ABSTRACT
Drawing on previous work on teacher identity, I review how teacher identity is constructed in relation to context. In previous research, context has been constructed in relation to a physical space: a school ethos, and departmental culture. The interplay between context and identity reveals how teacher identity is both shaped by, and shapes the contexts that teachers work in. However, Mitchell (2016) and Robson (2018) note how teachers are increasingly turning towards online social spaces. This trend has the potential to reconstruct teacher identity and to change our understanding of how teachers engage with each other. The implications are not just for how we understand teacher identity construction, but also how such engagement can shift teacher professional learning and development. However, online social spaces are not neutral or benign influences, and as such the implications for professional learning communities could be far-reaching.
