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 18 - The Knowledge-Creating School Proudly Presents ...' - A School Community Sharing Its Story

Abstract

This chapter describes how a school community that became aware of its know-how, disseminates its knowledge to others outside the school, and does this as if performing a play in the theatre: with a strong sense of belonging and a scenario. A case study of several months was conducted revealing that the school frequently undertakes dissemination activities for neighbouring schools, regional and nation-wide school networks, intermediates and researchers. School documents, observations and interviews with school leaders, (assistant) teachers and students show that the process of dissemination is regulated by a scenario of fixed activities and lines, role divisions, and a strong sense of community. The case study illustrates two future trends of schools acting as communities: (1) the redefinition of roles and tasks in the school, and (2) the increased visibility of the school in its expanding network.

Authors

Bregje de Vries
Jules Pieters