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

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esearch by asserting that the idealised conception ofhow social and educational research is designed and executed is fallacious. He notes that there is a misconception that research is carefully planned in advance using predetennined methods and procedures, and that 'results' are the inevitable. Data analysis and data collection are often closely linked and as a result will influence future steps in the research process. Arguably, the most notable issue in the notion ofan emerging design is that the nature and purpose ofdata analysis in qualitative research is the development ofhypotheses, research questions and theory from data. This necessitates an emergent design as the researcher makes sense ofquestions and issues that emerge out ofthe data. The essential purpose of qualitative research is to understand the lived experience, that is, the social behaviours ofthe researched as they occur in different contexts. • The researcher's tacit knowledge is central to the design ofthe research inquiry. This significant feature ofthe qualitative research paradigm illuminates its predisposition to foreground tacit knowledge. It is 'upfront' about this position and makes explicit tacit knowledge, thereby ensuring rigour and credibility in the inquiry. 3.3 ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF WENGER'S SOCIAL PRACTICE THEORY OF LEARNING Wenger's social practice theory oflearning infonned the way the TEMS teacher development project was set up and the way the data were analyzed. The TEMS project that was established was based on the assumption that stimulating participation in a community ofpractice would enhance teacher learning. This assumption was influenced by the work ofLave and Wenger (1991), Wenger (1998) and Wenger McDennott and Snyder (2002) who argue that learning is a way ofbeing in the social world and not a way ofcoming to know about it. Learning is a way ofbeing and of changing participation and identity within a community ofpractice. 73
The main research question in this research into the TEMS sought to examine the usefulness ofa social practice theory (as suggested by Lave and Wenger 1991 and Wenger 1998) in explaining the nature ofteacher learning in relation to their participation in a community ofpractice. The study also sought to explore the concepts 'teacher learning' and teacher coping strategies and their implications for teacher development. Developing a theoretical framework for this study involved exploring and analysing the work ofLave and Wenger (1991), Wenger (1998) and Wenger McDermott and Snyder (2002). However, to establish and extend concepts on which these theorists are silent or to which they have not presented comprehensive discussions, I also draw on a wide range ofliterature in the broader field ofsocio-cultural and situative perspectives on learning and teacher development. This literature has influenced and shaped my perspective. While Lave and Wenger's 1991 contribution to the literature on situative perspectives had laid the foundation for Wenger's later work, it was in fact his later work that had most significance for the present research study. It is for this reason that a more detailed exploration and analysis is provided ofWenger's social theory oflearning (Wenger 1998). Wenger's work with McDermott and Snyder (Wenger, McDermott and Snyder 2002) has as its focus the 'cultivation' ofcommunities ofpractice in multinational corporations and therefore has limited implications for this research study. 3.3.1 The work of Lave and Wenger in Situated Learning: legitimate peripheral participation (1991) Lave and Wenger's theory is based on empirical research on learning as apprenticeship. Their observations ofvarious apprenticeships included Yucatec midwives, Vai and Gola tailors, meat-cutters and non-drinking alcoholics in Alcoholics Anonymous. They locate their work in the broader context ofsituative learning. In his introduction to their book, William F. Hanks accurately presents their perspective as: "Rather than asking what kind ofcognitive processes and conceptual structures are involved, they ask what kinds of social engagements provide the proper context for learning to take place" (Lave and 74
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Teacher Learning in a Community of
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ABSTRACT Conceptualising teacher le
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DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated
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DECLARATION I, Suriamurthee Moonsam
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ASSOCIATED CONCEPTS UNDER STUDY WIT
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Observation ofJohn's teaching after
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A SYNTHESIS OF THE STUDy...........
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TEMS RNCS EMS GET DoE INSET ELRC SA
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In describing the subject-pedagogy
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teachers lacked content knowledge r
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acknowledges the importance and pec
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some formal Mathematics teacher edu
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study, the coordination functions w
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It foregrounds the fact that the co
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school. Higher education opportunit
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frame models for projecting future
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teacher education by the state, (as
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schools, classrooms, management and
Page 37 and 38: Although the Teacher Audit indicate
Page 39 and 40: One ofthe first curriculum reform i
Page 41 and 42: entrenched design feature of C2005,
Page 43 and 44: In Chapter Five, I set up a narrati
Page 45 and 46: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 INTRODUCTION
Page 47 and 48: As indicated in the previous chapte
Page 49 and 50: This view is supported by Putman an
Page 51 and 52: Learning is social in nature (Putma
Page 53 and 54: Constant reflection on and understa
Page 55 and 56: Teachers drew on their membership i
Page 57 and 58: The above arguments about the lack
Page 59 and 60: change. She highlights the importan
Page 61 and 62: Differences in the cultures oflearn
Page 63 and 64: persons and is not considered solel
Page 65 and 66: and offers insights into how learni
Page 67 and 68: America. Goodson (1992) and Calderh
Page 69 and 70: learned meaning and value for them
Page 71 and 72: 'accommodation' and intimates that
Page 73 and 74: staffroom and a 'pragmatic' teacher
Page 75 and 76: Davisson (1984), Lumsden and Scott
Page 77 and 78: directive in that it guides choices
Page 79 and 80: economic discourse, the economics p
Page 81 and 82: • Understand and promote the impo
Page 83 and 84: 2.7 CONCLUSION This chapter began b
Page 85 and 86: (Walford 2001; Anderson 1999). With
Page 87: • It places value on the research
Page 91 and 92: Lave and Wenger emphasise the centr
Page 93 and 94: 3.3.2 The Work ofWenger (1998): Com
Page 95 and 96: agree with the way it takes place o
Page 97 and 98: Figure 3.3: Refined intersection of
Page 99 and 100: eflecting. The ability of a communi
Page 101 and 102: object to something that in reality
Page 103 and 104: practice is not just an aggregate o
Page 105 and 106: system or institution and the influ
Page 107 and 108: 3.3.2.4 Learning Practice has to be
Page 109 and 110: new possibilities for meaning. Brok
Page 111 and 112: These characteristics indicate that
Page 113 and 114: engage with one another and acknowl
Page 115 and 116: A structural model ofa community of
Page 117 and 118: who were regarded as peripheral. A
Page 119 and 120: Ideally I would have wanted teacher
Page 121 and 122: they represent key ingredients in s
Page 123 and 124: that the Wenger framework presents
Page 125 and 126: more useful and effective than part
Page 127 and 128: 3.6 CONCLUSION This chapter provide
Page 129 and 130: • While my professional input int
Page 131 and 132: • Cycle ofhypothesis and theory b
Page 133 and 134: observer played themselves out. A c
Page 135 and 136: organised events and linked communi
Page 137 and 138: In keeping with ethnographic princi
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In this qualitative study, my inter
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collection. He questions whether co
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physical context, the complex body
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completed, final text: rather, they
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the teacher over classroom events (
