A discourse community is a knowledge community in which its members develop and use systems of speech and writing that are sometimes quite specific to a particular community’s needs and goals. It is composed of a minimum number of expert members and a frequently larger number of apprentice members who operate on the basis of implicit and explicit goals. Community members often use participatory mechanisms to transmit information and feedback, such as meetings and publications (Johns, 1990; Swales, 1990; cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2010). According to Swales (1990), a discourse community should meet the following requirements to be considered as such: It should have common goals, participatory mechanisms, information exchange, community-specific genres, specialized terminology and high general level of expertise.
Wenzlaff and Wieseman (2004) examine a specific discourse community: The discourse community of teachers. It may be argued that they support Swales’ (1990) theory when they state that teachers need teachers to grow. In this way, they imply that through participatory mechanisms and information exchange, teachers will be immersed in a collaborative culture that allows them to learn from one another as colleagues. They also state that “for teacher learning to occur, teachers need opportunities to participate in professional communities that discuss learning theories, and various teacher materials and pedagogy” (p. 2). In other words, it could be assumed that the community of teachers share common goals, use specialized terminology and have a certain level of expertise.
Hoffman-Kipp, Artiles and Lopez-Torres (2003) develop the issue of reflection on teaching practice, and state that refection should be viewed both as a meta-cognitive mechanism and a social practice. This is because interaction with colleagues in goal-directed activities is an important medium in which reflection occurs, as well as the exchange of ideas about different dimensions of their labor. Consequently, it can be claimed that Hoffman-Kipp et al. (2003) highlight the roles of common goals, participatory mechanisms and information exchange in teaching practice. The named authors also take into consideration that high general levels of expertise and specialized terminology should be achieved by the discourse community members in order to share ideas and points of view on different topics: “…teachers need to reflect on the political and historical dimensions of their labor” (p. 7).
Kelly-Kleese (2001, 2004) states that a community college can be understood as a discourse community. This is because its members have, over time, developed a common discourse that involves shared knowledge, common relationships, and similar attitudes and values. As a result, it may be concluded that Kelly-Kleese supports Swales’ (1990) description of a discourse community. She highlights the requirements of the community sharing a common discourse, which should include a specific genre, specialized terminology and a certain level of expertise. Moreover, the idea of the group having common relationships, similar values and attitudes may be related to the requirements of sharing a common goal and information exchange.
In conclusion, it may be stated that there is evidence to support Swales’ (1990) theory of discourse community in Hoffman-Kipp et al., Kelly-Kleese, and Wenzlaff and Wieseman’s articles. This is due to the authors, throughout their papers, appear to show that the members of a discourse community should meet the requirements of having common goals, participatory mechanisms, information exchange, community specific genres, specialized terminology and a certain level of expertise.
References
Hoffman-Kipp, P., Artiles, A. J., & Lopez Torres, L. (2003). Beyond reflection: teacher learning as praxis. Theory into Practice. Retrieved October 2007, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NQM/is_3_42/ai_108442653
Kelly-Kleese, C. (2001). Editor’s Choice: An Open Memo to Community College Faculty and Administrators. Community College Review. Retrieved October 2007, from
Kelly-Kleese, C. (2004). UCLA community college review: community college scholarship and discourse. Community College Review. Retrieved October 2007, from
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HCZ/is_1_32/ai_n6361541
Pintos, V. & Crimi, Y. (2010). Unit 1: Building up a community of teachers and prospective researchers. Universidad CAECE.
Wenzlaff, T. L., & Wieseman, K. C. (2004). Teachers Need Teachers To Grow. Teacher Education Quarterly. Retrieved October 2007, from
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3960/is_200404/ai_n9349405
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