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

7.4.1 About community maintenance
Wenger describes the concept 'community maintenance' as being an 'intrinsic part' of
any practice. However, because it may be much less visible than the more instrumental
aspects ofthat practice, it can be easily undervalued or not recognised (Wenger 1998). In
the TEMS practice, Cindy's and her team's unwavering and generous spirit ofproviding
refreshments at every TEMS workshop session was certainly one way in which
community maintenance was achieved. TEMS workshops were conducted after school
hours. Teachers often arrived at the sessions feeling really tired. They would often
comment on how welcomed they were made to feel. A hot cup oftea or coffee on a cold
day or cold softdrinks on a steaming hot day in Durban certainly contributed to the
functioning and the maintenance ofthe TEMS group. Ofsignificance was the extent of
the care, and pride with which this task was perfonned. The intrinsic desire ofthe
organising team's efforts to treat their colleagues with respect and dignity was a crucial
factor in maintaining and building the TEMS community. Care and moral support that
results from collaboration is "...central to many women's ways ofworking" and is often
a neglected aspect in academic writing about collegiality (Hargreaves 1995).
7.4.2 Communal resources, participation and reification
The availability ofresource material in the fonn ofworkbooks, photocopies of
infonnation extracted from various sources, newspaper clippings, lesson plans generated
from TEMS workshops, personal lesson plans and work programmes volunteered by
TEMS teachers, case studies, test and examination papers, was a distinctive feature ofthe
TEMS programme. Old timers and newcomers always left every session with a
substantial amount ofwritten material. The availability ofsuch resources to teachers, who
were 'starved of material' as one teacher described it, was an important 'draw card'. This
sharing ofresources was crucial to the building ofthis community. This, according to
Wenger (1998), facilitates the process ofknowing, which involves what he refers to as
active contribution to and participation in social communities. It was important to value
the work ofcommunity building and ensure that participants had access to the resources
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