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

agree with the way it takes place or not. Even "failing to learn involves learning
something else instead" (ibid.). Learning is an integral part ofour daily lives and is
represented by our participation in our communities and organisations. While we may
know this, we have not developed systemic ways oftalking about this 'familiar
experience'.
Our perspectives on learning are important because what we think about learning
influences both where we recognise learning and our actions, should we wish to influence
learning (Wenger 1998). Our conception oflearning has a profound effect on
interventions and models that we prescribe for learning. "(A) key implication ofour
attempts to organise learning is that we must become reflective with regard to our own
discourses oflearning and to their effects on the way we design for learning" (ibid.:9).
(K)nowing involves primarily active participation in social communities" (Wenger
1998: 10); it is about valuing the 'work ofcommunity building' and ensuring that
"participants have access to the resources necessary to learn what they need to learn in
order to make decisions that fully engage their own knowledgeability (ibid.).
A social theory oflearning is not a purely academic exercise, but is ofvalue to
practitioners including teachers, managers and policy makers (ibid.).
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