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

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However, Jessop (1997:40) maintains that: Arguably, qualitative methods are more sensitive to the nuances and texture of complex social realities than the scientific method. This is linked to their reliance on textual sources of data, which are more inclined to open up shades ofmeaning than numbers. Qualitative methods are also particularistic in intent rather than universally generalisable to other contexts, as is in the case with most quantitative research. My research study was certainly rooted in an interpretative, qualitative paradigm, as this approach was more likely to provide opportunities to discover meanings and realities and rich tones and shades ofthe research context. Qualitative research affords a better means ofreflecting social reality than quantitative research. Qualitative researchers are interested in meaning, that is, how people make sense oftheir lives, what they experience, how they interpret their experiences and how they structure their social world (Merriam 1988). Interpretivist research assumes that human action is inherently meaningful. In order to understand a particular social action, it is important for the researcher to grasp the meanings that constitute that action. Human action has a certain intentional content that suggests the kind ofaction that it is. The meaning ofan action can only be grasped in terms ofthe systems ofmeanings to which it belongs (Schwandt 2003). Lincoln and Guba (1985) coined the term 'naturalistic inquiry'. The following are the key features ofthis approach: • The context influences the phenomena under study. Phenomena under study can only be understood in relationship to the time and context that spawned the said phenomena. This implies that research takes place in a natural setting, that is, where the phenomena actually occurred. These settings are not contrived but occur naturally. The researcher should be aware ofthe various meanings that may exist in a given context. The aim ofresearch in a natural setting is to get a real feel for the 'vibe' and ethos ofthe research site. 71
• It places value on the researcher as a research instrument. The researcher is at the heart ofthe research process. She chooses the research project, fashions the design and is centrally involved in data analysis and interpretation. It requires that the researcher be flexible, responsive, adaptable and have very well developed interpretative skills in order to be regarded as an 'authentic' research instrument. It becomes evident then, that objectivity in the positivist sense has no place in this concept. It is in fact replaced by notions offairness, trustworthiness and credibility. Qualitative research is essentially a value-laden exercise where the researcher and the researched are very closely intertwined. Walford (2001) reminds us that even in the scientific paradigm the researched are influenced by the researcher. Jessop (1997) notes that the implication ofthe observer's paradox is that by observing a particular phenomenon that very phenomenon undergoes change and it brings into question whether a researcher can ever be able to operate in a completely natural setting. • Qualitative research methods include the use ofinterviews, observations, document study, journal writing and case studies. Walford (2001) and Anderson (1999) argue that qualitative methods are more sensitive to the tinges and shades ofcomplex social realities than the scientific method. The use oftextual sources ofdata lends itself to rich and varied interpretations and meanings. It offers profound understandings ofthe world. Qualitative research by its very nature does not make claims to wide generalisations to other contexts as opposed to claims made by most quantitative research. On the contrary, qualitative research is often located in the small distinctive worlds ofhumans and society and rooted in the lives ofpeople in particular contexts. • The notion of an emergent design. Qualitative research enquiry is not predictable. This stems from the fact that the focus is on human interactions and the contextual richness ofthis kind ofresearch. The indeterminate and uncertain nature of these social and contextual factors does not warrant a fixed and rigid research design. Walford (2001:1) confirms this 'indeterminate and uncertain' notion in qualitative 72
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Teacher Learning in a Community of
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ABSTRACT Conceptualising teacher le
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DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated
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DECLARATION I, Suriamurthee Moonsam
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ASSOCIATED CONCEPTS UNDER STUDY WIT
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Observation ofJohn's teaching after
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A SYNTHESIS OF THE STUDy...........
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TEMS RNCS EMS GET DoE INSET ELRC SA
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In describing the subject-pedagogy
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teachers lacked content knowledge r
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acknowledges the importance and pec
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some formal Mathematics teacher edu
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study, the coordination functions w
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It foregrounds the fact that the co
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school. Higher education opportunit
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frame models for projecting future
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teacher education by the state, (as
Page 35 and 36: schools, classrooms, management and
Page 37 and 38: Although the Teacher Audit indicate
Page 39 and 40: One ofthe first curriculum reform i
Page 41 and 42: entrenched design feature of C2005,
Page 43 and 44: In Chapter Five, I set up a narrati
Page 45 and 46: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 INTRODUCTION
Page 47 and 48: As indicated in the previous chapte
Page 49 and 50: This view is supported by Putman an
Page 51 and 52: Learning is social in nature (Putma
Page 53 and 54: Constant reflection on and understa
Page 55 and 56: Teachers drew on their membership i
Page 57 and 58: The above arguments about the lack
Page 59 and 60: change. She highlights the importan
Page 61 and 62: Differences in the cultures oflearn
Page 63 and 64: persons and is not considered solel
Page 65 and 66: and offers insights into how learni
Page 67 and 68: America. Goodson (1992) and Calderh
Page 69 and 70: learned meaning and value for them
Page 71 and 72: 'accommodation' and intimates that
Page 73 and 74: staffroom and a 'pragmatic' teacher
Page 75 and 76: Davisson (1984), Lumsden and Scott
Page 77 and 78: directive in that it guides choices
Page 79 and 80: economic discourse, the economics p
Page 81 and 82: • Understand and promote the impo
Page 83 and 84: 2.7 CONCLUSION This chapter began b
Page 85: (Walford 2001; Anderson 1999). With
Page 89 and 90: The main research question in this
Page 91 and 92: Lave and Wenger emphasise the centr
Page 93 and 94: 3.3.2 The Work ofWenger (1998): Com
Page 95 and 96: agree with the way it takes place o
Page 97 and 98: Figure 3.3: Refined intersection of
Page 99 and 100: eflecting. The ability of a communi
Page 101 and 102: object to something that in reality
Page 103 and 104: practice is not just an aggregate o
Page 105 and 106: system or institution and the influ
Page 107 and 108: 3.3.2.4 Learning Practice has to be
Page 109 and 110: new possibilities for meaning. Brok
Page 111 and 112: These characteristics indicate that
Page 113 and 114: engage with one another and acknowl
Page 115 and 116: A structural model ofa community of
Page 117 and 118: who were regarded as peripheral. A
Page 119 and 120: Ideally I would have wanted teacher
Page 121 and 122: they represent key ingredients in s
Page 123 and 124: that the Wenger framework presents
Page 125 and 126: more useful and effective than part
Page 127 and 128: 3.6 CONCLUSION This chapter provide
Page 129 and 130: • While my professional input int
Page 131 and 132: • Cycle ofhypothesis and theory b
Page 133 and 134: observer played themselves out. A c
Page 135 and 136: organised events and linked communi
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In keeping with ethnographic princi
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In this qualitative study, my inter
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collection. He questions whether co
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physical context, the complex body
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completed, final text: rather, they
