Knowledge creation in professional learning communities: the dynamics, implications and effects

Authored book


Lewis, Marian. 2010. Knowledge creation in professional learning communities: the dynamics, implications and effects. Saarbrucken, Germany. VDM Verlag Dr. Muller.
Book Title

Knowledge creation in professional learning communities: the dynamics, implications and effects

Book CategoryAuthored book
ERA Publisher ID3717
Authors
AuthorLewis, Marian
Number of Pages300
Year2010
PublisherVDM Verlag Dr. Muller
Place of PublicationSaarbrucken, Germany
ISBN9783639232912
Abstract

Australia faces many challenges in a globalised and rapidly changing world. Schools are increasingly being given responsibility for ensuring the future economic, social and political wellbeing of the nation and its successful transition into the knowledge age. Teachers have the responsibility of educating their students for an as yet unknown future. To meet these complex professional challenges, teachers need to become creators rather than consumers of knowledge. Through engaging in knowledge creation work teachers can re-image their work, reconceptualising the meaning of teacher professionalism.

The study explores understandings of knowledge creation that emerge from the experiences of three Queensland schools engaged in IDEAS, a process of whole-school renewal which focuses on the work of teachers. In each case, through collaborative effort, the teachers created new knowledge. How this happened, what was achieved, the dynamics of the relationship between individual and group learning, and the subsequent impact on practice varied from case to case. The nature of the knowledge created was strongly influenced by contextual factors such as the dominant organisational paradigm, socio-emotional climate, cognitive processes, leadership and organisational coherence.

In each school extensive data were gathered through in-depth interviews, artefact and document collection, and participant observation, particularly of IDEAS related activities. The story of each school and its engagement with IDEAS – constructed from the accounts of the teachers – is told to provide a basis for understanding knowledge creation in each context. In the final stage of analysis, cross-case comparisons are made to provide a more generalised understanding of knowledge creation processes and the factors which impact on the nature of the knowledge produced. The findings indicate a link between the creation of knowledge in the three schools and a re-imaging of teachers’ work.

Keywordsknowledge creation; professional learning community; teacher leadership; contextualised professional knowledge
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020390201. Education policy
390401. Comparative and cross-cultural education
441004. Social change
Public Notes

Copyright 2010 by the author and VDM Verlag Dr Muller. .

Byline AffiliationsFaculty of Education
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