social capital and professional growth (Jones & Dexter, 2014; Spillane et al., 2015; Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000). Dispersed schools in Honduras have access to limited resources presenting challenges for teachers to form social networks and share information. Mobile technology, however, can help mitigate this distance and act as an effective tool for engaging teachers in conversations surrounding pedagogy (Aubusson, Schuck & Burden, 2009; Dahya, 2016). Leveraging a model using WhatsApp in Africa (Cordeiro & Brion, 2007), Train for Change (TfC)--a non profit teacher development project in Honduras--is interested in the effects of spacing out prompts over a six-week period on teacher retention and generalization of learned content from an in-person professional development (Gluckman, Vlach, Sandhofer, 2014). This roundtable session will present initial mixed methods findings on the social pedagogical networks shared by rural teachers as well as an analysis into the interactions transpiring within WhatsApp groups through the lens of the TPACK model (Cavanaugh et al., 2013). It will culminate in a discussion surrounding the use of mobile technology in launching transformative learning among under-resourced and geographically dispersed schools, generating recommendations for future action research.

Teacher professional learning, provided through formal and informal learning opportunities, is instrumental in developing social capital and professional growth (Jones & Dexter, 2014; Spillane et al., 2015; Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000). Social capital theory posits the richness of a social network as a key determinant of a group’s social capital (Coleman, 1990). Dispersed schools with limited resources--the case of most schools in Honduras--present challenges for teachers to gather together in person to discuss pedagogy, therefore limiting the potential to develop strong networks amongst teachers. In However, mobile technology can help mitigate this distance and act as a tool for engaging teachers in conversations surrounding pedagogy (Aubusson, Schuck & Burden, 2009; Dahya, 2016).

UNESCO’s Mobile Technology Working Paper Series (2012) explored the potential of mobile technologies to support teachers' improved practice. While existing mobile technology initiatives in Latin America focused primarily on the use of technology with students, our interest emerged as to how a model leveraging mobile technology for professional learning amongst teachers in Africa (Cordeiro & Brion, 2007) could apply to rural schools in Honduras. Train for Change (TfC) is a project under the non-profit (501c3) Student Helping Honduras that provides professional-development to rural schools through a two-year cohort model composed of teachers from six dispersed schools. While in-person professional development is provided monthly, WhatsApp group chats have been employed as a way of fostering community and social capital amongst schools. However, an initial review of WhatsApp conversations, indicated a limited pedagogical focus, prioritizing logistical and informal conversations amongst participants.

In order to foster a richer dialogue surrounding pedagogy in these groups, we were interested in the role of the spacing effect, (Gluckman, Vlach, Sandhofer, 2014) to support teachers’ retention and generalization of learning outcomes from in-person professional development sessions. Our aim is to track the shift in dialogue both within and amongst cohorts of teachers through weekly teacher reflections and the sharing of artifacts as evidence of implementation. This process will be implemented during a six week period from February-March, 2018 post a week-long professional development session. Teacher surveys will be collected prior to provide a baseline of how individuals currently use WhatsApp, modifying a protocol employed by Hargis et. al. (2013), as well as who they go to for pedagogical advice to develop network diagrams prior to WhatsApp intervention utilizing social network survey items designed and validated in previous studies (Pitts & Spillane, 2009; Pustejovsky & Spillane, 2009).

This roundtable session will present initial mixed methods findings on the social pedagogical networks shared by rural teachers as well as an analysis into the interactions transpiring within WhatsApp groups, including the use of dialogue, images, videos, and other forms of communication surrounding pedagogy through the lens of the TPACK model (Cavanaugh et al., 2013). Participants will engage in a dialogue surrounding the use of mobile technology in promoting teacher professional development for under-resourced schools, and garner recommendations for how the data presented may provide key implications for action research both in Honduras and in similar contexts.

Aubusson, P, Schuck, S., & Burden, K. (2009) Mobile learning for teacher professional learning: benefits, obstacles and issues, ALT-J, 17:3, 233-247. doi:10.1080/09687760903247641

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

Cavanaugh, C., Hargis, J., Kamali, T., Soto, M. (2013). Substitution to augmentation: Faculty adoption of iPad mobile learning in higher education. Interactive Technology and Smart Education. doi:10.1108/ITSE-01-2013-0001.

Coleman, J. (1990). Foundations of Social Theory. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Cordeiro, P., & Brion, C. (March 2017). Using Mobile Phones to Support Professional Learning for School Leaders in Three African Nations. Proceedings of the UNESCO Paris Conference.

Dayha, N. (2016). Landscape Review: Education in Conflict and Crisis - How Can Technology Make a Difference? Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.

Gluckman, M., Vlach, H. A. & Sandhofer, C. M. (2014). Spacing simultaneously promotes multiple forms of learning in children's science curriculum. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 28, 266–273.

Hargis, J., Cavanaugh, C., Kamali, T., & Soto, M. (June 2013). Measuring the difficult to measure: iPad mobile learning. International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning, 5(2), 60-77.

Jones, M. & Dexter, S. (2014). How teachers learn: the roles of formal, informal, and independent thinking. VCU Scholars Compass.

Pitts, V. M., & Spillane, J. P. (2009). Using social network methods to study school leadership. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 32(2), 185-207.

Pustejovsky, J. E., & Spillane, J. P. (2009). Question-order effects in social network name generators. Social Networks, 31,221–229.

Spillane, J. P., Hopkins, M., & Sweet, T. (2015). Intra- and inter-school interactions about instruction: Exploring the conditions for social capital development. American Journal of Education, 122(1), 71-110.

UNESCO (2012). Mobile Learning for Teachers in Latin America (Working Paper Series on Mobile Learning).

30-Minute Roundtable Session

Launching Transformative Learning