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

share his classroom experiences with the group. He had a good sense of humour and easy
attitude, which helped people to relax.
John and Cindy's allegiance to the TEMS group was indeed remarkable. It would have
been easy for John or Cindy to have tendered their apologies for that session and
continued with their other commitments. However, they chose to be present despite other
demands on their time.
Communities ofpractice are 'not self-contained' entities, but develop in larger historical,
social, and institutional contexts, with specific resources and constraints (Wenger 1998).
The TEMS community ofpractice had developed in response to radical curriculum
change that was beyond the control ofthe TEMS teachers. Although the practice ofthe
community may be influenced by conditions outside the control of its members, the
practice was still produced by the participants within the resources and constraints of
their situations, and was therefore their response to their conditions. TEMS teachers
determined the duration and timing ofthe programme and the extent oftheir participation
and involvement in the practice ofthe community. Participants are, however, certainly
located within a broader system or institution and the influence of such institutions can
indeed be pervasive. A community ofpractice can respond to the conditions imposed by
the institution in ways that are not determined by the institution. To do what they are
expected to do, participants produce a practice with an "inventiveness that is all theirs"
(Wenger 1998: 80). Their inventive resourcefulness applies equally to what the institution
probably wants and also to what it probably does not want. In terms ofwhat the
institution (in this case the Department ofEducation) would want, that is, competent
EMS teachers, the TEMS teachers had developed EMS knowledge and pedagogic skills
in order to perform their jobs as EMS teachers. However, in developing their own
community ofpractice, they often scorned the efforts ofthe Department ofEducation by
indicating their unwillingness to take part in department run workshops and expressed a
general dissatisfaction with the nature of such workshops. The following extract from
final interviews with Shirley is an indication ofteachers' negative attitudes towards their
employer, the Department ofEducation.
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