Learning as Participation in
Communities of Practice
João Filipe Matos
University of Lisbon
Version without photos
A word on Learning
…learning is what humans do all the
time…
J. Lave & E. Wenger, 1991
E. Wenger, 1998
W. Roth, 1998
E. Wenger, R. McDermott & W.
Snyder, 2002
C. Linehan & J. McCarthy, 2001
F. Nickols, 2000
L. Bird, 2001
CoP framework
as a tool to analyse learning
as a tool to cultivate and develop
CoP
as a tool to create conditions for
(specific) learning to occur
Learning…
…not as the acquisition of knowledge
…but as being situated in forms of coparticipation
…instead of asking “which types of
cognitive processes and which type
of conceptual structures are involved
in learning?”
…the key question is “which types of
social practice offer contexts in which
(specific) learning takes place?”
1. Learning as a social enterprise
relational character of knowledge and
learning
negotiated character of meaning
and identity
engaged nature of learning
Situated doesn’t mean
particular
concrete
abstract vs concrete ?
think of a cat…
… think of mother
- learning occurs within social
practices
- cognition is socially shared among
members of a group
- knowledge exists within
communities in which people
participate
2. Learning and social practice
…learning as participation in
communities of practice
…learning as an integral part of social
practices
Community of Practice
domain
practice
community
Participation in CoP
creates a
common
ground
not a fix
set of
problems
creates a sense of
a common identity
domain
evolving
field
explicit
ideas
frameworks
regulations
information
practice
tools
stories
styles
language
documents
images
symbols
criteria
tacit
implicit
relations
ideas
conventions
practice
subtle cues
specific perceptions
shared world views
Practice, as the source of coherence of a
community, includes dimensions of:
mutual
engagement
a shared
repertoire
a joint
enterprise
doing things together
sustaining practice
engaged diversity
mutual
engagement
negotiation
mutual accountability
rythms
a joint
enterprise
stories
artifacts
styles
historical events
concepts
discourses
a shared
repertoire
Practice as the source of coherence of a
community
mutual
engagement
a shared
repertoire
a joint
enterprise
The idea of Participation in CoP
participation as metaphor…
…or much more
Do you see what I mean?
Metaphor:
Understanding Is Seeing
acquisition
individual
enrichment
acquisition of
knowledge
receptor,
consumer,
constructor
participation
Aims?
building a
community
Learning?
becoming a
participant
Person?
participant,
learner
acquisition
provider,
facilitator
property,
goods
participation
Teacher?
Knowledge?
to have
Knowing?
expert,
participant
aspect of
social practice
to belong, to
participate
Participation…
…describes the social experience of living in the
world in terms of membership to communities
and active involvement in social enterprises
…participation in social communities
shapes our experience and it shapes
those communities…
Participation…
… and reification
participation and reification are a
duality…
…do not substitute for each other
CoP are living entities
with proper life
emerging and evolving
Is it possible to setup and cultivate
CoP?
membership involves facilities of
modes of belonging to CoP:
facilities of
engagement
facilities of
facilities of
imagination
alignment
facilities of
engagement
competence
mutuality
continuity
mutuality
Interactional facilities
joint tasks defined
allowing peripherality
competence
Space to take initiative
accountability
the right tools
continuity
participatory memory
reificative memory
facilities of
imagination
reflection
orientation
exploration
facilities of
alignment
coordination
convergence
Is there a downside of CoP?
The domain
… and the temptations of ownership
The community
… or too much of a good thing
cliques, egalitarism, dependence,
satratification, disconnectedness,
localism,…
The practice
… or the liabilities of competence
documentism, amnesia, dogmatism,
mediocraty, …
Type of
organization
functional
Dominant
structure
Functional
division
Project-based Project team
Knowledge
based
Advantage
?
Disadvantage
?
Concentratio
n of expertise
under
hierarchical
control
Focus on
specialities
rather than on
needs and
opportunities
agility
Short term
focus on
tasks, much
learning is
lost
Competing
priorities for
people who
belong to
Community of integration
practice
Learning reflects our participation in communities of
practice. If learning is a matter of engagement in
socially defined practices, the communities that share
these practices play an important role in shaping
learning. The communities that matter are not always
the most easily identifiable, because they often remain
informal.
E. Wenger,1996, Heathcare Forum Journal, 39 (4)
…from human capital
…to social capital
Coffee, please…
Working groups
- select a topic for reflection (e.g. teacher
education, leadership, …)
- in the following questions, replace <fill in>
by the topic chosen
- discuss them under the CoP framework
- try to reach consensus and produce a 5
lines summary (transparency)
How to approach <fill in> from a political,
cultural and social perspective within the
framework of situated learning in CoP?
How central/peripheral is participation of
teachers / others in <fill in>? How essential is
this for promoting quality in education?
How does <fill in> relate to quality in
education? How does it relate to school /
educational / organizations and settings? How
can CoP framework help here?