Use of Community of Practice Dimensions in Community-Based Teacher Professional Development

Abstract

The role of communities of practice (CoPs) in teacher professional development (TPD) is increasingly recognized. CoPs help teachers in a cohort to reflect on their practices, develop new skills and find motivation through mutual collaboration. With the affordances provided by Web technologies, the potentiality of online CoPs as a means of improving (TPD) has become a reality and is gaining popularity as the flexibility provided help teachers improve their instructional practices. The Online Continuing Professional Development for Teachers (e-CPDelT) project aimed to develop three online CoPs; that is, English, Mathematics and Science communities among twenty Malaysian Smart school teachers. This paper examined the key CoP dimensions, as expounded in Wenger's (1998) framework, and investigated their use in the English cohort's TPD. The findings revealed that although key CoP dimensions were present, several factors inhibited teachers' participation in the community. It can be implied that it is crucial to consider these factors in developing online CoPs for teachers in Malaysia.

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“…In order not to lose face, participants may adopt an avoidance strategy when teachers are watching. This finding correlates with the findings in Murugaiah et al (2016) as they reported that Malaysian students decreased their online participation to avoid potential conflicts and to save face. However, effective learning sometimes involves risk-taking, which requires students to shoulder more responsibilities and teachers to empower students with space to grow in learning (Carless, 2012).…”

“…In a high-context and collectivistic culture, individuals tend to use more indirect, mutual face-saving behavior in communication (Murugaiah, Thang, Azman & Nambiar, 2016). In order not to lose face, participants may adopt an avoidance strategy when teachers are watching.…”

Comunidades em processos formativos de professores de ciências

“…Lave e Wenger (1991apud GUDOLLE et al, 2012) assumem a aprendizagem como algo que surge da participação dos sujeitos em comunidades de prática e a caracterizam com três critérios: Domínio, onde a comunidade é formada de pessoas com um interesse e dedicação compartilhada em relação a uma prática; Comunidade, onde os membros realizam atividades conjuntas, discutem, se ajudam, compartilham informações; Prática, pois não se trata apenas de interesse por um tópico, mas na dedicação empregada no realizar atividades naquela área. Notamos que, apesar da Comunidade de Prática não estar estritamente relacionada com o contexto educacional, o seu campo teórico está registrado em estudos sobre a formação de professores (MURUGAIAH et al, 2016).…”