Teachers' professional development in terms of identity development - A shift in perspective on mathematics teachers' learning

The theory of Communities of Practice (Wenger, 1998) provides a model of social learning whose assumptions differ from those made in the common theoretical frameworks of teachers' professional competencies. This shift in perspective on learning takes into account the concept of identity and connects it to the concept of practice. In this theoretical paper, we will clarify how teachers' learning works in terms of selected elements of Wenger's theory. Simultaneously, we will refer to empirical research findings on teachers' professional development and check whether they are in line with the theoretical considerations derived from the social perspective on learning.