Supporting the implementation of curriculum reform through learning communities and communities of practice

This article looks at the role that teacher training can play in implementing curriculum reform, specifically in studies conducted in French-speaking Africa by researchers at the UNESCO Chair in Curriculum Development. After reviewing the effects that reform has on the school as an organization, it establishes a link between the concept of change and the notions of communities of practice and learning communities. As any change in organizations depends on human resources, the article describes how teacher training can enable teachers to develop such communities, as an effective strategy for implementing certain aspects of curriculum reform. It also outlines the importance of training that focuses on class management and the ways that such communities can empower teachers. Finally, it shows how a learning community that developed in one class extended throughout a school.