scholarly journals Community of assessment practice or interests: The case of EAP writing assessment

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 262
Author(s):  
Faisal Al-Maamari
Keyword(s):  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
First Year ◽  
Assessment Practice ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Mutual Engagement ◽  
Assessment Policies ◽  
Joint Enterprise ◽  
Practice Framework ◽  
Policies And Practices

Setting, disseminating and applying assessment standards are part of university academic programmes of study. Nowadays, assessment is increasingly viewed from a social practice perspective, and so doing entails exploring how the quality of assessment is shaped by interaction and co-participation with different communities of practice. Therefore, based on this perspective, the study reported here aimed to examine the assessment policies and practices of laboratory report writing of first year students in credit-bearing, English for Special Purposes programmes at a university in the Sultanate of Oman. Interviews of programme administrators and the instructors plus institutional and programme documents were examined to investigate these assessment policies and practices. The programme administrators were asked about how they planned the written assessment in their programmes, and the instructors were asked about their experiences of these assessments. The data were then analysed thematically using community of practice framework, namely in relation to (1) a shared repertoire of communal resources, (2) mutual engagement, and (3) a sense of joint enterprise. It was found that instead of community of practice, there were (sub)communities of practices wherein interaction, negotiation and communication amongst members and non-members were punctuated by control, power and autonomy, all working with the aim of narrowing the range between the personal goals of the academic and the communal goals of the institution. The overarching conclusion is that in their assessment practices, the two instructional programmes exhibited varying degrees of community of practice based on the above three attributes.

Variation within a Greek-Cypriot community of practice in London: Code-switching, gender, and identity

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katerina A. Finnis
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Code Switching ◽  
The Past ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Greek Cypriot ◽  
Current Article ◽  
Practice Framework ◽  
Greek Cypriots

AbstractThe past two decades have seen an explosion of interest in interactionally orientated perspectives on identity. The Community of Practice framework was employed by sociolinguists working within this paradigm because it firmly grounds identity in social practice seeing it as a process that speakers engage in during actual interactions. Interest in variation within communities of practice is growing, as the well-boundedness of linguistic and social concepts (including identity and language) is increasingly questioned. The current article develops this perspective by exploring code-switching practices of British-born Greek-Cypriots in two distinct contexts: community meetings and a dinner. Findings indicate that this community of practice does not constitute a uniform entity: complex interactions transpire between local and global variables including gender, community-specific setups, contexts, and discourse types. The study also problematizes the concepts core and periphery, used to describe variation within communities of practice, offering a revised understanding of practice, which focuses on silent participation. (Code-switching, community of practice, Greek-Cypriot, gender, identity, individual variation)

scholarly journals Trialling a 4th Generation Approach to the First Year Experience: The CommUniTI

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharn Donnison ◽  
Sorrel Penn-Edwards ◽  
Ruth Greenaway ◽  
Rosemary Horn
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Cultural Capital ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Satellite Campus ◽  
Regional University ◽  
Future Success

In 2014, we developed a new approach to supporting first year students’ transition into higher education building on the work of Kift, Nelson, and Clarke (2010) whose 3rd Generation Approach is one of transition pedagogy foregrounded by a whole-of-institution transformation. Our 4th Generation Approach focuses on students’ social capital and extends the remit beyond the institution. Our approach recognises students’ social capital as an unexplored resource to be drawn upon to inform the membership of a Community of Practice (CoP). The CoP members collaboratively develop strategies to support the development of students’ important cultural capital, which we consider essential for successful transition. In 2015, we trialled the 4th Generation Approach with a Queensland regional university satellite campus. This paper reports on the implementation of the CoP as one element of the 4th Generation Approach and the important refinements required for future success.

Tracing the emergence of a community of practice: Beyond presupposition in sociolinguistic research

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian W. King
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Mutual Engagement ◽  
The Social ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
Institutional Forces ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Joint Enterprise

AbstractThis study examines the language-driven aspects of the formation of a classroom-based community of practice (CoP), placing emphasis on ways in which researchers can verify the status of observed practices. Discourse analysis is reinforced by such an evidence-based understanding of the social milieu of a research site. When determining whether an aggregate of people is functioning as a CoP, however, the nature of the measuring stick is a vital question. When institutional forces have brought a group of participants together, how can an observer verify empirically the dynamic development of mutual engagement, joint enterprise, and shared repertoire? In a sample case study, representative features outlined by Wenger (1998:130–31) are identified, and their emergence traced, via analysis of ethnographic fieldnotes and audio recordings. These features provide evidence of the development of localised practices (i.e. ways of doing grounded in this community) as distinct from more widely recognisable practices. Identifying the difference increases the likelihood that results of discourse analysis can be useful to educators. (Community of practice, discourse analysis, nexus of practices, warranting)*

scholarly journals CHARACTERIZATION OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE TO SUPPORT PRE-SERVICE CHEMISTRY TEACHERS

2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 124-132
Author(s):  
Valéria C. Santos ◽  
Agnaldo Arroio
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Chemistry Teaching ◽  
Mutual Engagement ◽  
Teaching Community ◽  
Joint Enterprise ◽  
The University

