Publication: Navigating times of change through communities of practice: A focus on teacher educators’ realities and professional learning

Research Impact: In this paper, we explored how participation in a CoP influenced university-based teacher educators’ professional learning, identity, pedagogy, and wellbeing. Through a two-year period thirty-five online meetings were organised. The hidden impact of neoliberalism is forcing teacher educators to prioritise institutional compliance over reflective practices and their capacity to engage in meaningful professional learning and collaboration. This erosion of time and space for critical dialogue and innovation further entrenches feelings of isolation and fear, that ultimately undermines the quality of teacher education. In this study, participation in the CoP was indeed a trigger for ‘breaking the silence’ of a group of teacher educators, by giving some directions into some of the core aspects that should be seriously considered and discussed, to embrace change and action (if desired).

Leahy, K., Calderón, A., O’Meara, N., MacPhail, A., O’Flaherty, J. (2025). Navigating times of change through communities of practice: A focus on teacher educators’ realities and professional learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 156, 104925. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2025.104925