Katerina Kourkouli: Setting up communities of practice

The purpose of this webinar is to raise participants’ awareness of the steps and constraints in setting up online Communities of Practice for EFL teachers.

About the webinar

The purpose of this webinar is to raise participants’ awareness of the steps and constraints in setting up online Communities of Practice for EFL teachers. Focusing on the role of the trainer/moderator, through this webinar we will highlight the essential factors affecting the setting up and running of effective CoPs using our experience in Greece with primary school EFL teachers and their school advisors as a starting point.

The webinar will provide an overview and rationale of CoPs as a model of professional development as well as a step-by-step description of their development as communities (identifying audience, purpose, vision and supporting activities). Drawing on our experience and relevant research findings we will also identify crucial ingredients for the effective functioning and sustainability of online CoPs. The session will include the following content:

  • Why CoPs? Why CoPs in the Greek primary EFL context?
  • What is a CoP? - essential features
  • Online CoPs - benefits and challenges - a look at the 2 gather platform
  • Setting up a CoP from scratch: Do’s and Don’ts
  • The catalytic role of the moderator for ensuring the sustainability of CoPs

About the speaker

Katerina Kourkouli holds a B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Athens and an M.Ed.  from the Hellenic Open University. She is currently a PhD candidate at the English Department of the University of Athens, investigating EFL teachers’ involvement in online Communities of Practice as a means of professional development. She has been an EFL teacher for 18 years in a variety of contexts in Greece and a state EFL teacher in secondary education since 2007.

Download our publication: 'Innovations in the continuing professional development of English language teachers' where you can find more information about this project on pages 177 - 204.

Watch a recording of the webinar below

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