Community of Practice Among Faculty Team-Teaching Education Doctorate (Ed.D.) Students: A Reflective Study

10.28945/4775 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 379-393
Author(s):  
Christopher M Clark ◽  
Kate Olson ◽  
Ozge Hacifazlioglu ◽  
David L Carlson
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Team Teaching ◽  
Doctoral Programs ◽  
Compulsory Education ◽  
Identity Transformation ◽  
Reflective Study ◽  
Faculty Team ◽  
Practice Of Teaching

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of the study was to contribute to knowledge about the ways in which incorporating a Community of Practice into doctoral seminar teaching and course management could be a practical and sustainable path to professional development for doctoral faculty aspiring to become stewards of the practice of teaching. Background: This report documents a reflective self-study conducted by four professors engaged in a community of practice while team-teaching a linked pair of EdD seminars on action research at Arizona State University. Methodology: This reflective study used field notes and written reflections as its sources of data to examine how participants’ identities as professors of education changed during and after participating in a team-taught professional doctoral pair of courses. Contribution: An important goal of the community of practice was to promote faculty professional development as stewards of the practice of teaching. Engaging in disciplined reflection on teaching is uncommon in American graduate education and rarely documented in the literature of post-compulsory education. Findings: Analysis of post-hoc reflective accounts and contemporaneous notes revealed a general pattern of gradual transformation by the teaching team members. The professors moved from anxious concern about appearing competent to growing confidence and appreciation for the potential of a community of practice to provide significant professional benefits to students and faculty. Salutary features of reflective team teaching in a community of practice persist in participants’ subsequent teaching practice. Recommendations for Practitioners: Reported benefits include eagerness for team teaching, increased openness to pedagogical suggestions from peers, comfort with being observed by colleagues while teaching, and willingness to revise plans when initial plans and practices are not working effectively for students. Recommendation for Researchers: Data analysis and testimony support the claim that engaging in a CoP, in this case, did support their identity transformation as stewards of their own practice as instructors and professors of education. However, the study design does not support a claim that most or all future Communities of Practice in doctoral education will produce similar salutary results. Testing this proposition will require additional research in settings and programs different from the one represented here. Impact on Society: Implementing communities of practice in doctoral programs can make room for professional development for both the faculty team and for the students. Future Research: Further studies could be conducted to document the ways in which other communities of practice can be used to develop faculty instructors in masters and doctoral programs and in undergraduate education.

Case Studies from the Inquiry Learning Forum

2010 ◽  
pp. 42-59
Author(s):  
Rebecca Scheckler
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Inquiry Learning ◽  
Online Professional Development ◽  
Future Trends ◽  
Online Tool ◽  
Development Tool ◽  
Electronic Tool

Two intense case studies were done of teachers using the Inquiry Learning Forum (ILF), an online space for professional development in inquiry pedagogies. Major findings included: The ILF initially conceived as an online professional development tool in the form of a Community of Practice (COP) was reconceived as an electronic tool within a larger space that included the online tool but also many co-present spaces pertinent to a teacher’s practice of inquiry pedagogy. These case studies also demonstrated the transformative nature of teachers engaging in a COP. Not only is the teacher changed but also the COP is changed by the practice. The cases demonstrated the need for teachers to feel disequilibrium in their practice before they are willing to engage in change of those practices. Lastly immersion in practice described as The Pedagogy of Poverty hampered one teacher’s progress in the ILF. These findings are based upon my empirical observations with the backdrop of John Dewey’s Theory of Inquiry and of Etienne Wenger’s concept of communities of Practice. Future trends in using online COPs for professional development need to look at practice in these terms where allowance for transaction, support outside the electronic space, and disequilibrium are considered.

scholarly journals Building Effective Working Relationships among Academics through Participation in Communities of Practice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeola Folasade Akinyemi ◽  
Vuyisile Nkonki ◽  
Lulekwa Sweet-Lily Baleni ◽  
Florence Rutendo Mudehwe-Gonhovi
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
Working Relationships ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Common Agenda

