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

In the final interview that took place approximately ten months later, teachers'
. understandings and attitudes towards Curriculum 2005 and the new EMS curriculum in
particular had changed in varying degrees. Beth described how her approach to teaching
had changed since she joined the TEMS project. (Extract from final interview)
MM: Having attended these workshops, are there any changes in the way you
teach? What are you doing differently now? Have you used the materials?
Beth: Yes, you know I. Ja there is a big change. Eh, when I began teaching EMS, I
just narrated, I just narrated but now I'm no more narrating to the learners.
I can just tell them, class today I want them to learn about needs and wants
so I'm going to give you these newspapers. I want you to cut down, I want
you to cut from these newspapers pictures for me and then I want you to
paste them under the column needs or wants. But its much better that I'm
no more narrating a lot. I just give as much of the work to the learners and
they just respond so well. So that is the big change for me.
I use the materials we made at the workshops and the learners they just
grasp them easily. Much of the work goes to the learners. It's not like when
I started and used to narrate and then being passive you know because I
myself did not know what to do so the best way for me was just to narrate
to them. But now it's more practical ...so it's not like when I had to narrate to
talk. I no more do a lot of talking.
Beth explained how she was able to use the pedagogic content knowledge that she had
acquired through the TEMS programme to teach EMS to her pupils. She noted that she
no longer 'narrated' her EMS lessons but tried to develop lessons that allowed for more
pupil engagement. Beth's thinking, attitude and perception ofthe new curriculum had
changed from being guardedly positive towards becoming enthusiastic and very positive.
Shirley had initially shown little or no confidence in the new curriculum. While she may
not have been completely convinced ofits merits, she later appeared to have changed her
attitude towards C200S and OBE. She no longer harboured open resentment towards the
new curriculum and had shifted from having been distinctly negative about the new
curriculum. While she appeared to be not quite ready to overtly support the C200S, she
chose to adopt a somewhat 'neutral' perspective when discussing her attitudes and
perceptions ofC200S.
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