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

is also provided ofthe methodological challenge of gaining access and acceptance in a
South African education research context.
The study examines how the essential tension in teacher professional development,
namely, that ofcurriculum development and deepening subject matter knowledge is
managed in a teacher learning community ofnovice Economic and Management
Sciences teachers. It reveals the potential that a learning community framework has for
teacher learning through different levels ofparticipation, and points to the importance of
the input ofan outside expert, particularly during the early stages of development of a
community ofteacher learners who lack subject content knowledge. It argues that
teacher learning communities present a fruitful and viable alternative to the current
'deficit' models ofteacher development that typify the present South African teacher
development scenario, as teacher learning communities suggest a conceptual
reorientation ofthe discourse on teacher development.
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