Education Commons^™

Influence Of Online Book Clubs On Pre-Service Teacher Beliefs And Practices, Jennifer M. Smith, Marla K. Robertson

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This article explores the use of an online book club with preservice teachers, from idea to implementation. Undergraduate students from two literacy courses discussed professional texts through online discussions. The purposes of this project were to familiarize pre-service teachers with collaborative online platforms, encourage discussions that challenged pedagogical beliefs, and provide pre-service teachers with a model for continued professional development. Data from instructor observations, online discussions, and questionnaires suggest that the design of the online book club impacted pre-service teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning, lesson preparation, and plans for future teaching.