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'connoisseurship'. I realised that
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In this study, the criteria for the
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In Chapter One I described the sequ
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tactic by indicating to research pa
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On the occasions that I delivered b
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"Confidentiality involves a clear u
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were cordial and professional. The
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CHAPTER FIVE HOW HAD TEACHER LEARNI
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individual participants changed dif
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He received his schooling under the
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school regularly updated the books
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gone on to become really wealthy. I
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John noted that in planning the cur
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Significant changes had thus occurr
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just transfer it. For example, bank
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Extract from the lesson: John: Pupi
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schoolwork as 'economic work'. This
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John: Now we are not looking at thi
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cardboard and drawing or sticking i
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John: Now I want you to remember wh
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John succeeded in drawing on the sp
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at her maths books to which the tea
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issues that his pupils were raising
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5.5 JOHN'S CHANGING PROFESSIONAL ID
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to achieve their joint enterprise o
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5.6 JOHN'S INCREASED PARTICIPATION
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John regarded the close interaction
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As stated earlier, because the 'con
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CHAPTER SIX USING WENGER'S CONSTRUC
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6.2 SECTION ONE AN ANALYSIS OF TEAC
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understanding it at all. I just don
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In the final interview that took pl
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MM: Shirley: learning outcomes and
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the little things like we started i
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understandings and conceptions ofth
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Extract from Mary's final interview
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Teachers were able to describe the
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The essential differences between D
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Debbie's school, Eden Primary was l
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what he's saying. And in that lesso
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they were excellent, really good. I
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Extract from first lesson observati
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out of the material that they had.
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largely recall, repetition or were
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Third extract from Debbie's second
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From the above extracts and discuss
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with a new set ofsubjects. Without
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was three kilometres away from the
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In the next extract, Ben referred t
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for making bread. The difficulty an
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T: P: T: P: T: P: T: Look again. Is
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stemmed from a discussion at the TE
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Key to the table A = Good/substanti
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was doing the budget and where they
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ofher school and the TEMS community
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Extract from Beth's final interview
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fox the invitations and arrange for
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Table 6.6: Teachers' learning in te
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CHAPTER SEVEN AN ANALYSIS OF TEACHE
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As we saw in Chapter Six, the core
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who did or did not want to become f
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The following extract offers a narr
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difficulties (ibid.). In the above
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A community moves from the potentia
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Cindy began the workshop with a tho
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oundaries" (Wenger et al 2002:97).
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7.4 AN ANALYSIS OF THE TEMS GROUP A
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necessary to learn what they needed
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Figure 7.2: Brokering relationships
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the group. Wenger (1998) notes that
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knowledge ofothers. It is therefore
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MM Shirley MM: Mary: MM: Mary Have
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The following extract from a worksh
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MM: Shirley: How many EMS workshops
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Table 7.2: Criteria for the emergen
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Soudien, a leading South African ac
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hand, adopts a 'narrow' perspective
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As mentioned earlier, Wenger's work
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literature review revealed that the
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Another important feature ofWenger'
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'Identity' namely, 'learning as bec
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(Hargreaves 1995). Teacher professi
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for the purposes ofprofessional dev
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teacher growth. CPD in Africa subsc
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knowledge of subject content is ser
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South Africa, due cognisance must b
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8.3.7 An arena for engaging and con
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the provision of appropriate profes
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level conceptual thinking". They wa
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Collaboration within teacher learni
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has for teacher learning in a South
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Bourdieu, P. (1986) The Forms ofCap
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Department ofEducation (2002) Revis
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Homan, R. (2002) The principle of i
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Mattson, L. (2000) Teacher identiti
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Smylie, M.A., Bay, M. & Tozer, S.E.
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Westheimer,1. (1998) Among schoolte
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APPENDIX 2 INTERVIEW SCHEDULES (INI
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2. What information have you been g
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APPENDIX 3 EXAMPLE OF JOURNAL ENTRI
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APPENDIX 5 EXAMPLE OF INDEPENDENT O
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