This chapter addresses the significance and importance of communities of practice in the professional development of academics as university teachers. Its documents the role of communities of practice in enabling and enhancing the development of a professional knowledge base, the acquisition of skills, and competencies for effective teaching practice, as well as the dissemination of practical knowledge needed within a community of teaching practitioners. It provides details of how a community of practice comes into being, and how working relations within a community of practice are fostered. There is an elaboration on how members of a community of practice come to perceive their substantive issues the same way, and how a common agenda is formed around those issues. It also discusses peculiar ways of dealing with the identified issues, and the manner in which expertise, resources, resourcefulness and experiences are exchanged and shared with improvement, change and further development of academics’ teaching practices in sight.

Cooperative Learning through Communities of Practice

2012 ◽  
pp. 189-199
Author(s):  
Emilio Lastrucci ◽  
Angela Pascale
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Cooperative Learning ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Web Technologies ◽  
Working Environments ◽  
Mutual Engagement ◽  
Common Task ◽  
Traditional Training

A community made up of a group of individuals becomes a “community of practice” when a mutual engagement is established between its members. The mutual engagement unites the participants in the carrying out of a common task (Wenger, 1998). The main aim of a community of practice is to find the solution to a problem by sharing experiences (Midoro, 2002). This paper examines the definition, characteristics, management and effectiveness of communities of practice. They are understood as being communities of self-managed learning where professional development is not based on a pre-set training course but on sharing experiences, identifying best practices and helping each other face the daily problems encountered in one’s profession (Trentin, 2000). Such communities are useful in particular working environments as an opportunity to improve digital competences. In communities of practice, it is possible to encourage ways of co-building knowledge through teaching methods such as cooperative learning. Until now cooperative learning has been limited to traditional training contexts, but it can be realised via Web technologies.

scholarly journals Understanding the Dimensions of Identities and Its Impact Upon Member’s Participation in an Online Community of Practice

10.28945/4152 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 527-547
Author(s):  
Fariza Khalid
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Online Community ◽  
State Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Online Community Of Practice ◽  
The Way