The concept of communities of practice can be used in different contexts, included the educational context. The development of communities of practice where pre-service teachers work together, refine their practices and learn is a good training for these future teachers. Since communities of practice help teachers learn about teaching and improve their practices, this study aim to characterize the project PIBID of chemistry carried out at the University of São Paulo as a community of practice. On the first half of 2013 the PIBID project included 12 pre-service teachers who attended weekly meetings. These meetings consisted of theoretical training about the use of visual tools in teaching and other concepts about education and meetings to plan activities and classes about topics of chemistry to be applied in a public school at the city of São Paulo, Brazil. During these meetings was possible to notice that the pre-service teachers were engaged in a community of practice, demonstrating the three characteristics emphasized by Wenger (2008): mutual engagement, joint enterprise, and a shared repertoire. Thus the project PIBID of chemistry could be characterized as a community of practice. Furthermore, it was noticed that the community helps in the training of pre-service teachers, since it is providing support to them learn about teaching in practice and implement their knowledge. Key words: chemistry teaching, community of practice, pre-service teacher training.

scholarly journals Rolpersepsies van dosente van eerstejaars in die natuurwetenskappe: ’n Fokus op geslagsverskille

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Jacobs ◽  
Gerrie J. Jacobs
Keyword(s):  
Nontraditional Students ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
South African ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
School Performance ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Generation Status ◽  
The University

A marked increase in student enrolments in South African public universities over the last two decades, allowed substantially more ‘nontraditional’ students into the sector. These students typically have unsatisfactory levels of school performance, lack communication skills (especially in English) and mostly have first-generation status. The Faculty of Science at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) established its First Year Academy (FYA) in 2007. The FYA, a community of practice for lecturers of first-year students, promotes optimal student learning, and expects lecturers to optimise their facilitation of learning strategies. Not much is known (research-wise) about role adaptions that lecturers of first-year students (especially in science faculties) are expected (forced?) to make in such circumstances. A literature-validated Likerttype questionnaire, involving 53 first-year lecturers (almost 60% females), was subsequently administered. The survey gathered perceptions in respect of eight literature-based roles that lecturers (could or should) play when dealing with first-year students, as well as their selfappraised competence in fulfilling these roles. The Mann-Whitney U-test revealed significant differences between the perceived role importance and competence of male and female lecturers in respect of certain roles. The study revealed a significant relationship between the gender and opinions (and also behaviours) of science lecturers for first-year students at UJ. Capacity building geared at the more proficient execution of the roles of course designer, teacher, course manager and peer consultant is regarded as vital. A tailor-made professional development programme is offered by the Faculty of Science’s FYA as of 2014.

Applying Theory to Inform Capability Development

2019 ◽  
pp. 100-118
Author(s):  
Mambo G. Mupepi ◽  
Patience Taruwinga ◽  
Sylvia C. Mupepi
Keyword(s):  
Locus Of Control ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Division Of Labor ◽  
Epistemic Community ◽  
Knowledge Network ◽  
Capability Development ◽  
Mutual Engagement ◽  
Joint Enterprise

This chapter describes the deliberate making of a community of practice to advance specialization in divided labor and structuring a successful enterprise. A knowledge network is characterized by mutual engagement in a joint enterprise that gives rise to a shared repertoire of knowledge, skillsets, and practices. The division of labor is identified to enable the novice to develop the proficiencies required for specialty to happen. Bootstrapping and other techniques are applied to replicate the performance required in making effective specialists. A conclusion is drawn taking the position that the centricity of an epistemic community is the locus of control of the job, individual, and team; additionally, it is the only organization that can authenticate the practices necessary to boost productivity.

A Sociocultural Approach to Developing Online Drill and Practice TOEIC Preparation Materials for EFL Programs

2014 ◽  
pp. 86-105
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Farouck
Keyword(s):  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Background Knowledge ◽  
Social Background ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Content Relevance ◽  
Operational Test ◽  
Drill And Practice

A challenging task for EFL programs at Japanese universities is how to select appropriate TOEIC preparation materials for students. The materials selected must be capable of aiding students in developing English skills that will enable them to compete and participate in the global economy more effectively after graduation. Students' academic and social background knowledge have been shown to improve content relevance and learning. However, many commercial drill-and-practice TOEIC preparation materials that are available on the market do not adequately incorporate such background knowledge. This chapter shows how a team of faculty members worked as a community of practice to provide in-house TOEIC preparation materials that also incorporated students' essential background knowledge. An operational test with more than 1400 first year students was conducted, and the results showed that their TOEIC scores statistically outperformed the scores of other students who only had access to commercial TOEIC preparation materials.

scholarly journals Co-constructing Understanding of Self Access through Conversational Narrative

2010 ◽  
pp. 173-188
Author(s):  
John Adamson ◽  
Howard Brown ◽  
Naoki Fujimoto-Adamson
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Hierarchical Structure ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Free Form ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning Center ◽  
Conversational Narrative ◽  
University Curricula

This study has shown how stakeholders of a new Self Access Learning Center (SALC) co-construct views about the center’s development though conversational narratives. Conversational narratives are a means in this study to provide important insights into SALC’s growth and also represent sites of valuable social practice to strengthen collegiality among its participants. This dialogic process illustrates a diversity of perspectives which have emerged over the first year in its growth, and which inform the center’s management on metaphors of self access, language policy, its integration with university curricula, and how it and its staff are positioned in the organization. As part of a larger ethnographic study into the center, these unscripted, free-form dialogues are valued because they mirror the flat hierarchical structure which the center aims to support in its community of practice to legitimize its participants’ voices.

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