Peer learning and professional development of students in the Primary Education Degree through the online forums

This paper presents the impact of the use of online forums on the improvement of learning in the professional training of prospective teachers of Primary Education. For this purpose, we analyse the use of this resource from the students' perspective and examine their perception of the tool's usefulness in helping them to get as much as possible out of their teaching practice. Results were obtained not only from the quantitative analysis of the interactions recorded in the forums, but also from the qualitative analysis of the answers students provided to an open-ended questionnaire that assessed the use of the forum as a learning tool in the Practicum. Our findings reveal that many students were engaged with the forum and that their assessment of the range of possibilities offered by this resource was positive. The possibilities that the students were most likely to highlight were: the opportunity for interaction and peer learning in a context where collaborative processes are limited by physical distance; the support and guidance received at times when an immediate response is required; the possibility to regulate emotions and deepen their reflections on the professional practice and teaching skills that are indispensable for professional development.