Viewing classroom discipline as negotiable social interaction: A communities of practice perspective

Classroom discipline is a major concern of American teachers and why many leave teaching. A conventional view of learning is so deeply interrelated with schooling in the American culture it also drives the view of discipline, especially in urban contexts where students are disproportionately failed and excluded by the mainstream educational system. The purpose of this paper is to propose a critical social practice view of learning as defined by legitimate peripheral participation (LPP), providing a communities of practice framework to guide future research that sets out to transform conventional views of learning, particularly within the context of classroom discipline.