Literature Review: Communities of Practice (07-15-06)
Educational leaders have become increasingly aware of the critical role communities of practice play in their efforts to provide effective leadership. What does the concept communities of practice mean and why do we need to understand its impact on our teachers and schools? The notion of communities of practice was first used by researchers to describe the way meaning was negotiated and reflected upon within the practices of specific occupational groups such as architects, journalists, physicians, and performing artists (Brown & Duguid, 1991; Lave & Wenger, 1991). Wenger (1998) defines communities of practice as a matter of sustaining enough mutual engagement of an enterprise together in order to share some significant learning (p. 86). Therefore, communities of practice could be referred to as a group of people with a specific relationship that results in shared histories and perspectives of learning.
