Discourse communities: A framework from which to consider professional development for rural teachers of science and mathematics

This paper explores aspects of professional development for teachers of science and mathematics in schools in rural Australia. The study identified a range of issues including tensions between government, school and individual professional learning priorities and their respective responsibilities; the shaping of professional development by rurality; and issues of generic versus subject-specific professional learning. The paper will focus on the needs of teachers, particularly secondary teachers, for subject-specific professional development and the capacity of different professional development approaches for satisfying these needs. The notion of discourse communities is proposed as a framework for considering this issue.

► Rural teachers and principals were strongly focused on teacher PD. ► A variety of approaches were needed to address the complexity of teacher professional learning needs. ► Secondary school subject teachers' needs were only partly met by community of practice PD approaches. ► A range of rural context factors limited PD opportunities for subject- based secondary teachers. ► The concept of discourse communities proved fruitful for understanding PD needs of rural teachers.