Virtual School : learning to Teach Physics in a Virtual Community of Practice

This research explores the impact a Virtual Community of Practice (VCoP) within the international Virtual School pilot project aimed at providing future secondar?school physics teachers with authentic teaching experiences. The Virtual School serves as a platform to connect future teachers with real schools and pupils, creating a unique educationalenvironment to develop professional identity and competencies. This paper reports on part of the project engaging eight preservice or earl?career teachers, two mentors, three researchers, and forty-eight secondary school pupils. Pre and post sem?structured interviews were employed to collect data, exploring the participants" experiences and perceptions. The findings reveal significant impacts of the VCoP on the understanding of professional identity and the disciplinary teacher practies of participants. By participating in this digital community, they have developed expertise, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and rea?classroom dynamics.

This study highlights the potential of VCoPs to shape the training of secondary-school physics teachers, offering new avenues for teacher education in the digital age. [Publisher's Text].