Mapping spaces and choreographing classrooms: a study of communitities of practice, learning and identity

Abstract

Schools are sites, locations and spaces where multiple and diverse communities of practice are constituted. Through their participation in these communities individuals have opportunities to appropriate and perform particular identities. In this study, using Gordon, Holland and Lahelma's (2000) metaphor of dance, we highlight the role of spatial practices in constructing and maintaining communities of practice. We consider how relations of difference and diversity play out in the choreography of the dance as we explore the identity work of the participants in a primary school classroom. The concluding discussion will focus on the implications of this study for teacher education programs.