This paper reports results related to the participation in a virtual community of practice (ComPratica) designed as a tool for bridging the research-practice gap. ComPratica gathers in-service high school teachers, preservice teachers, researchers, and graduate and undergraduate students, and include forums and chats about matters related to biological education. A central activity in the community is the construction of collaborative research, situated in real classroom conditions, involving teachers and researchers in non hierarchical teams. The initial success of the community is indicated by the high degree of participation, involving 25% of the members; the diversity of activities and themes within it; and the development of 8 research projects mostly focused on issues raised by the teachers. In this paper, we describe ComPratica and discuss data concerning the members' participation, the teachers' views about the community, and report findings of a thematic analysis of the messages sent in its forums.
Community of practice; Professional development; Research-practice gap; Teacher education
