Towards a ‘Community for Practice’—A Narrative Analysis of the Evolution of Higher Education Scholars

Abstract

In higher education (HE), collaborative activities that revolve around a core idea, practice, or knowledge base, such as learning circles, communities of practice or inquiry, peer observation, and peer-assisted teaching, are known to support professional learning. This paper explores the experiences of eight HE scholars from Australia and New Zealand, across four years, as they recognized a new means of collaborative professional development that transcends known approaches and extends beyond an immediate focal point. The group originally formed to support the development of HE fellowship applications, but evolved to what they now consider a community for practice (CfP), where the purpose of collaboration has changed to meet the unique learning needs of each member. During their four years of collaboration, meeting discussions were recorded, and individual and community narrative reflections about participation in the group were created. A thematic analysis of these collective data sources revealed the group’s evolution, and the authors draw on their experiences to tell their story with an aim to enhance professional learning in HE. The study highlights that individuals’ distinct and varied needs can be developed and supported through scholarly, collegial engagements such as a CfP, which does not necessarily require an immediate point of practice.

University Teaching as a Site for Professional Learning of Teacher Educators: The Role of Collaborative Inquiry and Reflection within a Professional Learning Community

“…When collaboration among academic staff has been studied, many benefits have been presented, such as the creation of new knowledge, the construction of a "common language" for learning, staff well-being in the workplace [5,9,18,19], as well as the construction of professional learning. Still, studies regarding PLCs mainly report on their evolution, their perceived outcomes, and the factors that affect these outcomes [18]. Some other studies focus on exploring participant satisfaction based on their engagement in a PLC [20].…”