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Characteristics of communities of practice: Would the real community of practice stand up!

Guenther, John Ch. and Falk, Ian H. (2006). Characteristics of communities of practice: Would the real community of practice stand up!. In: AVETRA 9th Annual Conference, Wollongong, NSW, .

Document type: Conference Paper
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Author Guenther, John Ch.
Falk, Ian H.
Title Characteristics of communities of practice: Would the real community of practice stand up!
Conference Name AVETRA 9th Annual Conference
Conference Location Wollongong, NSW
Conference Publication Title Proceedings of AVETRA 9th Annual Conference: “Global VET: Challenges at the Global, National and Local Levels”
Place of Publication Crows Nest, NSW
Publisher AVETRA
Publication Year 2006
Total Pages 11
HERDC Category E1 - Conference Publication (DIISR)
Abstract This paper presents findings of research into teachers’ vocational learning using professional development experiences
in two schools in Darwin, Northern Territory. Part of the Northern Territory government’s ‘Building better schools’ initiative
is about establishing Communities of Practice they call ‘Professional Learning Communities’ (PLCs) to enable teachers to
develop and share models of best practice through Territory-wide communities of practice. The paper explores teachers’
perceptions of professional development (PD) in terms of what is effective for them. It attempts to determine whether
these professional learning experiences include elements of professional learning communities. It therefore informs the
discussion around the implementation of the ‘Building better schools’ initiative and for the theory and practice of the
research about communities of practice by providing an indication of the breadth of PD experiences of staff and their
likely acceptance of PLC models. For perhaps the first time ever, evidence is presented for the scope and nature of the
characteristics that differentiate traditional models from PLC models, which may then be used as benchmarks for assessing
the ‘fit’ of programs that may be recommended for funding. There are implications for the professional development of VET
staff as well as for national and state policy bodies concerned with the effectiveness of PD in enabling change.
Additional Notes Paper #44
Description for Link Link to conference paper
URL http://avetra.org.au/ABSTRACTS2006/PA%200044.pdf
 
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