Connect to Learn: Assemblage of Pedagogies in Higher Education in a Community of Practice

Elaine Fournier,Immaculate Namukasa,Mina Sedaghatjou

doi:10.18357/otessaj.2021.1.2.10

Abstract

In this paper, we report on the ways in which technology and scholarship of pedagogy emerge as interconnected within a technology-facilitated community of practice (CoP), for educators within various Faculties of Education in North American universities. The goal of the Community of Practice is to connect with and learn from one another, discussing, and reflecting on different types of pedagogical practices among members who teach in both graduate and teacher education programs in the onsite, blended, and online environments. We share analysis of interviews, and notes from CoP members’ feedback; how the CoP members made sense of their diverse teaching and social learning landscapes as well as emergent joint meanings. The results of the study suggest that the assemblage of new ideas and pedagogies can be enhanced by a relational trust. A highlighted role of technology in enabling communication and collaboration among CoP members is also discussed through the lens of connectivism.

Highlights

Professional learning opportunities in higher education have been impacted in an era of neoliberal management that highly values individualism (Apple, 2006; Rigas & Kuchapski, 2016; Thorsen, 2010)
The following is an excerpt from the reflective narrative shared by one member of the Communities of Practice (CoP): As an educator who straddles both the academic and practical world, my actions are driven by my belief in the vital importance of bridging the divide between theory and practice
Each of the participants in this study was passionate about the pedagogies that they enact with their students and while the pedagogies themselves may differ, a unifying bond tied each of these diverse individuals together: their desire to connect and learn

Summary

Introduction

Professional learning opportunities in higher education have been impacted in an era of neoliberal management that highly values individualism (Apple, 2006; Rigas & Kuchapski, 2016; Thorsen, 2010). To enhance the quality of teaching in higher education, faculty members sometimes participate and connect in professional development settings such as those happening in Communities of Practice (CoP). Soto et al found that participation in a technology-facilitated lesson study built professional relationships and solidified their community of practice. Williams, Ritter, and Bullock (2012) found that the aim of a CoP was to strengthen the performance of experienced faculty members and to support new instructors’ practice. 295) That is to say, technology could be used as a medium to enhance instructional practices through the evolution of pedagogies and to learn in a variety of ways including communities of practice and personal networks (Siemens, 2005) A CoP is not always held in person because collaborators with common interests are not always located at the same physical location. Conole and Dyke (2004) envisioned that “the communication and collaborative abilities of technology [offer] the potential for [community] learning enriched by engagement” (p. 117) and “supporting the community rather than practice itself.” (p. 295) That is to say, technology could be used as a medium to enhance instructional practices through the evolution of pedagogies and to learn in a variety of ways including communities of practice and personal networks (Siemens, 2005)

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Conclusion