Learning with their peers: Using a virtual learning community to improve an in-service Biology teacher education program in Brazil

• VLC enables sharing of knowledge, teaching methods and resources among teachers.
• Teachers use VLC to learn to deal with matters of difficult approach in schools.
• Teachers switch from socialization to collaborative learning when using a VLC.
• VLC enables teachers to share experiences feasible in limited educational contexts.

This study investigated the use of a virtual learning community (VLC-Bio) combined to an online teachers' professional development program. VLC-Bio enabled the sharing of biological knowledge, teaching methods and didactic resources. Although they presented a limited initial profile of internet use directed to socialization, the results indicated that participation in the VLC-Bio focused internet use for teaching and learning purposes. The VLC-Bio offered opportunities to develop the ability to learn from their peers about how to deal with matters of difficult approach in everyday school life, as well as of sharing resources for Biology education that are frequently lacking.