EXAMINING GREEK TEACHERS' PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
THROUGH E-PORTFOLIOS

Anastasia P. Samaras and Rebecca K. Fox
George Mason University
USA

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine Greek teachers' cross- cultural experiences about schooling, learning, and teaching as documented in their e-portfolios. The e-portfolio was aligned with professional teaching standards, and implementation included systematically scaffolded development of critical reflective practice during academic course and fieldwork. Participants were 19 Fulbright teachers from Greece who came to the USA for a two-month technology-enhanced professional development project. Data sources included e- portfolio contents, prompted pre- and post-seminar reflections, semi-structured interviews, and researcher memos. Findings show the influence of the portfolio process on teachers' learning related to cross-cultural ideas about schooling, student-centered teaching practices, intercultural mindedness, systematic and critical reflective practice, and ongoing professional development with critical friends.

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