Developing Communities of Praxis: Bridging the theory practice divide in teacher education

Abstract

Teacher education in universities is under pressure. In many new education policies there is a renewed focus on teacher quality, and therefore quality initial teacher education. In some countries this renewed focus has led to a resurgence of “alternative approaches” to teacher education such as Teach for America / Australia. One of the most persistent complaints about pre-service teacher education is that educational theory presented in these programs does not relate sufficiently to the real work of teachers. In an attempt to overcome these real or perceived divides, tertiary drama educators at the University of Sydney constructed a professional experience program based on both the community of practice model (Lave and Wenger, 1991) and Frierean notions of praxis (1972). The community of praxis approach emphasises the importance of integrating theory and practice to support the development of beginning teachers. This article outlines the development, implementation, and evaluation of this approach, including the reasoning behind its foundation and the theoretical and practical significance of such an approach for teacher-educators.La formation des enseignants au sein des universités est soumise à des pressions constantes. En effet, plusieurs nouvelles politiques éducationnelles réaffirment l’importance d’avoir des enseignants compétents et donc, une formation initiale des enseignants de qualité. Dans certains pays, le renouvellement de cet objectif a provoqué la réapparition « d’approches parallèles », telles que Teach for America / Australia, approches offrant une alternative à la formation des enseignants. Une des plaintes les plus tenaces à l’égard de leur formation est que les théories exposées au sein de ces programmes ne reflètent pas adéquatement la réalité professionnelle des enseignants. Afin de pallier à ce fossé réel ou perçu, des professeurs d’art dramatique en enseignement supérieur de l’Université de Sydney ont mis sur pied un programme d’expérience professionnelle en s’inspirant à la fois du modèle de la communauté de pratique (Lave et Wenger, 1991) et des notions de praxis de Friere (1972). L’approche de la communauté de pratique met l’accent sur l’importance d’intégrer la théorie et la pratique pour soutenir la formation des nouveaux enseignants. Cet article décrit le développement de la mise sur pied ainsi que l’évaluation de cette approche. Il explique également le raisonnement qui sous-tend sa création et la signification théorique et pratique d’une telle approche pour ceux qui forment les enseignants

Socialization Through (Online) Design: Moving into Online Critical Spaces of Learning

“…We concur with their emphasis on the term praxis rather than practice "in order to emphasize the essential continued interplay of theory, reflection, and action" (Reich, Levinson, & Johnston, 2011, p. 383). Anderson and Freebody (2012) also emphasize the praxis concept and add, "[The] community of praxis is … seeking to reconcile the theoretical work done in university settings with the practice of everyday classrooms" (p. 362-363). Both of these definitions of a praxis-based community of learners correspond to our understanding of oWL.…”

The work of university research administrators: Praxis and professionalization

“…Serendipity in becoming a research administrator, learning 'on the job', and uncertain career prospects were all mentioned. Praxis is suggested too, as the gaps in formal training are addressed by informal efforts at creating self-help groups or 'communities of praxis' (Anderson & Freebody, 2012).…”

“…For such initiatives to flourish, they need time, space, and trust (Mahon et al, 2019), which may be more readily available in some sites than others. According to Anderson and Freebody (2012), while communities of practice are forums for collective learning, there are also communities of praxis, with a greater emphasis on reflection and applying theory to practical situations. One such group, mentioned by Kathryn Richards, was made up of institutional researchers within a large university; another was a network of research administrators that Karen Douglas described:…”

In support of practice-based teacher professional learning

“…As a result, novice teachers have knowledge, that is not relevant to their teaching practice within their classroom; they "walk with lots of book knowledge, but little practical experience" (Gravett and Ramsaroop 2015, 136). Despite teachers being exposed to theories around teaching and learning, most teachers have difficulty in transposing these theories into practice, within their classroom context (Korthagen and Kessels 1999;Feiman-Nemser 2001;Kiggundu and Nayimuli 2009;Zeichner 2010;Anderson and Freebody 2012;Spaull 2013;Sayed et al 2018). According to Korthagen and Kessels (1999), when teacher education programmes emphasise theory without much reference to practice, teaching becomes procedural and routinised.…”