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
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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
