Virtual Learning Communities as Contexts for Pre-Service Teacher Learning and Development: A Design Thinking Approach

This study examines how pre-service teachers described their participation in an online teacher learning environment guided by a design thinking framework during field placements. The aim was to explore (a) how participation in a virtual Teacher Learning Community (TLC) supported social learning and connection in an online context, and (b) how pre-service teachers used design thinking to interpret and respond to instructional and classroom challenges encountered in their practicum settings. Seven pre-service teachers participated in four facilitated online sessions in which they identified practice-based dilemmas, engaged in collaborative discussion, and reflected on strategies they attempted in their placements. A qualitative thematic analysis of session transcripts and participant reflections examined interactional patterns using the Community of Inquiry framework and traced participants’ engagement across the phases of the design thinking process. Participants described the virtual TLC as supporting social presence through emotional expression, validation, and reciprocal peer mentoring, contributing to perceived psychological safety and reduced isolation. Participants also described using the design thinking structure to organize discussion, reframe challenges, and consider instructional responses, particularly related to classroom management and instructional decision-making. Findings suggest that intentionally designed online teacher learning communities may function as spaces for collaborative sensemaking alongside field-based learning, rather than as interventions producing direct instructional outcomes. By centering pre-service teachers’ perspectives, this study highlights how virtual environments can support reflective dialogue and practice-oriented discussion during clinical experiences and informs the design of technology-mediated supports in teacher preparation.