摘要:With the recent changes in student demographics in the United States and the development of technology, virtual professional development (VPD) for teachers of English learning students (ELs) has become a valuable means to support teachers and their students. We developed a federally funded, five-year VPD program, Project Massive Open Online Professional Individualized Learning (MOOPIL), and provided in-depth descriptions in this paper. We also examined its effectiveness in a sample of 359 teachers of ELs. The research instrument utilized is a battery of questions developed about the research-based content delivered in the MOOPILs. Our results supported the effectiveness of Project MOOPIL, as indicated by statistically significant differences and effect sizes across units. In this study, we provided encouraging evidence that VPD through Project MOOPIL impacted the teachers’ pedagogical background, knowledge, and skills, which are critical to enhancing quality instruction for English learners. The implication of this study is that professional development for teachers of English learners can be effectively employed virtually.
关键词:English learners;virtual professional development;in-service teacher training