Teacher Learning in a Community of Practice: A Case Study of ...
Teacher Learning in a Community of Practice: A Case Study of ... Teacher Learning in a Community of Practice: A Case Study of ...
Debbie's practice in terms of 'questioning and rapport' had shifted significantly and had revealed a marked development. The quality of 'teaching resources' employed had changed and moved beyond being adequate towards becoming really good. The nature and quality ofpupils' involvement had shifted from being mere mechanical exercises. Her lesson revealed that quality 'pupil involvement' in meaningful tasks that engaged with EMS concepts and phenomena, was substantially present. Brodie et ai's notion of the tension between 'form' and 'substance' appeared to be managed with increasing competence (Brodie et al 2002). In the next section, I analyse Ben's changing practice in terms ofthe categorisations used above, namely, 'content knowledge', 'pedagogic content knowledge', 'pupil involvement', 'questioning and rapport' and 'teaching resources'. 6.3.4 A narrative vignette of Ben Ben was an isiZulu speaking African teacher in his mid-forties. He had taught at eight different schools in his teaching career, and regarded his current school as the best that he had taught at. While his school may not have had all the facilities ofthe more advantaged schools, he felt that his school staffwas very united. This is significant in that ofall the participating schools, Pecan Primary was the poorest and least resourced. A detailed description ofthe school follows later in this section. Ben described his childhood as being a happy experience. Although the man who had raised him was not his biological father, he had taken good care ofhim. He appeared grateful for what his parents had provided for him given the poor conditions under which they lived. He had been moved to several schools during his school career because his parents had moved house several times. Ben had a disrupted academic career. He explained how he had to change subjects from Mathematics and Physical Science in high school because he had found them too difficult. He had had to repeat a year, having had to restart his senior secondary schooling 233
with a new set ofsubjects. Without having finished matric (Grade twelve), he was admitted to a teachers' college, where he spent two years. 3 Ben then joined the teaching profession and studied privately to obtain a matric certificate. He proceeded to study towards a Senior Teaching Certificate, but this was interrupted because he had suffered from a severe stroke. He was forced to abandon his studies at that point. Ben was still undergoing medical treatment at the time ofthis research study. After seven years, he obtained his Senior Teaching Certificate. He had taught for 17 years before leaving teaching to pursue business interests. He returned to teaching after three years having been unsuccessful in his business endeavours. His status at his school was that ofa temporary teacher. Ben was determined to be reinstated as a permanent educator. He was always seen to be keen to please his principal and always addressed him with elaborate respect and humbleness, sometimes resorting to performing tasks for the principal that could be deemed 'inappropriate'. He presented himselfas an enthusiastic person who was keen to be seen to be involved in developing himself. The following extract from my journal (30 July 2003) reflect some ofthe difficulties Ben was experiencing. Over the months that r had come to know Ben, r learned that he was employed in a temporary capacity. He was one of the many teachers who had not been receiving regular monthly salary payments from the state. At one point, Ben had not been paid for a period of five months. It was a particularly difficult time for him since his family had to rely entirely on his wife's income, and assistance from other extended family members. r was amazed that during this period of time, Ben's enthusiasm and optimism never waned. He was always regular at school, very actively involved in leading the establishment of the school library, training the school choir and overseeing school functions. Later in the week, Ben would be the master of ceremonies at a joint schools' function at which the mayor of Durban was the guest of honour. Ben appeared to be a very obliging person, always careful to appear congenial and enthusiastic, especially in the presence of the principal. His tenure at the school was not secure and depended on how strongly the principal motivated for him to remain there. On one occasion r noticed the principal walking to his car with his hands in pockets (off to a meeting). Ben trailed behind him carrying the principal's bag. Reflecting on his own school experience, Ben noted that good teachers were those who were firm disciplinarians especially those who were able to mete out corporal punishment. He felt that corporal punishment that he had received as a pupil 'made him strong'. In his years ofteaching, he had used corporal punishment extensively. Because 3 Welch (2002) reminds us that under apartheid, secondary education for Black students was in fact teacher education. 234
- Page 198 and 199: 5.5 JOHN'S CHANGING PROFESSIONAL ID
- Page 200 and 201: to achieve their joint enterprise o
- Page 202 and 203: 5.6 JOHN'S INCREASED PARTICIPATION
- Page 204 and 205: John regarded the close interaction
- Page 206 and 207: As stated earlier, because the 'con
- Page 209 and 210: CHAPTER SIX USING WENGER'S CONSTRUC
- Page 211: 6.2 SECTION ONE AN ANALYSIS OF TEAC
- Page 214 and 215: understanding it at all. I just don
- Page 216 and 217: In the final interview that took pl
- Page 218 and 219: MM: Shirley: learning outcomes and
- Page 220 and 221: the little things like we started i
- Page 222 and 223: understandings and conceptions ofth
- Page 224 and 225: Extract from Mary's final interview
- Page 227 and 228: Teachers were able to describe the
- Page 229 and 230: The essential differences between D
- Page 231 and 232: Debbie's school, Eden Primary was l
- Page 233 and 234: what he's saying. And in that lesso
- Page 235 and 236: they were excellent, really good. I
- Page 237 and 238: Extract from first lesson observati
- Page 239 and 240: out of the material that they had.
