"למידה מרחיבה" בקהילות מקצועיות בין-מוסדיות המשותפות למורי מורים ולקובעי מדיניות

One of the aims of professional communities is "expansive learning", i.e., creating new knowledge, in contrast with acquisition of knowledge that exists but not in the learners. The MOFET Institute forums are professional communities of academic-administrative officeholders serving in parallel roles in colleges of education. Participating in some of the forums are representatives from the Ministry of Education, universities, and other organizations. The present study relates the success stories of three of these forums in which expansive learning occurred and brought about change in the public domain. This is based on the assumption that investigating the success of a specific organization can transform the tacit knowledge manifested in its actions into explicit knowledge that is available to all. The study employed a multiple case study methodology. Description of the forums is based on interviews with participants and forum leaders, minutes, annual summaries, and additional documents generated by the forums. The three forums share common characteristics: they were formed as think tanks and operated regularly over an extended period of time; they provided participants with professional, social, and emotional support; their inter-professional and cross-institutional nature contributed to their expansive learning; the participation of policymakers encouraged additional interested parties to participate in the forums, and facilitated the implementation and preservation of the knowledge generated.