1 Characteristics of communities of practice: Would the real community of practice please stand up! John Guenther (Charles Darwin University) Ian Falk (Charles Darwin University)* Abstract This paper presents findings of research into teachers’ vocational learning using professional development experiences in two schools in Darwin, Northern Territory. Part of the Northern Territory government’s ‘Building better schools’ initiative is about establishing Communities of Practice they call ‘Professional Learning Communities’ (PLCs) to enable teachers to develop and share models of best practice through Territorywide communities of practice. The paper explores teachers’ perceptions of professional development (PD) in terms of what is effective for them. It attempts to determine whether these professional learning experiences include elements of professional learning communities. It therefore informs the discussion around the implementation of the ‘Building better schools’ initiative and for the theory and practice of the research about communities of practice by providing an indication of the breadth of PD experiences of staff and their likely acceptance of PLC models. For perhaps the first time ever, evidence is presented for the scope and nature of the characteristics that differentiate traditional models from PLC models, which may then be used as benchmarks for assessing the ‘fit’ of programs that may be recommended for funding. There are implications for the professional development of VET staff as well as for national and state policy bodies concerned with the effectiveness of PD in enabling change. Introduction This paper presents findings of research into teachers’ experience of professional development in two primary schools in Darwin, Northern Territory. In recent times there have been calls for the development of professional learning communities or ‘communities of practice’ as a better way of doing professional development among teaching staff in a variety of educational contexts, from schools, through vocational education and training (VET) to higher education institutions (Herrington & Herrington 2004; Mitchell 2002; NT DEET 2005; Young & Mitchell 2003). Regardless of the context, the focus here is the vocational learning that goes on among educators. The research, funded by Charles Darwin University, explores teachers’ perceptions of professional development (PD) in terms of what is effective for them. It attempts to determine whether these professional learning experiences include elements of professional learning communities (PLCs). It therefore informs the discussion about building communities of practice by providing an indication of the breadth of PD experiences of staff and their likely acceptance of PLC models. It also provides characteristics that differentiate traditional models from PLC models, which may then be used as benchmarks for assessing the ‘fit’ of programs that may be recommended for funding.