The Teacher Community

Associate Professor Dr. Rohizani Yaakub

rohizani@usm.my
Introduction
Who are they (teacher community)?
- complicated
- confused
- difficult to define

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 Why?
- Ambiguous and unclear features

Stanford (1997), research had not yet been able:

1. to identify and investigate the dimensions which constitute
teacher community.
2. How each dimension work to support or undermine teaching.

Very little knowledge on:

- How teachers forge the bonds of community.
- Struggle to maintain it.
- Work through the inevitable conflicts of social relationships.
- Form structures to sustain relationships over time.

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 What Makes Teacher Community Different
from a Gathering of Teachers?

Community: Emphasis on relationships,

shared ideals, and a strong culture.

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 What is teacher community?
Bellah (1985) defined TC as:
a group of people who are socially
interdependent, who participate together
in discussion and decision making, and
who share certain practices that both
define the community and are nurtured by
it
It takes time for individuals to develop a history together
so that they, in effect, become a community of memory
where public discussion revolves around members
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retelling the constitutive narrative of the group.
 Various conception on teacher
community
Louis and Marks (1998) use five elements of practice :
shared values, focus on student learning, collaboration,
de-privatized practice, and reflective dialogue.
Secada and Adajian (1997) :
a shared sense of purpose with a focus on learning of
the subject (math in their case) coordinated effort to
improve student learning; collaborative professional
learning around the content or instruction, and collective
control over curricular matters.
Grodsky and Gamoran (2003) :
integrate these two approaches by adding teacher
control to the Louis and Marks (1998) definition.
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 Why do we need to have a teacher
community?
Putnam (1995)
A vibrant communities have a substantial stock of
social capital that makes life easier and more
meaningful for its members.

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 Why do we need to have a teacher
community?
Westheimer (1998) pointed 5 common functions in educational settings:
- Interdependence
- Interaction/participation
- Shared interests
- Concern for individual and minority views
- Meaningful relationships

Rationale:
ongoing
venue for
discussion
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 What is community good for and why should
we even care about it?

Provides an ongoing venue for teachers learning.

(Lieberman & Grolnick, 1996; McLaughlin & Talbert, in
press; Darling-Hammond & Sykes, 1999; Cochran-
Smith & Lytle, 1999; Nelson & Hammerman, 1996)

Etzioni (2003) :
mutual accountability
reciprocity
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Formation of group depends on:
1.Participation
* members of the same profession share
a sense of identity and common values
2.Norms and etiquette
* mindful about how to express dissent
and negotiate disagreement
3. Discipline
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Professional community
Concern/focus about clients (students)
Improvement of professional practices
Write curriculum, assessment, standards,
benchmarks
Continuing intellectual development
Lifelong learner
Changes in discipline: knowledge,
pedagogical

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Community based on
Subject matter
level
Location: national, regional, state,
district
Divergence
Multiple interpretations

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Benefits
Distributed cognition
Individuals contributions
Jigsaw
What?
Way of knowing
How?
Seek knowledge

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Community sustainability
Ongoing negotiation
Social interaction
Group norms
Take responsibility
Active participation
No monopoly
Balanced rights and responsibility
Right to express themselves
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Obstacles to community
Time
Resources
Expectations differing agendas
Common visions and pedagogical philosophies
Beliefs
Educational background
Subject matter commitment
Political & religious beliefs
Opinion about t & l
Commitment of own continued learning
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 Issues in Teacher Community

Principal Leadership
leadership in the schools to establish and maintain the community
The style should be change : leader-centered (top-down) to shared
leadership
involves sharing diverse ideas and making compromises so that all
people are satisfied with the direction in which the school is moving

Bureaucratic Accountability

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 Example of teacher Community in the U.S

https://apcommunity.collegeboard.org/
Functions :
Share strategies, ask questions, and engage in lively discussions
with teachers worldwide. Subscribe to topics of interest.
On-line discussion based on subjects - Chemistry
Teacher Community is a professional learning network connecting AP Chemistry
teachers worldwide
The new community provides easy online tools for educators to:
Engage in lively discussions organized by topic.
Ready made materials and related resources.
Browse the curriculum framework and share strategies.
Connect with colleagues and grow your personal network.

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 Google Teacher Community

Share ideas about innovation in education;

ask questions about teaching resources
Whatever you want to discuss to improve your skills
http://www.google.com/educators/community.html

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 Pusat Kegiatan Guru
Early inception:
Address the learning gap between urban and rural schools.
Provide services to teachers develop teaching and learning
materials with efficient cost.
Later serves as catalyst for teachers professional
development
Learning centers (professional and curriculum)
Resource center
Change agent

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 Pusat Kegiatan Guru
teachers from different schools are called to meet at the
centre to exchange ideas, experiences and input or to
discuss things related to their teaching profession.

awareness among teachers that the PKG can help them

achieve greater heights in their teaching profession.

Issue :
Can something be done to make it more effective?
Role of PKG?

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Conclusion
Teacher community is a venue for:

Sharing of
new
ideas
learning

intellectual cultivating
renewal leadership
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