New Versus Old – Finding Common Ground in Communities of Practice

 

Attempting to join or participate in any kind of an established group can evoke a nervous response for many people. Established groups can seem closed and unwelcoming to a new person hoping to fit in. A sense of belonging and being seen as legitimate is important to people striving for acceptance by others. But how do people trying to fit in get to the stage of feeling that they truly belong?

Lave and Wenger (1991) describe people endeavouring to participate in communities of practitioners for the purpose of obtaining mastery of the skills and knowledge of the group as legitimate peripheral participants. They use the concept of apprenticeship to describe people as learners who are new to a community of practice. I have always thought of the term apprentice as associated with skilled trades but Lave and Wenger use this term more broadly to describe anyone who is new to a practice community and working towards the ultimate goal of achieving full participation through learning about the community including its activities, identities, knowledge, and artifacts.

One of my experiences as a legitimate peripheral participant arose following completion of my undergraduate degree. I was required to complete a one-year internship program, which for me took place in a hospital setting, to become a registered professional within the licensing body. In this case it would seem that internship and apprenticeship were a like experience. I identify with the description provided by Lave and Wenger when they detail the initial experiences of newcomers as associated with “tasks positioned at the end of the branches of work processes, rather than in the middle of linked work segments” (1991, p. 110). I recall beginning as an intern and being given work to complete that was simple and straightforward, and as well being tasked with lots of reading and reviewing of policies and procedures, guidelines, and even commonly used language including acceptable abbreviations and symbols. I understand now that this was a part of the process for me to start understanding the shared knowledge and skills within this community of professionals. As I progressed through my internship year, my contributions to the processes of work became increasingly more skilled and valued and the sense of belonging to this community of practitioners was influencing how I saw myself within the group. I recall towards the end of my year being offered the opportunity to complete a staff-relief placement where I would be acting in the role of the professional during their planned absence. This was my sign that I belonged. This community of practitioners had given me the opportunity to work with them as a full participant within their community.

I retell my experience above as though it was a smooth, fulfilling experience of entry into that community of practice that followed the stages of apprenticeship as described by Lave and Wenger. I did become a full participant within the community but the journey was not smooth or predictable. There were some members within the community that did not support or value my input as a newcomer. Their interest in interactions with me seemed more focused on ensuring that I would be the type of practitioner that they saw as legitimate within the community. Lave and Wenger (1991) discuss people within communities who act upon newcomers with the intent to change them to conform to established practices as didactic caretakers. In some instances, old-timers in a group who have a history of shared meaning and learning within the community can act this way in an effort to preserve their own sense of the community and how it should be maintained. The old-timers in a community are usually those who have the respect of newcomers. If there are old-timers acting in the capacity of didactic caretakers it is problematic because newcomers, who are unsure of themselves and their abilities, may bend to conform to the expectations of the old-timers. This is an exertion of power within the community and can potentially impact the formation of identity in newcomers and as well limit the creation of a communally constructed community where all participants hold value in forming and sustaining the community of practice. Lave and Wenger (1991) describe the communal construction of a community of practice as advantageous related to the contributions from differing perspectives of all members which benefit the community overall by creating a rich history of shared experience. In my internship example there were times when I questioned my own abilities and contributions based on participation in the community of practitioners because it was restricted by some of the old-timers. I would suggest that facing this situation as a newcomer to a community of practice is more common than uncommon. There is pride in belonging to a community of practice and when newcomers are entering some of the old-timers may feel threatened and worried that change may lay ahead.

Navigating successfully as a legitimate peripheral participant to become a full practising member in a community of practice can be a tricky endeavour. As lifelong learners and educators, understanding the perspective of both newcomers and old-timers holds great potential to be useful in mediating and assisting people to reach common ground in their communities of practice.

References:

Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning. Legitimate peripheral participation, New York, N.Y.:

            Cambridge University Press.