Guidelines for the implementation of communities of practice in the institutos federais: learning and holistic education

Abstract

This paper proposes guidelines for cultivating Communities of Practice (CoP) as potential spaces for learning, collaboration, and integral education within the Institutos Federais. Based on the Social Theory of Learning by Lave and Wenger, we assume that learning takes place through social participation in situated practices, articulated around a shared repertoire, mutual engagement, and a joint enterprise. This theoretical essay is grounded in a research trajectory developed across three complementary prior stages: a systematic literature review, an ethnographic study at CTA/UFRGS, and a narrative investigation of the Núcleo de Tecnologias Livres (NTL) at IFRS – Campus Rio Grande. In dialogue with Social Learning Theory, the findings of these studies supported the systematization and formulation of five guidelines for fostering this type of space within the Federal Institutes. These involve institutional recognition of CoP; the definition of educational enterprises aligned with integral education; the fostering of mutual engagement among participants; the construction of shared repertoires; and the expansion of the communities’ reach. Finally, we argue that CoP can help overcome curricular fragmentation and foster collective experiences that integrate the technical, scientific, and human dimensions of education. The proposed guidelines seek to provide pathways for the Institutos Federais to consolidate a formative policy committed to the principles of Integrated Secondary Education and integral education.