Landscapes of practice in medical education

Abstract

Sociocultural learning theories play an important part in medical education. When Etienne Wenger-Trayner described 'communities of practice' oriented around three common features (mutual engagement, joint enterprise, shared repertoire), his approach was enthusiastically embraced across a range of fields, including those of

Boundary learning environments in landscapes of practice

“…In this issue of Medical Education , Nathan Hodson 1 discusses ‘landscapes of practice,’ a sociocultural theory of learning proposed by Wenger‐Trayner et al 2 . Landscapes of practice theory is an extension of the frequently cited communities of practice theory and describes how learners traverse landscapes comprised of multiple communities of practice, and in the process cross boundaries, acquire knowledge and develop professional identities.…”

“…Landscapes of practice theory is an extension of the frequently cited communities of practice theory and describes how learners traverse landscapes comprised of multiple communities of practice, and in the process cross boundaries, acquire knowledge and develop professional identities. Hodson 1 points to the imperative inherent in landscapes of practice: that learners spend time at community boundaries to enhance their own learning and, in turn, to enrich their communities. In this commentary, we consider how the boundary experiences of residents in clinical workplaces might shape learning and professional identity formation.…”

“…These include an ability to adapt to new environments and styles of practice, greater comfort with stressful situations, better organisational and decision‐making skills and flexibility 4 . Thus, learners develop knowledgeability, the capacity to bring the relevant practical knowledge to situations in practice 1 …”

“…Hodson 1 notes that the landscapes of practice concept does not escape the critique levelled at communities of practice theory of presenting an idealised vision of learning in and between communities. Negative aspects of crossing multiple community boundaries in the ‘grand tour’ of postgraduate training include heightened levels of stress, anxiety, frustration and fear for a period following each transition, with associated effects on communication, well‐being, decision making and management of day‐to‐day tasks.…”

“…A supportive clinical learning environment that includes a warm welcome, appropriate induction and attentive supervision is key to ensuring that this potentially productive learning period is realised. Hodson’s paper 1 points to a need to inquire further into how learners can be supported to develop knowledgeability in this context.…”