It Takes a Village: Using Communities of Practice as a Framework for Reflecting on Rural and Regional Professional Experience Opportunities

Edited book (chapter)

Fitzgerald, Angela, Bradbury, Ondine and Leach, Tania. 2021. "It Takes a Village: Using Communities of Practice as a Framework for Reflecting on Rural and Regional Professional Experience Opportunities." White, Simone and Downey, Jayne (ed.) Rural Education Across the World: Models of Innovative Practice and Impact. Gateway East, Singapore. Springer. pp. 25-45
Chapter Title

It Takes a Village: Using Communities of Practice as a Framework for Reflecting on Rural and Regional Professional Experience Opportunities

Book Chapter CategoryEdited book (chapter)
ERA Publisher ID3337
Book TitleRural Education Across the World: Models of Innovative Practice and Impact
AuthorsFitzgerald, Angela (Author), Bradbury, Ondine (Author) and Leach, Tania (Author)
EditorsWhite, Simone and Downey, Jayne
Page Range25-45
Chapter Number2
Number of Pages21
Year2021
PublisherSpringer
Place of PublicationGateway East, Singapore
ISBN9789813361157
9789813361164
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6116-4_2
Web Address (URL)https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-33-6116-4_2
Abstract

In the Australian context, while the population is largely clustered in metropolitan areas, much of the country can be defined as regional, rural and remote. This reality means that significant numbers of students are experiencing their schooling across these locations. This raises questions around how universities are preparing pre-service teachers to live and work in these contexts where work is readily available and quality educational opportunities are much sought after. This chapter uses case study methodology to tell the stories of two rural and regional professional experience programs supported by different Australian universities. Using Community of Practice (CoP) as a framework for sense-making, these two cases are unpacked to reveal the embedded structures and processes that supported pre-service teachers to engage in a quality rural professional experience. Key learnings relating to the three components of a CoP are shared—domain, community, and practice—before considerations and implications for other contexts and initial teacher education providers are discussed.

KeywordsProfessional experience, Community of Practice, School, Community
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020390201. Education policy
390307. Teacher education and professional development of educators
Byline AffiliationsSchool of Education
Monash University
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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