Teacher learning in communities of practice: The affordances of co‐planning for novice and veteran teachers' learning

Abstract

AbstractCollaborative reflective inquiry in teacher communities of practice (CoP) supports their professional situated learning. However, the CoP model entails at least three limitations and challenges for teacher learning: novice teachers can seldom act as legitimate peripheral participants since they are obliged to do the same work that veterans do; veterans' learning is neglected since they are expected to teach the novices; and power dynamics between veterans and novices may constrain the group's reflective inquiry and, consequently, its learning. In this case‐study, we explore the dynamics between veteran and novice science teachers in a purposefully sampled case of three teachers engaged in collaborative planning in a professional development community. We examine the implications of these dynamics for the group's reflective inquiry, using linguistic ethnographic micro‐analytic methods to analyze audio‐ and video‐recordings of the planning session. The findings demonstrate how in a collaborative planning context, legitimate peripheral participation is afforded, thereby mitigating face threats and supporting learning for both novice and veteran teachers. The study highlights the unique affordances of collaborative planning for science teachers' reflective inquiry, advancing our understanding of the social dimension of teacher learning. This study contributes to the fields of teacher learning in CoPs and teacher planning.