- Page 241: largely recall, repetition or were
- Page 244 and 245: Third extract from Debbie's second
- Page 247: From the above extracts and discuss
- Page 251: was three kilometres away from the
- Page 254 and 255: In the next extract, Ben referred t
- Page 256 and 257: for making bread. The difficulty an
- Page 258 and 259: T: P: T: P: T: P: T: Look again. Is
- Page 260 and 261: stemmed from a discussion at the TE
- Page 263 and 264: Key to the table A = Good/substanti
- Page 265 and 266: was doing the budget and where they
- Page 267 and 268: ofher school and the TEMS community
- Page 269 and 270: Extract from Beth's final interview
- Page 271 and 272: fox the invitations and arrange for
- Page 273: Table 6.6: Teachers' learning in te
- Page 276 and 277: CHAPTER SEVEN AN ANALYSIS OF TEACHE
- Page 278 and 279: As we saw in Chapter Six, the core
- Page 280 and 281: who did or did not want to become f
- Page 283 and 284: The following extract offers a narr
- Page 285 and 286: difficulties (ibid.). In the above
- Page 287 and 288: A community moves from the potentia
- Page 289 and 290: Cindy began the workshop with a tho
- Page 291 and 292: oundaries" (Wenger et al 2002:97).
- Page 293 and 294: 7.4 AN ANALYSIS OF THE TEMS GROUP A
- Page 295 and 296: necessary to learn what they needed
- Page 297 and 298: Figure 7.2: Brokering relationships
Debbie's practice <strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong> 'question<strong>in</strong>g and rapport' had shifted significantly and had<br />
revealed a marked development. The quality <strong>of</strong> 'teach<strong>in</strong>g resources' employed had<br />
changed and moved beyond be<strong>in</strong>g adequate towards becom<strong>in</strong>g really good. The nature<br />
and quality <strong>of</strong>pupils' <strong>in</strong>volvement had shifted from be<strong>in</strong>g mere mechanical exercises.<br />
Her lesson revealed that quality 'pupil <strong>in</strong>volvement' <strong>in</strong> mean<strong>in</strong>gful tasks that engaged<br />
with EMS concepts and phenomena, was substantially present. Brodie et ai's notion <strong>of</strong><br />
the tension between 'form' and 'substance' appeared to be managed with <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g<br />
competence (Brodie et al 2002).<br />
In the next section, I analyse Ben's chang<strong>in</strong>g practice <strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong>the categorisations used<br />
above, namely, 'content knowledge', 'pedagogic content knowledge', 'pupil<br />
<strong>in</strong>volvement', 'question<strong>in</strong>g and rapport' and 'teach<strong>in</strong>g resources'.<br />
6.3.4 A narrative vignette <strong>of</strong> Ben<br />
Ben was an isiZulu speak<strong>in</strong>g African teacher <strong>in</strong> his mid-forties. He had taught at eight<br />
different schools <strong>in</strong> his teach<strong>in</strong>g career, and regarded his current school as the best that he<br />
had taught at. While his school may not have had all the facilities <strong>of</strong>the more advantaged<br />
schools, he felt that his school staffwas very united. This is significant <strong>in</strong> that <strong>of</strong>all the<br />
participat<strong>in</strong>g schools, Pecan Primary was the poorest and least resourced. A detailed<br />
description <strong>of</strong>the school follows later <strong>in</strong> this section.<br />
Ben described his childhood as be<strong>in</strong>g a happy experience. Although the man who had<br />
raised him was not his biological father, he had taken good care <strong>of</strong>him. He appeared<br />
grateful for what his parents had provided for him given the poor conditions under which<br />
they lived. He had been moved to several schools dur<strong>in</strong>g his school career because his<br />
parents had moved house several times.<br />
Ben had a disrupted academic career. He expla<strong>in</strong>ed how he had to change subjects from<br />
Mathematics and Physical Science <strong>in</strong> high school because he had found them too<br />
difficult. He had had to repeat a year, hav<strong>in</strong>g had to restart his senior secondary school<strong>in</strong>g<br />
233
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