Communities of Practice - Mindlab week 25

I belong to a number of communities of practice, some of which I am a regular, active member, engaging in regular discussions, while other communities I engage with as time or need allows. 

Wenger (2011) defines communities of practice as “groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (p.1).  He states that there are three characteristics that constitutes a community of practice. There needs to be a shared ‘domain’ of interest to which members have a joint commitment. The ‘community’ members should engage in discussions, share ideas, support each other and there needs to be a shared ‘practice’.

The community of practice which I engage with daily is our school staff which consists of the Principal, six full time teaching staff and four teacher aides. The shared domain of interest is the success and well being of the learners in our school community. 

Interactions within this community happen both formally and informally. Weekly staff meetings, fortnightly PD sessions, team meetings and management meetings make up our formal interactions. Informal interactions happen daily, often starting in the teacher resource room while preparing for the day, or professional discussions at morning tea time over a cup of coffee. I believe that these informal conversations are vital to the community of practice, as they are often born out of a genuine desire to know more, to solve a problem or to give / receive support. These interactions are what strengthens a sense of belonging and a real sense of ‘community’.

Within our school community of practice there are also sub-groups. The junior, senior and management teams could also be viewed as smaller communities of practice. The junior team consists of two teachers and three part-time teacher aides, working within an Innovated Learning Environment with 29 NE- Yr 2 students. I am very fortunate to lead this wonderfully committed team who willing share and explore new ideas. While many of our interactions are informal and not within structured meet times, we are constantly discussing our learners, sharing ideas and learning alongside each other. According to Cambridge, Kaplan & Suter (2005) communities of practice "...often focus on sharing best practices and creating new knowledge to advance a domain of professional practice" (p. 1).

The DP and myself (AP), are currently responsible for leading school wide professional development with a focus on ‘Teaching as Inquiry’ and 'Universal Design for Learning' practices with reference to the achievement of our ‘Focus Groups’. Time is set aside at these fortnightly professional development meetings to allow staff to share their progress and receive feedback, advice and guidance from fellow staff members. The progress and achievement of our students is collectively shared, which helps to foster a sense of community.  This is a characteristic highlighted by Wenger (2011) who states that  “communities of practice enable practitioners to take collective responsibility for managing the knowledge they need...” (p. 4). The Numeracy lead teacher has also begun sharing her expertise with the group, by running regular PD sessions where teachers participate in 'hand-on' activities that they are able to take back into their classrooms.

According to Cambridge, Kaplan & Suter (2005) communities of practice are important because they connect people, enable dialogue around a shared context, stimulate learning, capture and diffuse existing knowledge, introduce collaborative process, and generate new knowledge.  I feel very fortunate to be in a community of practice that engages me and where I am able to be both challenged and supported.


References:
    Cambridge, D., Kaplan, S. & Suter, V. (2005). Community of practice design guide: 
    A Step-by-Step Guide for Designing & Cultivating. Retrieved from 
    https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/NLI0531.pd... 

    Wenger, E. (2011). Communities of practice: A brief introduction.