Abstract
This study examined the purposes, contents, and processes of a community of practice (CoP) for art teachers in North Florida, using as a conceptual framework the practical model for CoPs developed by Wenger, McDermott, and Snyder (2002). The CoP chosen for the study was well established, and involved approximately 25 elementary art teachers. Because the study focused on the personal meaning-making by the teachers in the context of the CoP, a qualitative, ethnographic method was used. Data were triangulated through the use of participant observation and ethnographic interview. The results illuminate the potential functions of the interrelationships within a CoP, the most basic of which were the effective mentoring of participants and the negotiation of differences through a culture of respect and caring, and an openness to diverse levels of expertise and work environments. Further, the common identity created by the CoP and helped it form effective partnerships with community arts institutions that enabled teachers to engage in community-based art projects that benefited teachers and students, and garnered public support for art education. The study findings suggest that a CoP of art teachers can serve as a cultural, social, and educational resource that effectively fosters art teachers’ professional growth in accord with a new conception of professionalism. Further, the evident benefits of providing professional development through engagement in a CoP point to fertile ground for educational policymakers and for researchers who are interested in the paradigm of learning-through-participation and in professional development for art teachers.
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