Communities and Networks

Teachers are moving from being mostly ‘digital immigrants’ to ‘digital natives‘ as our workforce fills up with teachers who grew up with access to smartphones and technology all their lives. It’s not a surprise that teachers are increasingly turning to social media to tailor their professional growth. Online spaces have expanded how educators learn with and from one another. Two key concepts help make sense of this landscape: Communities of Practice (CoPs) and Personal Learning Networks (PLNs). While closely related, they describe different, but complementary, ways educators engage in professional learning.

What is a Personal Learning Network (PLN)?

A Personal Learning Network (PLN) is best understood as the bigger ecosystem of an educator’s learning connections. Trust (2012) defines a PLN as “a system of interpersonal connections and resources that support informal learning” (p. 133). This definition was later expanded by Trust et al. (2016), who describe PLNs as “uniquely personalized, complex systems of interactions consisting of people, resources, and digital tools that support ongoing learning and professional growth” (p. 28).

PLNs are:

  • Self-initiated and flexible: Educators choose who and what to engage with

  • Dynamic and evolving: Networks shift as professional interests and needs change

  • Responsive: Learning happens in real time, often driven by immediate classroom needs as they arise

  • Informal: Participation may be active or passive, structured or spontaneous

Importantly, PLNs give educators ownership over their professional learning. Rather than waiting for formal PD opportunities, teachers can seek out ideas, resources, and conversations when they need them. Research shows educators build PLNs through activities such as:

  • Participating in Facebook groups (Bernard et al., 2018; Brewer & Rickels, 2014; Gee, 2025)

  • Following subject-specific hashtags (Adjapong et al., 2018; Bailey et al., 2023; Bruguera et al., 2019; Carpenter et al., 2023)

  • Listening to podcasts (Azevedo, 2025; Randahl et al., 2023; Tour, 2017)

  • Engaging with teacher leaders on YouTube or Instagram (Azevedo, 2025; Muir, 2022; Schmeichel et al., 2022)

  • Reading blogs and newsletters (Prestridge, 2019)

  • Developing or compiling resources on Pinterest (Karimi et al., 2020)

Through these interactions, educators are not just consumers of knowledge - they actively shape and contribute to their networks, leading to both individual growth and broader professional evolution.

What is a Community of Practice (CoP)?

A Community of Practice (CoP) represents a more focused, relational space within (or alongside) a broader network. Wenger et al. (2010) define CoPs as “groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise… by interacting on an ongoing basis” (p. 2).

CoPs are characterized by:

  • Shared purpose or domain (e.g., elementary music education, culturally responsive teaching)

  • Sustained interaction and relationship-building

  • Mutual engagement, including discussion, feedback, mentorship, and collaboration

  • Commitment to collective learning and knowledge creation

Unlike PLNs, which can be broad and loosely connected, CoPs tend to involve deeper, ongoing participation. Educators might “meet” in a CoP through:

  • Regular virtual meetups or group chats

  • Ongoing discussion threads in closed online groups

  • Collaborative resource-sharing spaces

A CoP can exist within a PLN (e.g., a specific Facebook group inside a broader network), and educators often belong to multiple communities simultaneously.

How PD Can Be Enhanced Through Online Spaces

Online environments amplify the possibilities of both PLNs and CoPs by removing traditional barriers of time, location, and access.

Key affordances of online spaces include:

  • Anywhere/anytime learning: Educators can seek support or inspiration exactly when needed (Prestridge, 2019)

  • Expanded access: Teachers in specialized or isolated roles can connect with peers beyond their local context

  • Diverse perspectives: Online networks expose educators to a broader range of experiences, identities, and pedagogies that may have been absent in their practice

  • Crowdsourcing of ideas and materials: Educators can share lesson plans, strategies, and curated resources that have been tested in practice.

  • Reciprocal participation: Educators move fluidly between roles as learners, contributors, and leaders

For example, a teacher might:

  • Ask a quick classroom management question in a Facebook group (PLN activity)

  • Engage in an ongoing discussion about repertoire selection with a consistent group (CoP participation)

  • Share original resources or mentor others as their expertise grows

These interactions create what some researchers describe as an “extended staffroom” (Mercieca & Kelly, 2018; Randahl et al., 2023; Tour, 2017), where professional dialogue continues beyond the physical school environment.

Can Online Professional Communities Help Teacher Burnout?

The concerns of retention in education due to burnout from working conditions, lack of administrative support, and ‘praxis shock’ are serious issues prevalent in the teaching field (Ballantyne & Retell, 2020). Participation in PLNs and CoPs has been linked to increased feelings of support and belonging, particularly for educators working in isolation. Building and sustaining communities and professional networks is therefore essential, not only for sharing resources and pedagogical knowledge, but also for supporting long-term career retention, sustainability, and wellbeing (Trust et al., 2016; Vinuales Del Egido, 2020; Willis et al., 2023).

A key strength of these environments is their ability to foster non-judgmental, low-risk participation. Mercieca & Kelly (2018) highlight how anonymity in closed online groups can help educators, particularly those early in their careers, ask questions and share challenges without fear of being perceived as incompetent. This sense of psychological safety allows teachers to engage more openly, build confidence, and reflect critically on their practice.

Beyond instructional support, online communities also serve a social and emotional function. Educators use these spaces not only to exchange resources, but also to share frustrations, humour, and everyday experiences. This kind of interaction helps normalize the challenges of teaching and provides a form of peer support that may be absent in local school contexts (Gee, 2025; Rickels & Brewer, 2017).

Over time, as educators gain experience and confidence, they often move fluidly between seeking support and offering it to others. This reciprocal dynamic strengthens both individual well-being and the broader community, reinforcing the idea that professional learning networks are not just sites of knowledge exchange, but also essential spaces for long-term resilience and career sustainability (Prestridge, 2019; Randahl et al., 2023).

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