Exploration of Specific Phenomena in Building a Community of Practice to Facilitate Teachers’ Development of Domain-Specific Expertise

• In Event: Notions of Context, Community, and Identity in Teacher Education

Abstract

This study aimed to explore specific phenomena in building a community that could be used productively in a professional development programme for teachers to foster the development of domain-specific expertise in teaching a context-based unit. A case study was conducted of a community consisting of six teachers guided by a coach. Data analysis, following a phenomenological approach, resulted in the identification of three phenomena regarding teachers’ engagement, the role of the coach and the interactions among the participants in the community. The results show that engaging teachers by deluding a ‘double purpose’, coach guidance towards exchanging teachers’ experiences, and the hierarchy in the interactions influenced teachers’ development. The implications of these results for designing a professional development programme are discussed.

Authors

• Ria Dolfing, Utrecht University

• Astrid Bulte, Utrecht University

• Albert Pilot, Utrecht University

• Jan Vermunt, University of Cambridge