Generative Learning Communities: Preparing Leaders for Authentic Practice 79
learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998) in which learners can apply theories,
procedures, and skills (Glasman & Glasman, 1997; Murphy, 1993). Thus, working in such
communities provides a means for aspiring principals to develop more accurate role
conceptions, begin socialization with future peers, and initiate role-identify transformation
from teacher to principal (Browne-Ferrigno, 2003).
Generative Learning Communities in Leadership Preparation
During formal preparation for the principalship, a community of practice can be created in
which the domain of knowledge is school leadership, the community members are the
students and instructors, and the shared practice is what happens within classroom settings
that focuses outward on improving practice. The purpose is “to create, expand, and exchange
knowledge” about educational leadership “to develop individual capabilities” (Wenger et al.,
2002, p. 42) among those aspiring to be principals. Such learning communities of practice can
be called generative because the interactions among the community members produce novel
insights, new knowledge, and additional skills that can lead to improved learning outcomes in
schools.
The success of these generative learning communities depends on effective use of LCPs
(APA Work Group, 1997), adult learning theories, appropriate instructor-role conceptions
(e.g., coach, facilitator, mentor, supervisor), and detailed attention to group development and
assessment. Generative learning communities do not simply happen—they are carefully
constructed, consciously nurtured over time, and maintained and transformed through
collaborative student efforts.
PREPARING PRINCIPALS: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION
Our premise—that carefully designed classroom learning activities can produce
transferable knowledge and skills usable in authentic settings—emerges from the assertion
that our intent in principal preparation is “to produce leaders” (Milstein, 1992, p. 10). Adult
learners come to us equipped with formal and tacit knowledge, gained through experiences in
classrooms, schools, and districts. Thus, we use adult-learning constructs (Cranton, 2002;
Knowles, 1990; Merriam, 2001; Mezirow, 1997) and constructive-developmental approaches
that value the tacit knowledge (House, 1998; Polanyi, 1962, 1967) of adult learners and
support their active participation in learning processes (Baxter Magolda & King, 2004; Cross,
1981; Kegan, 1980).
Our research about students’ readiness to assume a principalship while still actively
involved in preservice preparation (Browne-Ferrigno, 2003; Browne-Ferrigno & Muth, 2004,
2006) suggests that becoming a principal is a complex process. Learning to think and act like
a principal does not happen simply by observing school leaders in action or working with
them during program-sponsored clinical practica. Rather, transforming from teacher to
principal requires deliberative (Kennedy, 1987) and explicit learning-teaching processes
(Muth, 2000) that involve all parties.
Yet, preparing for school leadership begins early, far earlier than generally recognized or
formally calculated. A comment by an elementary school teacher with 12 years of experience
in one of our studies (Browne-Ferrigno & Muth, 2006) is illuminating. Her response to a
reflective prompt about what she was learning in the program indicated that her
transformation from teacher to principal began long before she began her formal preparation:
“From the first day I went to work for her, she has mentored and supported my professional