Abstract:

To ensure effective and up-to-date teaching, it is necessary to constantly work on the professional development of teachers. Online training is now an accredited and increasingly widespread practice, which allows us to support teachers in service by allowing a limited expenditure of energy and allowing us to meet their needs. We can work also in terms of time by building paths that allow them to learn new ways of working and to reflect on their professionalism as teachers. Many studies demonstrate that online training is widely used to improve teaching skills and promote continuous professional development, also for lifelong learning.

However, online training intended only as the use of content has limits regarding its effectiveness. Various research shows how the presence of a tutor is crucial in facilitating learning and transforming theory into practice. The tutors support the teachers, following them in the application of new teaching methodologies and encouraging greater internalization of learning. The literature highlights how peer work, supported by tutors, improves learning as it develops critical thinking and promotes a collaborative focus on the final product by all those who participate in the group work.

The research starts from two fundamental questions: the validity of online training and the role of tutors in supporting teachers in their growth path. A higher education course organized by the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences of Novara (a private University in Italy) offered the opportunity to analyze these aspects. The sample, although not statistically significant, of 160 teachers from Piemonte participated in 15 hours of training with academic teachers in 6 plenary meetings and 14 hours of work in subgroups led by e-tutors (7 meetings of 2 hours each). The training took place entirely online, combining plenaries and group sessions, to verify the effectiveness of this modality in supporting the professional development of teachers.

On a methodological level, two questionnaires were created (one for the teachers and one for the tutors) and a focus group with the tutors to evaluate the effectiveness of the course. The questionnaires examined the general functioning of the course, the work of the tutors and the formation of communities of practice. The focus group with the tutors explored in depth the dynamics and problems of group work. The responses to the questionnaires were analyzed using QuestionPro software, with a response rate of 71.87% for teachers and 88% for tutors.

The analysis of the questionnaires revealed that the presence of the tutors is fundamental for the mediation and implementation of the teaching contents. Without the support of the tutors, the knowledge acquired would have remained abstract and difficult to apply. The teachers expressed a strong desire to build communities of practice also in online mode, highlighting the importance of well-structured and facilitated training.

The dual working method has made it possible to increase the effectiveness of training, allowing teachers to internalize theoretical knowledge and apply it in daily practice, secondarily encouraging the formation of learning communities.

Keywords:

E-tutor, community of practice, professional development, online learning, peer education.