The study provides a critique of the feasibility and appropriateness of using Wenger's framework for analyzing a teacher learning community. AN ANALYSIS OF TEMS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT USING WENGER ET AL'S FIVE PHASES OF.
LIST OF ACRONYMS
CHAPTER ONE AN OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH
INTRODUCTION Day and Sachs contend that
The challenge becomes more complex in a teacher development program when teachers have limited or no knowledge of the subject they are expected to teach. The above discussion has special significance for the teachers involved in the TEMS (Teaching Economic and Management Sciences) teacher training program.
ORIGINS, RATIONALE AND PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
- Origins of the study
- Rationale for the study
- Relationship between the TEMS study and the PLESME study
- Statement of purpose
- The scope of the study
- Contribution of this study
In this chapter, I present the purpose, scope, and rationale of this study, which explores the nature of teacher learning in the TEMS program. We believed that the study would enhance our understanding of teacher development in the South African context.
THE SOUTH AFRICAN TEACHER DEVELOPMENT LANDSCAPE POST 1994: A BRIEF OVERVIEW
- A brief note on Curriculum 2005 (C2005)
One of the first initiatives of the national DoE was to commission a national teacher education review. In 1997, the Higher Education Act made all teacher education programs part of the higher education system.
PREVIEW OF CHAPTERS TO FOLLOW
Chapter seven provides an analysis of the TEMS community in terms of Wenger's fourth component of learning, namely community. Community membership is discussed using the terms "core" and "periphery". It concludes with an analysis of the TEMS community in terms of the extent to which the community agreed on the notions of "common repertoire", "mutual cooperation" and "joint enterprise".
CONCLUSION
CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW
A situative conception of teacher learning
The literature on teacher learning has been gathered primarily from studies conducted in the United States. Research by Lieberman (1988), Westheimer (1998), and McLaughlin and Talbert (2001) also suggests that such learning communities have great potential for teacher learning.
Distributed cognition and the essential tension in learning communities An important element in the situative perspective on learning is the notion of 'distributed
Issues of distributed cognition and the underlying tension in learning communities are central to this study. The above discourse also highlights the essential tension in learning communities, namely that between curriculum development and deepening subject knowledge.
BROAD TRENDS IN CLASSROOM RESEARCH SINCE THE 1960S A central question that this research study attempts to answer concerns how teachers who
Reflection on the research on teaching since the 1960s therefore reveals a continuous change in the perspectives on the role and identity of the teacher. This view was changed in the 1970s with teachers being seen as victims of the context in which they operate. Teachers develop a range of strategies that constantly change depending on the nature of the situation.
The next section explores the field of economics education by focusing on the nature of the field and the pedagogy associated with it. The discussion that arises therefore provides an explanation of the literature in the field of economic education.
IMPLICATIONS OF THE LITERATURE FOR TIDS STUDY
CONCLUSION
CHAPTER THREE
MY THEORETICAL POSITION AND AN INTRODUCTION TO WENGER'S THEORETICAL/CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF WENGER'S SOCIAL PRACTICE THEORY OF LEARNING
- Domain
- Community
Learning is a way of being and of changing participation and identity within a community of practice. The ability of a community of practice to be reflective will influence the type of learning the community will undertake. The kind of cohesion that turns mutual commitment into a community of practice requires collective effort.
The success of a community of practice depends on the energy that the community generates and the distributed internal leadership. The TEMS teacher development project was designed on the premise that teacher participation in a community of practice would enhance teacher learning.
HOW I DEVELOPED MY PERSPECTIVE OR 'THEORY' OF TEACHER LEARNING AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE TEMS MODEL FOR
The teachers' daily practice and their efforts to engage in the teaching of EMS was an important part of the curriculum for the teachers' learning in the TEMS project. From a situational perspective, the curriculum for teachers' learning will support an ongoing examination of ideas presented in the new Revised National. However, the main goal of the project was to develop professional knowledge within the EMS learning area.
I hypothesized that teachers' motivation for learning lies in the development and maintenance of teachers' identities as learners and learners in the TEMS project. The Teacher Learning Curriculum has been developed based on the needs of teachers as expressed by teachers and as observed by me in relation to the proposals in the new revised National Curriculum Statement for EMS.
APPLYING WENGER'S SOCIAL PRACTICE THEORY OF LEARNING
Wenger's model of a community of practice offers an account of learning based on the formation of a group-referenced identity. The social approach to learning presented by Wenger is at the expense of an analysis of the way in which individual members of a community of practice learn. The challenge then is to theorize a model that integrates individual members' learning into a community of practice.
From Wenger's framework is a 'community of practice' perspective on 'teaching' and its implications for conventional approaches to teaching. The implication of this perspective is that the focus of analysis shifts from the master as teacher to the organization of the community of practice resources.
CONCLUSION
CHAPTER FOUR RESEARCH DESIGN
INTRODUCTION
THEORETICAL PRINCIPLES THAT INFORMED THE RESEARCH DESIGN
A qualitative interpretive position rejects the assumption of an objective, external reality that exists independently of the researcher. It means that the researcher values the views, perspectives, opinions, prejudices and beliefs of the participants she is studying in a non-judgmental way. The researcher must be able to 'get out of the way' and act only as an 'information broker'.
