Supporting english as a second language (ESL) teachers' professional development through multi-platforms' online affinity space

Abstract

This paper narrates the use of multi-platforms' online affinity space called Teacherfiera. com to support ESL teachers' professional development. Teacherfiera. com utilizes three online platforms which are BlogSpot, Facebook Group and Telegram Group that works in parallel with each other. Each platform is readily available to be used for free by the public and provides contextualized, personal as well as group interactions. These platforms which have been integrated into Teacherfiera. com also work as a resource bank for English Language Teaching materials which are accessible 24/7 and allows users to respond to specific materials or engage in a general topic of discussion. The creation of Teacherfiera. com started as a response towards the need for teachers' support in the Malaysia's nationwide dissemination and implementation of the new Common European Framework of References for Languages (CEFR)-aligned English Language Curriculum.