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

8.3.4 Social practice theory affords an opportunity for authentic teacher
involvement
In describing a model ofhigh-quality professional development for teachers, Smylie, Bay
and Tozer (1999) posit that " ... teachers learn best when they are active in directing their
own learning and when their opportunities to learn are focussed on concrete tasks and
dilemmas" that emanate from their daily encounters with pupils. Such opportunities
should be based on enquiry, experimentation and reflection. Furthermore, such
opportunities should be intensive, ongoing, allowing for collaboration and interaction
between teachers and educational professionals. Collaborative initiatives that manifest
themselves in teacher learning communities allow teachers to participate more in
decisions that affect them. It also allows teachers to share pressures and burdens that
result from policy changes. While collaboration may at first glance suggest an increase in
the quantity ofteachers' tasks, it is likely to make teachers feel less overloaded iftheir
tasks are viewed as being more"... meaningful and invigorating and the teachers have
high collective control and ownership ofit" (Hargreaves 1995: 152). CPD based on the
principles ofsocial practice theory minimises uncertainties faced by teachers and is likely
to create what Hargreaves (1995) refers to as situated certainties and collective
professional confidence among particular communities ofteachers.
Researchers like Wells (1999) assert that learning communities do not require a
designated expert and that teachers can learn from each other. This idea is also supported
by Rogoff (1990) who suggests that in a learning community, learners scaffold one
another's learning through a powerful exchange ofideas. Groundwater- Smith and Dadds
(2004) argue for systematic practitioner enquiry undertaken as a collegial activity.
Similarly, Little (2004) advocates continuing professional development that is based on
work that is selfselected, suggesting that such self selection would create a sense of
ownership and collegiality which may lead to the development ofcommunities of mutual
inquiry. These ideas, however, may prove to be problematic in a context where teacher
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