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the teacher over classroom events (
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'connoisseurship'. I realised that
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In this study, the criteria for the
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In Chapter One I described the sequ
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tactic by indicating to research pa
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On the occasions that I delivered b
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"Confidentiality involves a clear u
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were cordial and professional. The
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CHAPTER FIVE HOW HAD TEACHER LEARNI
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individual participants changed dif
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He received his schooling under the
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school regularly updated the books
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gone on to become really wealthy. I
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John noted that in planning the cur
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Significant changes had thus occurr
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just transfer it. For example, bank
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Extract from the lesson: John: Pupi
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schoolwork as 'economic work'. This
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John: Now we are not looking at thi
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cardboard and drawing or sticking i
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John: Now I want you to remember wh
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John succeeded in drawing on the sp
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at her maths books to which the tea
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issues that his pupils were raising
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5.5 JOHN'S CHANGING PROFESSIONAL ID
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to achieve their joint enterprise o
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5.6 JOHN'S INCREASED PARTICIPATION
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John regarded the close interaction
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As stated earlier, because the 'con
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CHAPTER SIX USING WENGER'S CONSTRUC
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6.2 SECTION ONE AN ANALYSIS OF TEAC
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understanding it at all. I just don
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In the final interview that took pl
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MM: Shirley: learning outcomes and
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the little things like we started i
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understandings and conceptions ofth
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Extract from Mary's final interview
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Teachers were able to describe the
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The essential differences between D
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Debbie's school, Eden Primary was l
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what he's saying. And in that lesso
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they were excellent, really good. I
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Extract from first lesson observati
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out of the material that they had.
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largely recall, repetition or were
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Third extract from Debbie's second
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From the above extracts and discuss
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with a new set ofsubjects. Without
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was three kilometres away from the
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In the next extract, Ben referred t
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for making bread. The difficulty an
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T: P: T: P: T: P: T: Look again. Is
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stemmed from a discussion at the TE
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Key to the table A = Good/substanti
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was doing the budget and where they
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ofher school and the TEMS community
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Extract from Beth's final interview
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fox the invitations and arrange for
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Table 6.6: Teachers' learning in te
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CHAPTER SEVEN AN ANALYSIS OF TEACHE
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As we saw in Chapter Six, the core
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who did or did not want to become f
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The following extract offers a narr
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difficulties (ibid.). In the above
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A community moves from the potentia
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Cindy began the workshop with a tho
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oundaries" (Wenger et al 2002:97).
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7.4 AN ANALYSIS OF THE TEMS GROUP A
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necessary to learn what they needed
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Figure 7.2: Brokering relationships
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the group. Wenger (1998) notes that
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knowledge ofothers. It is therefore
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MM Shirley MM: Mary: MM: Mary Have
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The following extract from a worksh
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MM: Shirley: How many EMS workshops
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Table 7.2: Criteria for the emergen
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Soudien, a leading South African ac
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hand, adopts a 'narrow' perspective
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As mentioned earlier, Wenger's work
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literature review revealed that the
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Another important feature ofWenger'
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'Identity' namely, 'learning as bec
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(Hargreaves 1995). Teacher professi
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for the purposes ofprofessional dev
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teacher growth. CPD in Africa subsc
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knowledge of subject content is ser
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South Africa, due cognisance must b
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8.3.7 An arena for engaging and con
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the provision of appropriate profes
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level conceptual thinking". They wa
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Collaboration within teacher learni
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has for teacher learning in a South
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Bourdieu, P. (1986) The Forms ofCap
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Department ofEducation (2002) Revis
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Homan, R. (2002) The principle of i
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Mattson, L. (2000) Teacher identiti
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Smylie, M.A., Bay, M. & Tozer, S.E.
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Westheimer,1. (1998) Among schoolte
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APPENDIX 2 INTERVIEW SCHEDULES (INI
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2. What information have you been g
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APPENDIX 3 EXAMPLE OF JOURNAL ENTRI
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APPENDIX 5 EXAMPLE OF INDEPENDENT O
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