Virtual Learning Network

Focus

Establish initial professional development (induction) programme.

Explanation

A professional development programme should be established that takes into account the individual needs of all participants, is focused on improving learning outcomes for all students and contributes to the growth, and development of the Learning Community Online. Many LCO have an induction day at the beginning of each year for all participants in the LCO (students and staff ), as well as training and preparation days at the end of the year for eteachers. In addition, eteachers will need ongoing focused professional learning opportunities and regular opportunities to meet to share information and support each other.

Professional learning at this stage will be on the building of skills, knowledge, and understanding of online learning design and pedagogy that will be practiced in the context of an online or blended environment. These can be in the form of one-on-one learning with the LCO co-ordinator or a mentor/buddy, or formal workshops for identified needs for several staff across the cluster. It should be noted that a professional development programme that is targeted at LCO key personnel can also be useful and relevant
to the wider teaching community in schools. Therefore, consider involving other staff when these opportunities arise. This enables the wider school community to not only ‘upskill’ but to be more directly involved in LCO activities and so avoid the pockets of isolation that can sometimes occur in a school when working only with ‘subsets’ of staff.

Action

• Plan a professional development programme that caters for the needs of everyone in the LCO - students, teachers, principals.
• Tap into the expertise of other schools, LCOs, the VLN community, and the ICTPD network to support professional learning activities.