Through a judicious blending of empirical experience, systematic activity and appropriate theory, the ethnographer hopes to construct a coherent theory that draws the reader into a deeper understanding and richer appreciation of the people studied (Walford 2001:7). Although the above seven characteristics are not intended to provide a complete definition of ethnography, they do indicate the more specific focus of ethnography compared to the characteristics of qualitative research in general.
THE COHERENCE OF METHODOLOGY AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Researchers essentially become part of and help shape the environments in which they study teacher learning:. As researchers trying to understand what teachers know and how they learn, we need to be especially mindful of the support and guidance we provide. This issue is important when individuals take on the multiple roles of researcher and teacher teacher. University participants can bring to these communities the attitude and modes of critical and reflective discourse that are important norms within the academic community.
Teachers, in tum, can bring craft knowledge about pedagogical practices, their own students, and the cultural and instructional contexts of their classrooms to such discourse communities (Putman and Borko 2000:9). The next section deals with the different methods used in the research study.
RESEARCH DESIGN
- The TEMS community as the empirical field
- Data collection
For this reason, the school was successful in securing sponsorship, which enabled it to provide its students with a daily meal. Just before the school break, class observers went to the school kitchen (a classroom with a stove) to collect buckets of soup and loaves of bread for each class. The students enjoyed holding their slices of bread and cups of soup in their hands as they played around the school.
The school was surrounded by a high fence with barbed wire at the top of the fence. The school secretary was ideally positioned with a view of the school gate, which she could open electronically from her seat.
METHODS
- Interviews
- About observation
- Sampling
- Triangulation
- Reflexivity
Interviewers must be aware of the need to show understanding, respect, interest and attention during interviews (Woods 1996). The views of the interviewee are considered to have lasting significance, which must be recorded for future analysis. During the interview I used a series of prompts and probes to clarify the meaning of the answers.
This process allowed me to reflect on the interview process and begin preliminary analysis of the interview data. In quantitative research, the validity of the study depends on how rigorous the sampling procedures are.
INTO THE FIELD
- Initial access
- About reciprocal relationships
- About Informed consent, confidentiality, blockages and break-thronghs
Establishing and maintaining a relationship with key gatekeepers was critical to the success of the research study. I 'donated' a large number of books from the University Library to each of the participating schools. If researchers cannot find convincing benefits of a research study, then the study should not be conducted (Walford 2001).
In developing relationships with teachers and principals, I had to consider the power relations that existed between principals and their teachers. I was aware of the need to be polite, courteous and patient when dealing with the school secretary.
EXITING THE FIELD -TERMINATING FIELDWORK
The research participants I contacted in 2002 facilitated access to all participating schools. The letter stated the purpose of the study, the confidentiality and anonymity that the schools and teachers would enjoy, and a promise that my presence would cause minimal disruption to the schools' programs (see Appendix 5). Each teacher also received a similar letter outlining his or her role in the research project (start date, duration, interview procedures, classroom observations, and workshop participation) (see Appendix 1).
This includes time in the field, for analysis, theory development, and writing and publishing research reports. Most importantly, I had collected data of sufficient quality to address the research questions I had set out to pursue.
CONCLUSION
My decision to end the fieldwork in this research study was based on the fact that the data collection had largely proceeded according to my original data collection plan.
CHAPTER FIVE
HOW HAD TEACHER LEARNING OCCURRED? CONSTRUCTING A WEBERIAN STYLE 'IDEAL TYPE'
INTRODUCTION
John noted that when planning the curriculum, his school was careful to look at the needs of the school and the needs of the community. His school conducted a needs survey to determine the needs of the school and the community. MM: In terms of the outcomes, you are more familiar with the outcomes for EMS.
This narrow conception of EMS has evolved into a more sophisticated understanding of the learning domain. The discussion above demonstrates John's changing ability to make sense of the new EMS curriculum.
JOHN'S CHANGING PRACTICE
It was clear that John's own misunderstanding of the economic perspective of 'work' resulted in his literal, everyday presentation. It was clear that such matters had not occurred to John in his lesson planning. During the post-lesson observational reflection session, John explained that he had chosen that option because the purpose of the lesson had been to establish the price-quantity relationship embodied in the concept of demand.
In the next part of the lesson, John began to engage the students in the question of how prices were set. John was able to use the students' answers to the questions on the worksheet to help students develop an understanding of the relationship between price and quantity.
JOHN'S CHANGING PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
It was particularly important to note that as a result of his involvement in the TEMS project he played an increasing role in EMS development at his school. The principal's recognition of John's contribution to his school is captured in the following extract from my journal. Later in the final interview, John explained how the TEMS project gave him the opportunity to express himself and refine his skills in speaking in a public forum.
In the post-interview discussion, John explained that he did not feel insecure about not knowing something and that he could rely on his colleagues to help make sense of what might not be clear to him. Here, John's learning in this community had enabled him to become a motivating and supportive peer, genuinely interested in the development of his colleagues.
