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

or team we would discourage such half-hearted involvement, but these peripheral
activities are an essential dimension ofcommunities ofpractice ... people on the
sidelines often are not as passive as they seem" (ibid.:56). In interactions with such
members before and after TEMS workshop sessions, they often described the insights
that they had gained from attending TEMS workshops and their attempts at applying this
new knowledge to their classrooms. "Rather than force participation, successful
communities 'build benches' for those on the sidelines" (ibid.:57). The TEMS
coordinator and core members warmly embraced new members. This is reflected in the
extract from a workshop observation report.
Extract from workshop observation report: October 2003
I was pleased with the attendance - three new faces. Cindy invited teachers to help
themselves to the sandwiches and drinks. Teachers mulled around and chatted while
enjoying their refreshments - expressing thanks to Cindy and her team.
The following extract from my journal dated 21 May 2003 reflects the movement of
teachers in the TEMS programme.
Four new teachers joined the workshop. They had heard about the previous workshops and
decided to join. These teachers were from Ex-DET schools in the Kwadengezi area. I
welcomed them to the workshop. All these teachers indicated the need for assistance with
EMS and EMS teaching. They were from very poor schools and did not have any commerce
related books available. They were mainly focussing on HSS (Human and Social Sciences)
and had come to the workshop looking for help. They wanted to know when the programme
had started and wanted to be invited to future workshops.
These teachers were to become regular attendees, who later began to exhibit
characteristics of active members. The arrival ofnew teachers was a feature ofevery
session. Wenger (1998) notes that the existence ofa community ofpractice does not
depend on fixed membership. Participants may move in and out ofthe community and
that an 'essential' aspect ofany community ofpractice is the arrival ofnew participants.
These new participants are integrated into the community. They engage in its practice and
then perpetuate the practice. This aspect ofpractice is understood as 'learning'. The
TEMS community ofpractice was able to provide peripheral experiences to newcomers
264