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 ...
Cindy's role ofco-ordinator and presenter can be explained using the concept 'brokering' (Wenger 1998). She was able to draw on experiences in other groups (Languages Group) to inform the activities ofthe TEMS project. She quoted instances where she used material from the TEMS project in the languages groups. Extract from workshop observation report (17 September 2003) Cindy: In our last LLC meeting, I took out an extract from one of our EMS booklets. We discussed how EMS could be integrated with the languages. It was interesting because we used the case studies. It's a good way to consolidate new concepts... Cindy was an important member ofthe TEMS project and was respected by the other TEMS teachers. When individuals move across boundaries, they may take on the role of 'broker', imparting infonnation across communities and creating connections (Wenger 1998). Brokering occurs when participants with 'multi-membership (ofdifferent communities) transfer elements ofone practice into another. This is a common feature of the relation ofa community ofpractice with the outside. Brokers make new connections across communities ofpractice; facilitate co-ordination and open new possibilities for meaning. It is a complex process oftranslation, co-ordination, and alignment between different perspectives that requires the ability to link practices by facilitating transactions between them, and to cause learning by introducing into a practice, elements ofanother. Brokers use their ability to carefully manage their coexistence ofmembership and non membership to present different perspectives on issues. Such individuals would have had to earn sufficient legitimacy to be taken seriously (Wenger 1998). In the following representation, we see the brokering relationships between the TEMS community membership and membership ofother communities. 281
Figure 7.2: Brokering relationships JOHN CINDY MARY MATHS LANGUAGES 7.5 MUTUAL ENGAGEMENT IN A JOINT ENTERPRISE USING A SHARED REPERTOIRE Practice serves to bring coherence into a community, as it is through practice that members in a community form relationships with each other and with their work (Wenger 1998). In order for a practice to generate coherence within a community, the essential characteristics of'mutual engagement', 'joint enterprise' and 'shared repertoire' must be present. The discussion that follows provides an analysis ofthe degree to which these characteristics played themselves out in the TEMS project. 7.5.1 Mutual engagement Membership of a community is a matter ofmutual engagement, and it is this mutual engagement that defines the community (Wenger 1998). In the TEMS community, mutual engagement would refer to the fact that teachers in the community ofpractice 282
- Page 247 and 248: From the above extracts and discuss
- Page 249 and 250: with a new set ofsubjects. Without
- 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: necessary to learn what they needed
- Page 299 and 300: the group. Wenger (1998) notes that
- Page 301 and 302: knowledge ofothers. It is therefore
- Page 303 and 304: MM Shirley MM: Mary: MM: Mary Have
- Page 305 and 306: The following extract from a worksh
- Page 307 and 308: MM: Shirley: How many EMS workshops
- Page 309 and 310: Table 7.2: Criteria for the emergen
- Page 311: Soudien, a leading South African ac
- Page 314 and 315: hand, adopts a 'narrow' perspective
- Page 316 and 317: As mentioned earlier, Wenger's work
- Page 318 and 319: literature review revealed that the
- Page 320 and 321: Another important feature ofWenger'
- Page 322 and 323: 'Identity' namely, 'learning as bec
- Page 324 and 325: (Hargreaves 1995). Teacher professi
- Page 326 and 327: for the purposes ofprofessional dev
- Page 328 and 329: teacher growth. CPD in Africa subsc
- Page 330 and 331: knowledge of subject content is ser
- Page 332 and 333: South Africa, due cognisance must b
- Page 334 and 335: 8.3.7 An arena for engaging and con
- Page 336 and 337: the provision of appropriate profes
- Page 338 and 339: level conceptual thinking". They wa
- Page 340 and 341: Collaboration within teacher learni
- Page 342 and 343: has for teacher learning in a South
- Page 344 and 345: Bourdieu, P. (1986) The Forms ofCap
Figure 7.2: Broker<strong>in</strong>g relationships<br />
JOHN<br />
CINDY<br />
MARY<br />
MATHS<br />
LANGUAGES<br />
7.5 MUTUAL ENGAGEMENT IN A JOINT ENTERPRISE USING A<br />
SHARED REPERTOIRE<br />
<strong>Practice</strong> serves to br<strong>in</strong>g coherence <strong>in</strong>to a community, as it is through practice that<br />
members <strong>in</strong> a community form relationships with each other and with their work<br />
(Wenger 1998). In order for a practice to generate coherence with<strong>in</strong> a community, the<br />
essential characteristics <strong>of</strong>'mutual engagement', 'jo<strong>in</strong>t enterprise' and 'shared repertoire'<br />
must be present. The discussion that follows provides an analysis <strong>of</strong>the degree to which<br />
these characteristics played themselves out <strong>in</strong> the TEMS project.<br />
7.5.1 Mutual engagement<br />
Membership <strong>of</strong> a community is a matter <strong>of</strong>mutual engagement, and it is this mutual<br />
engagement that def<strong>in</strong>es the community (Wenger 1998). In the TEMS community,<br />
mutual engagement would refer to the fact that teachers <strong>in</strong> the community <strong>of</strong>practice<br />
282
Change language