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Article 1

Herbers, M. S., Antelo, A., Ettling, D., & Buck, M. A. (2011). Improving teaching through a community of practice. Journal of Transformative Education, 9(2), 89-108. doi:10.1177/1541344611430688

Abstract:  Four faculty members describe their collective experiences of being involved in a community of practice designed to deconstruct individual teaching experiences through critical reflection and dialogue.  Their community of practice began while they were conducting a research project to enhance the quality of a doctoral program focused on preparing graduates as agents of change in culturally diverse environments.  The authors describe their experiences, present an emerging model of professional development, illustrate the process from two of their participants’ perspectives, and identify implications for other learning communities.

Questions that apply to this article:

1. Explain how the authors define their community of practice.
2. Consider Figure 2: A community of practice model for engaged teaching. Describe how the authors were able to incorporate the framework depicted in Figure 2 within the community of practice.
    

Article 2

Osterman, K., Furman, G., & Sernak, K. (2014). Action research in EdD programs in educational leadership. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 9(1), 85-105. doi:10.1177/1942775113498378

Abstract:  The authors of this exploratory study gathered information about the use of action research within doctoral programs in educational leadership and explored faculty understanding of and perspectives on action research.  Survey data established that action research is used infrequently to meet dissertation requirements.  Contributing factors included lack of clarity regarding the nature of action research and concerns about methodological legitimacy.  Because the development of collaborative leadership skills and the pursuit of social justice objectives are inherent to the action research process, these results call for additional discussion regarding this distinctive methodology and its role in the preparation of educational leaders at the doctoral level.

Questions that apply to this article:

1. Describe the obstacles presented in this article to collaborative action research.
2. Did the authors use technology in their study?  Suggest and describe one way in which they could have used technology to leverage a more collaborative community.