Communities of Practice: Creating Learning Environments for Educators

Editors, Chris Kimble, Paul Hildreth and Isabelle Bourdon
Publisher, Information Age Publishing

As a two volume set:
Hard cover ISBN: 1593118678 , Soft cover ISBN: 159311866X

As separate volumes:
Hard Cover - Vol 1 ISBN: 1593118635 , Vol 2 ISBN: 1593118651
Soft Cover - Vol 1 ISBN: 1593118627 , Vol 2 ISBN: 1593118643


Volume 1, Chapter 12 - Adopting Communities of Practice as a Framework for Teacher Development

Abstract

This chapter reports on a study that aims to explore the potential effect of Communities of Practice (CoPs) as a framework for teacher learning and professional development. The Community of Practice (CoP) created among a group of primary school teachers for this study aimed at enhancing teachers' knowledge and perceptions of teaching English to young learners. The findings strongly suggest that a CoPs approach to teachers' professional development is more beneficial than the so-called traditional learning opportunities envisaged by many in-service teacher training models. It creates a powerful learning environment where teachers can find opportunities to share, cooperate, understand, and support each other; become aware of their weaknesses and strengths; and enhance their perceptions of Teaching English to Young Learners through collaborative, dialogic and reflective learning.

Authors

Rana Yildirim