Online presentation at the Open University's Work in Progress seminar on 6 July 2016.

1. Becoming a connected
educator:
Part-time language teachers’ serendipitous
professional development on Twitter
Martina Emke, WiP seminar. The Open University06/07/2016

2. Research background
• Increase in number of Part-time language teachers (PTLTs) across
educational sectors (Beaton & Gilbert, 2013)
• Increase in professional development (PD) demands (Locke, 2014)
• Limited access to organised, formal professional development for
PTLTs (Stickler & Emke, 2015)
• Time
• Money
• Informal PD as a possibility to deal with these problems
• Twitter as a space in which serendipitous PD can occur in rhizomatic ways
Martina Emke, WiP seminar. The Open University06/07/2016

3. A Deleuze-Guattarian approach to research
• What is a Deleuze-Guattarian approach to research?
• A Thousand Plateaus (Deleuze & Guattari, 1987): a book as a rhizome
• Key questions: What does it do? How does it function?
• Key concepts: assemblage, multiplicities, rhizome, becoming, affect
• Research questions
• How does PTLTs’ professional development on Twitter work?
• What is the affect of PTLTs’ professional development on Twitter?
Martina Emke, WiP seminar. The Open University06/07/2016

4. Twitter: How does it function?
Martina Emke, WiP seminar. The Open University06/07/2016

5. The research journey: The researcher
• Becoming a rhizome researcher (Clarke & Parsons, 2013)
• The researcher as part of the research assemblage : …” research is always
more than research, because it is conducted and constructed by people
who (by doing research) engage in the complex challenge of symbolic
meaning-making and identity-building, informed by changing life
narratives.” (p. 36)
• Rhizome researchers start where they are (nomadic)
• Rhizome researchers listen to the voices/things connected to them
(assemblages)
• Rhizome researchers search for research aspects that are sometimes
ignored (different affects)
Martina Emke, WiP seminar. The Open University06/07/2016

6. The research journey: The pilot study
• ‘Doing’ rhizomatic research: always being “in the middle”, always
being “in-between”, always “becoming other-than”
• Community Plateau (data collection 10 - 12 Nov 2015):
investigating connections in the multiplicity #mfltwitterati through
Social Network Analysis (Newman, 2010; de Laat, 2010)
• Twitter for PD story Plateau (data collection 16 Nov – 6 Dec 2015):
investigating PTLTs’ experiences of learning on Twitter through a
narrative frames online questionnaire (Barkhuizen & Wette, 2008)
Martina Emke, WiP seminar. The Open University06/07/2016

7. Community Plateau: The multiplicity #mfltwitterati
(475 tweets, incl. retweets )
Martina Emke, WiP seminar. The Open University06/07/2016

8. Community Plateau: Patterns of engagement
in #mfltwitterati (241 users)
Martina Emke, WiP seminar. The Open University06/07/2016

9. Community Plateau: Fluidity of multiplicities
Martina Emke, WiP seminar. The Open University06/07/2016

10. Community Plateau: Interim results
• #mfltwitterati: a fragmented network (37 sub-communities) with
distinct communication patterns, 5 dominant sub-communities
• Some #mfltwitterati users bridge communication between sub-groups
• PTLTs who want to use #mfltwitterati for PD could connect with actors
who are central to communications to foster their rhizomatic learning
• Semantic analysis of the tweets shows that PD topics occur in
conversations; most conversations about teaching tips and resources
• Hashtag analysis shows the fluidity of Twitter multiplicities
Martina Emke, WiP seminar. The Open University06/07/2016

11. Twitter for PD Plateau: The narrative frames
(n=8)
Research participants
(pseudonyms)
Gender Languages taught Volunteered for main study
Margaret female English yes
Rose female English, French, Italian yes
Kay ? French no
Robert male French, German yes (via Twitter)
Tony ? French, Irish no
Suzanne female French yes
Hanna female English, Czech yes
Rachel female English, German yes
Martina Emke, WiP seminar. The Open University06/07/2016

12. Twitter for PD story Plateau: learning through
connecting
• [ I see Twitter as a professional learning tool because…]
• “it's a place to find leads to interesting articles, and it's a space to talk, reflect,
share ideas, explore and connect” (Rachel)
• “You can connect with different teachers in relation to the subject that you
teach and you can learn from each other” (Robert)
• [ I connect with other (language) teachers on Twitter by…]
• “I tend not to connect with other teachers as some record their every thought
on twitter but I have linked with one who seems to share useful links for the
classroom and try to reciprocate with useful ideas, too.”(Tony)
Possible tensions when learning in rhizomatic ways
Martina Emke, WiP seminar. The Open University06/07/2016

13. Twitter for PD story Plateau: “becoming other
than”
• [I use Twitter for…] “escaping some of the difficulties/ frustrations in
my own working situation, getting to know others, sometimes seeking
support from those who share some of my concerns/ views/ values,
and sometimes curious to be challenged by different and fresh ideas.”
(Rachel)
• I don't want to become old school, boring, old-fashioned and I want
to keep up with the young generations. Also to find colleagues who
are like me. / [There is one way that Twitter has shaped the way that
I teach, and that is ….] “it has become more reflective, happier and
imaginative. Also confident, because I know I am the modern
educatior now:-)” (Hanna)
Martina Emke, WiP seminar. The Open University06/07/2016

14. The research journey: insights from the pilot
study
• The pilot study has shaped the research process: stronger direction
towards Deleuzian thinking and ‘doing research’; implications for the
main study with regard to approaching interviews and ‘reading’ data
• SNA has shown the complexity and fluidity of engagement on Twitter;
longer term observation of individual and community engagement
planned for the main study
• The narrative frames were useful for recruiting PTLTs for the main
study and will inform the structure of the interviews planned for the
main study; different interview questions needed to reflect Deleuzian
thinking
• Ethical issues regarding research on Twitter
Martina Emke, WiP seminar. The Open University06/07/2016

15. Thank you for your attention!
…. And if you would like to know more, please contact me on
@MartinaEmke
Martina.Emke@open.ac.uk
Martina Emke, WiP seminar. The Open University06/07/2016