A Commentary on Etienne Wenger’s Keynote Presentation at the 2012 California Association of Professors of Educational Administration (CAPEA) Conference - Expanded Commentary

Oct 15, 2026

A commentary expands Etienne Wenger’s keynote ideas on communities of practice presented at the 2012 California Association of Professors of Educational Administration (CAPEA) conference. It explains how sustained mutual relationships support knowledge construction and innovation through problem solving, shared language, and collective identity. The discussion contrasts vertical and horizontal dimensions of learning, emphasizing the need for leadership practices that negotiate meaning and promote equity, quality, and learning beyond formal organizational roles.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Communities of Practice

Social Practice and Theories of Identity

Educational Leadership and Administration: Teaching and Program Development

Two Types of Knowledge as Dimensions of Learning: Vertical and Horizontal

A Commentary on Etienne Wenger’s Keynote Presentation at the 2012 California Association of Professors of Educational Administration (CAPEA) Conference Philip Mirci University of Redlands Linda Jungwirth Pepperdine University This commentary explains and expands upon Wenger’s concept of communities of practice. Knowledge construction to improve common practice within a community committed to learning is critical. Vertical and horizontal communication, interactions within and between boundaries of organizations are necessary for creating learning organizations. One such organization is education. This is a commentary on Eteinne Wenger’s keynote presentation at the California Association of Professors of Educational Administration (CAPEA) conference held in 2012. The focus of the paper is on Wenger’s work regarding communities of practice (Wenger, 1999; Wenger, McDermott, & Synder, 2002). The ideas shared by Wenger offer promise for bringing about greater equity and quality to the field of educational leadership. Communities of Practice Wenger (1999) described thirteen characteristics that are common among true communities of practice. Key to communities of practice is a sustained mutual relationship that exhibits shared ways of engaging in harmonious and/or conflictual conversations and interactions. Through these conversations, the flow of information propagates innovation through effective problem solving. The community of practice builds on the strengths and contributions of each member, and shares a common language, purpose, and ways of being. Social Practice and Theories of Identity Wenger shared in his presentation a social theory of learning whereby humans seek meaning. In the act of learning, a person simultaneously is learning about self and others. Through this process, one’s identity as well as the group’s identity is formed and transformed. Educational Leadership and Administration: Teaching and Program Development Volume 25, March 2014 ISSN 1532-0723 © 2014 California Association of Professors of Educational Administration Theories of social practice address the production and reproduction of specific ways of engaging with the world. They are concerned with everyday activity and real-life settings, but with an emphasis on social systems and shared resources by which groups organize and coordinate their activities, mutual relationships and interpretations ofthe world. Theories of identity are concerned with the social formation of the person, the cultural interpretation of the body and the creation of the use of markers of membership such as rights of passage and social categories. They address issues of gender, class, ethnicity, age, and other forms of categorization, association, and differentiation in an attempt to understand the person as formed through complex relationships of mutual constitution between individuals and groups (Wenger, 1999, p. 13) . In contrast to the assumptions about learning in our existing institutions, Wenger (1999) emphasized that informed practice occurs when we begin with our identity such that we address “the formation of identity in practice as the ability to negotiate an experience of meaning”(p. 17) . This has meant that engagement in experiences has occurred consciously: . . . in a complex world in which we must find a livable identity, ignorance is never simply ignorance, and knowing is not just a matter of information. In practice, understanding is always straddling the known and the unknown in a subtle dance of the self. It is a delicate balance (Wenger, 1999, p. 41) . We must develop more complex ways of learning for ourselves as professors of educational administration so we can engage with our students in ways resulting in their attainment of mastery of practice. Two Types of Knowledge as Dimensions of Learning: Vertical and Horizontal Wenger spoke about two types of knowledge as Dimensions of Learning: Vertical and Horizontal He beg

FAQs

What is the core idea of Wenger’s keynote as presented in the commentary?

The keynote centers on communities of practice and how knowledge construction through shared engagement strengthens common practice within a learning-oriented community.

How does the commentary describe learning in relation to identity?

Learning is framed as a process in which people seek meaning, forming and transforming both personal identity and the group’s identity through engagement in experiences.

What is the difference between Wenger’s vertical and horizontal dimensions of learning?

Vertical learning is associated with long-standing organizational approaches and role-based structures, while horizontal learning emphasizes social equality and learning interactions beyond formal organizational roles, supporting dialogue and equity.

Oct 15, 2026

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