Developing communities of practice in practice: overcoming suspicion and establishing dialogue amongst primary school teachers in Antigua and Barbuda

Abstract

The increased accessibility to education in many developing countries in the Global South has inevitably posed challenges not only of increasing teacher supply but of improving the practices and the quality of those teachers already in post. In this paper, we consider some of the issues that have arisen in developing and upgrading the skills and expertise of practising experienced teachers, through the development of communities of practice in the Caribbean island state of Antigua and Barbuda. Working with schools and teachers in some of the most socio-economically disadvantaged catchment areas in the country, we have explored challenges and opportunities which emerged as we tried collaboratively to develop communities of practice in practice, as part of creating sustainable spaces for teachers’ professional development. Previously, opportunities for continuing professional development of teachers were limited, and the normal focus for classroom observations was inspectorial and monitoring; so ongoing classroom-based and school-based professional development, and researching practice in practice, have had to overcome suspicion and scepticism, and proceed with care and sensitivity. Findings to date show an impact at the whole school and classroom levels on ways in which teachers and school principals have begun to reflect more on their teaching styles and methods, and on the ways in which pupils think about their own learning.