Teacher Learning in a Community of Practice: A Case Study of ...

outlines, coursework materials and having a formal assessment strategy. Graven (2002)
describes PLESME as a 'classroom-focussed intervention'.
The TEMS programme on the other hand was a spontaneous, unprompted, naturally
occurring network. It was 'self-initiated', informal and represented a purely voluntary
association ofteachers, distinctly similar to Wenger's conceptualisation ofthe formation
of communities ofpractice (Wenger 1998). While the TEMS programme did have a
structure, the participating teachers largely determined the curriculum and the frequency
and nature ofmeetings. The 'aim' of the TEMS programme was to develop very basic
competency in the subject matter ofthe new'discipline'. The issue of accreditation and
assessment did not apply in the TEMS programme. TEMS relied on the generosity ofthe
participating schools and teachers who willingly provided the venue and absorbed some
of the operating costs in terms ofstationery, printing telephone and fax expenses. I was
fortunate to have been granted research funds that I used to finance some ofthe operating
costs ofthe project.
The present study theorised the methodological issue of gaining access to teachers'
classrooms in a South African context. It drew attention to the fact that while much has
been written about gaining access in first world contexts, there is a dearth ofliterature on
the challenges ofgaining access in diverse South African school contexts. A further
methodological difference was the use ofindependent observers. These independent
observers (university academics) were invited to observe TEMS workshop sessions and
to compile observation reports on the workings of the TEMS community. This form of
triangulating was important as it presented useful data from differing observer
perspectives.
With regard to the role ofthe researcher, the present study embraced the approach
adopted by Graven in the PLESME study where the role ofthe researcher was that of
participant observer in the PLESME practice (where participation took the form of
coordination of the practice) and observer as participant in teachers' classrooms
(observing teachers in classrooms). While a similar approach was used in the TEMS
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