Aim/Purpose: The study aims to explore the dimensions of identities in relation to an online community of practice (CoP) and how the dimensions of identities influence the way teachers behave on their online CoP. Background: One of the emerging approaches for teachers’ professional development is through a form of community of practice, through which teachers learn through collaboration and active learning. In line with the progression in technology, online communities of practice have been widely accepted as one of the possible approaches for teacher professional development that can enhance the opportunity for collaboration. Even though online CoPs provide a better platform for collaboration and sharing best practices among teachers, some issues lead to a failure of any online CoPs. Day, Sammons, Stobart, Kington, & Gu (2007) stress the importance of understanding the aspects of identities and their impact on how teachers perform and commit to any activities and that an understanding of teachers’ identities is central to any analysis of teachers’ effectiveness, work, and lives. Previous research, however, studied the aspects of identities in the perspectives of the development of their identities as teachers in the context of their daily interaction with significant others in face-to-face mode. However, there has been very little research that has focused on teachers’ identities in relation to their participation in online communities. The extent to which their identities influenced the way they interact, engage, and contribute to their online CoP is still debatable, although it was profoundly stated that identities play a great role in shaping teachers’ behavior in their offline CoPs. Taking this into account, this study aims to identify the dimensions of identities in an online CoP setting and how these identities influence their capacity to involve themselves in online sharing through communities of practice (CoPs). Methodology: This research employed a case study approach which involved 16 teachers from six high performing secondary schools. The selection of the participants was made through purposive sampling. Data was generated through in-depth one-to-one interviews. Data analysis was conducted using thematic analysis through which the emerging themes were carefully identified. Contribution: The study has successfully identified the dimensions of identities in relation to teachers’ participation in an online CoP, which adds to the current body of literature. The result of the study also illustrates how these dimensions of identities interrelated to each other that led to the teachers’ level of participation in an online CoP. Having an in-depth understanding about identities also would provide a better understanding of why the members reacted the way they did and, and how the dimension of identities plays a role in this. Findings: The result of the analysis indicates four main dimensions of identities, i.e., personal identities, professional identities, learner identities and member of the community’s identities. These dimensions were found to influence each other. Overall, there are seven factors seen as ‘immediate’ causes leading to the final outcome (participation in online CoPs), i.e., beliefs in the benefits of informal sharing activities, perceived importance of online sharing activities, perceived role in community, willingness to initiate discussions, willingness to respond, acceptance towards others’ comments, and beliefs in the benefits of online communities. Personal identities affected not only their jobs as teachers but also influenced their commitment towards their participation in the online CoPs in this project. Their prior knowledge and experience influenced teachers’ perceived competency in using online sharing applications. Their prior experience also impacted the way they perceived the benefits of online activities (teachers’ identities as learners) and their attitudes towards them. The findings indicate that different individuals had different sharing preferences, and the differences were partly driven by how they conceived of professional development as well as how they perceived themselves professionally. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study also indicates that to ensure the success of any online professional development for teachers, it is essential to take into consideration the aspect of endorsement by senior management, e.g., principals or coordinators from a district or state level. It is also critical for stakeholders to understand the working culture of teachers and their conception of professional development to ensure any new policies is in line with teachers’ identities. Recommendation for Researchers: The analysis in this study was developed by exploring the reasons behind the teacher’s behaviors. In the future, it will be more meaningful for new researchers to consider the dimensions of identities when they develop any online CoP. Future Research: This study was conducted using a qualitative approach. The emerging dimensions of identities can be used by future researchers as a basis to do quantitative research that covers a larger sample size, through which a generalization can be made. A causal network that was developed in this study can be tested using inferential statistics.

Teachers’ Engagement With Professional Development to Support Implementation of Meaningful Physical Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Stephanie Beni ◽  
Tim Fletcher ◽  
Déirdre Ní Chróinín
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Pedagogical Approach ◽  
Pedagogical Innovation

Purpose: The purposes of this research were to design a professional development (PD) initiative to introduce teachers to a pedagogical innovation—the Meaningful Physical Education (PE) approach—and to understand their experiences of the PD process. Method: Twelve PE teachers in Canada engaged in an ongoing PD initiative, designed around characteristics of effective PD, across two school years as they learned about and implemented Meaningful PE. Qualitative data were collected and analyzed. Findings: This research showed that teachers valued a community of practice and modeling when learning to implement Meaningful PE. While teachers were mostly favorable to the PD design, there were several tensions between ideal and realistic forms of PD. Discussion: This research offers support for several characteristics of effective PD to support teachers’ implementation of a novel pedagogical approach and highlights the need to balance tensions in providing forms of PD that are both effective and practical.

scholarly journals A Critical Review of the Use of Wenger's Community of Practice (CoP) Theoretical Framework in Online and Blended Learning Research, 2000-2014

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sedef Uzuner Smith ◽  
Suzanne Hayes ◽  
Peter Shea
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Integrative Research

After presenting a brief overview of the key elements that underpin Etienne Wenger’s communities of practice (CoP) theoretical framework, one of the most widely cited and influential conceptions of social learning, this paper reviews extant empirical work grounded in this framework to investigate online/blended learning in higher education and in professional development. The review is based on integrative research approaches, using quantitative and qualitative analysis, and includes CoP oriented research articles published between 2000 and 2014. Findings are presented under three questions: Which research studies within the online/blended learning literature made central use of the CoP framework? Among those studies identified, which ones established strong linkages between the CoP framework and their findings? Within this last group of identified studies, what do the patterns in their use of the CoP framework suggest as opportunities for future research in online teaching and learning?

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