Sparking ideas: English teacher use of online tools for professional learning

Tension persists around online professional learning practices, with little known about the way English teachers interact with online tools on a daily basis to build professional knowledge and skills. This article reports on a small-scale, qualitative study investigating English teacher use of online tools for professional learning. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis as an analytical method allows us to frame teachers’ perceptions of their experiences and enables us to understand the features of professional learning that teachers experience. Findings reveal that teachers experience valuable professional learning that is transitional and transformative, through highly personalised and strategic use of online tools. This suggests that it is worth reconceptualising the value and possible roles of online professional learning for teachers in the contemporary environment.