ERIC Number: EJ1363488
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1350-4622
EISSN: EISSN-1469-5871
Available Date: N/A
Look to the Ravens: Reconceptualizing Communities of Practice into Ecosystems of Practice
Smith, David E. K.
Environmental Education Research, v28 n9 p1348-1358 2022
The academic idea of a community of practice--a group of people who come together to share and learn from one another--has been used to understand learning structures in a wide array of fields. This conceptual framework, however, is rooted in human exceptionalism, considering anything other-than-human to be a resource instead of an active and critical participant. Working to remove this anthropocentric language and better fit with Indigenous epistemologies, I propose to reconceptualize communities of practice to ecosystems of practice: communities of practice that consider other-than-human actors to be key participants in the situated learning process. I ground this definition through a case study of a Gwich'in hunting and fishing ecosystem of practice by showing clear inclusion of other-than-human members and highlighting their importance in educational processes. Actively redefining and reconceptualizing community of practice theory shifts overall cultural perspectives to better embrace other-than-human entities and fosters environmental empathy.
Descriptors: Communities of Practice, Ecology, Situated Learning, Indigenous Knowledge, Environmental Education, Empathy, World Views, Indigenous Populations, Alaska Natives
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A