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

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ecame more comfortable with the research process and the requirements ofan effective journal writing style, I was able to pen my thoughts and ideas as they occurred to me. I used a system ofwriting up points I wanted to describe into a notebook I had especially for this purpose. I would then capture and save this onto my computer in a more comprehensive fashion. While I did not pay attention to any kind ofclose editing, issues oflanguage and spelling automatically showed up and were corrected at that point. The writing, to a large extent, became more relaxed and spontaneous as the research process unfolded. This final research report contains several extracts from my journal, and each extract appears in its original form. 4.5.3 About observation The task ofthe educational researcher is very often to explain the means by which an orderly social world is established and maintained in terms ofits shared meanings. Observation studies are superior to experiments and surveys when data are collected on non-verbal behaviour (Cohen and Manion 1994). The qualitative researcher is able to discern ongoing behaviour as it occurs and is able to make appropriate notes about its salient features. Observations generally take place over an extended time, which allows the researcher to develop more intimate and informal relationships with those they are observing. This research study necessitated a close relationship between the participants (teachers in the TEMS project) and myself (as researcher). Although this research study did not adopt a systematic observation orientation, I will, however, briefly outline the nature ofearly classroom observation research and explain its inappropriateness for this research study. In the late 1960s systematic observation was the dominant method ofresearch on classrooms. Systematic observation involved the observation oflarge samples ofteachers and pupils. Observers systematically coded activities that took place at regular intervals (for example every three seconds or every twenty five seconds) according to a coding scheme. The most popular coding system of this kind was developed by Ned Flanders. He developed the FIAC (Flanders Interaction Analysis Categories) which was designed to measure variations in the level ofcontrol of 131
the teacher over classroom events (Flanders 1970). Numerous researchers have since critiqued the FIAC. Hammersley (1993:45) summarises these criticisms as follows: • Systematic observation provides data only about average or typical classrooms, teachers and pupils; • It typically ignores the temporal and spatial context in which data are collected; • It is usually only concerned with overt behaviour; and neglects features that are possibly more meaningful; • Being concerned only with what can be categorised can distort, obscure or ignore qualitative features through crude measurement techniques or by using categories with ill-defined boundaries; • It focuses on small 'bits' ofaction rather than global concepts. This leads to a lack ofpotential to generate fresh insights; • The pre-specification of categories determines what is discovered by the research; • Placing arbitrary boundaries on continuous phenomena obscures the flux ofsocial interaction. While the Flanders schedule was able to provide feedback on the extent to which teachers were authoritarian or child-centred, Furlong and Edwards (1993) argue that it does not contribute towards our understanding ofclassroom research. In fact it produces 'dangerous illusions' that we already understand how classrooms work. Recent research in the field of classroom research seems to share a fundamental orientation that is 'non behaviourist' (Hammersley 1993). The central aim has been to discover the assumptions, rules and strategies, which underlie and produce classroom interaction. Classroom research in this studyadopted a similar orientation. Two types ofobservation are suggested by Cohen and Manion (1994), namely, participant observation and non-participant observation. Participant observation is a situation where observers engage in the very activities they set out to observe. Their 'cover' could be so complete that as far as participants are concerned they are simply one ofthe group. They do however note that cover is not necessarily a prerequisite for 132
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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
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Although the Teacher Audit indicate
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One ofthe first curriculum reform i
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entrenched design feature of C2005,
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In Chapter Five, I set up a narrati
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LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 INTRODUCTION
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As indicated in the previous chapte
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This view is supported by Putman an
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Learning is social in nature (Putma
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Constant reflection on and understa
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Teachers drew on their membership i
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The above arguments about the lack
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change. She highlights the importan
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Differences in the cultures oflearn
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persons and is not considered solel
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and offers insights into how learni
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America. Goodson (1992) and Calderh
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learned meaning and value for them
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'accommodation' and intimates that
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staffroom and a 'pragmatic' teacher
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Davisson (1984), Lumsden and Scott
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directive in that it guides choices
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economic discourse, the economics p
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• Understand and promote the impo
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2.7 CONCLUSION This chapter began b
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(Walford 2001; Anderson 1999). With
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• It places value on the research
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The main research question in this
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Lave and Wenger emphasise the centr
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3.3.2 The Work ofWenger (1998): Com
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Page 97 and 98: Figure 3.3: Refined intersection of
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Page 105 and 106: system or institution and the influ
Page 107 and 108: 3.3.2.4 Learning Practice has to be
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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
Page 139 and 140: In this qualitative study, my inter
Page 141 and 142: collection. He questions whether co
Page 143 and 144: physical context, the complex body
Page 145: completed, final text: rather, they
Page 149: 'connoisseurship'. I realised that
Page 152 and 153: In this study, the criteria for the
Page 154 and 155: In Chapter One I described the sequ
Page 156 and 157: tactic by indicating to research pa
Page 158 and 159: On the occasions that I delivered b
Page 160 and 161: "Confidentiality involves a clear u
Page 163 and 164: were cordial and professional. The
Page 165 and 166: CHAPTER FIVE HOW HAD TEACHER LEARNI
Page 167 and 168: individual participants changed dif
Page 169 and 170: He received his schooling under the
Page 171 and 172: school regularly updated the books
Page 173 and 174: gone on to become really wealthy. I
Page 175 and 176: John noted that in planning the cur
Page 177 and 178: Significant changes had thus occurr
Page 179 and 180: just transfer it. For example, bank
Page 181 and 182: Extract from the lesson: John: Pupi
Page 183 and 184: schoolwork as 'economic work'. This
Page 185 and 186: John: Now we are not looking at thi
Page 187 and 188: cardboard and drawing or sticking i
Page 189 and 190: John: Now I want you to remember wh
Page 191 and 192: John succeeded in drawing on the sp
Page 193: 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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