Sustaining a Community of Practice to Support Development of Teacher Professional Identity: A Zambian Case Study

Abstract

Teachers’ professional identity is shaped by a range of factors. Active participation in professional learning opportunities is one such factor. The purpose of this case study is to bring teachers’ voice to the forefront and present the considered reflections of a small group of Zambian teachers, following their engagement with the Zambian Education School-Based Training (ZEST) programme. During the programme, teachers contributed to an online community of practice, where they shared classroom practice with their peers, and were interviewed about their professional learning experiences. Some also wrote reflections that explored the impact of their experiences on their professional teacher identity further. Consequently, the teacher’s voice is used extensively in this paper, and vignettes offer a snapshot of the positive impact of their professional learning experience on self-confidence, increased collaborative working, an increased appreciation for learner-centred approaches, and how they envisage themselves to be at a ‘pivot’ point on their teacher professional identity journeys.