Exploring mathematics teachers’ informal use of an online self-learning platform while planning a digital learning environment

Mense, Sophie

Abstract

This case study explores primary school mathematics teachers' informal self-directed online learning experiences in the context of lesson planning for digital combinatorics learning environments. The study provides insights into how teachers interact with online meta-resources supporting their informal professional development (PD), addressing the gap in understanding teachers' actual usage of online resources and the lack of foundational knowledge for user- and needs-oriented development of online platforms. Three teacher teams were recorded during their lesson planning sessions while using an online self-learning platform. Their topics of communication and digital actions were qualitatively analysed, revealing patterns in platform usage and topics of communication. These findings offer first insights into teachers' informal PD with online resources that can inform the design of user scenarios for future online self-learning platforms for teacher PD.