Abstract:

This session will focus on ways that the presenters have helped teachers at different educational levels to build communities of practice and to learn from each other. One model is exemplified by Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi. Its Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) hosts a flagship event, the Professional Development Week, during which faculty from across the university share their best teaching and learning practices, including the use of technology tools reflection. The Center provides a venue where winners of Teaching Excellence Awards share their best teaching practices and those who have received mini-grants share their projects on High Impact Practices. Participants also earn a professional development certificate.
Another model in which teachers learn from each other in a community of practice with an emphasis on reflection is one which has been used with teachers in an adult English language program in Washington, DC. The approach uses a reflective teaching inquiry cycle, in which a teacher shares a concern or problem with peers, who ask questions and suggest possible practices to address these concerns. The teacher then decides which practice(s) to implement and reports back at the next session, which is then followed by another teacher’s opportunity to discuss a concern and receive suggestions from peers. Not only do teachers learn from each other, but they also develop a teaching and learning community of practice.

Keywords:

Reflective practice, community of practice, teachers as teacher developers, best educational practices.