Defining my Communities of Practice has proven to be a very useful reflective exercise for me as I realise that in my mind the words 'community' and 'group' have been synonymous to some extent.
Not that I think of every group I belong to as a community but I definitely did think of a community as a 'group of people with a common purpose'. And that's all!
Bringing the word 'practice' into the equation changes that pattern of thinking. More so as this reflection is linked to my professional arena.
So, armed with the new understanding of “communities of practice”, which are defined as “groups of people who share a concern or a passion or about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interaction on an ongoing basis” (Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002, p.4). I set out to define my COP.
In doing so, I am going to use the 3 distinct elements set out by Wenger(2000)
Joint Enterprise that has a shared domain of collective understanding
Mutual Engagement amongst the members built on trust, relationships and accountability
Shared Repertoire of the communal resources, knowledge and understanding gained.
My School- This is a group that I definitely belong to but is it my COP?
All the staff at any school are obviously aware and to that effect bound by the Joint Enterprise, the collective understanding that the purpose of a school is to facilitate 'learning'. A school is defined as 'a place where children go to be educated' Cambridge Dictionary Definition
But, a school is not just a 'place' or a building, it is , in fact a community where the learning is not only for the tamariki enrolled in the school but for the kaiako as well. So, as a teacher, I am a part of the enterprise engaged in learning along with my colleagues.
There is undoubted evidence of Mutual Engagement amongst the teaching and non teaching staff at my school. The school system is set up to run in a way where such trust, accountability and 'professional relationships' must co exist for a school to be delivering the learning.
Shared Repertoire- is where a deeper reflection is needed. It is inevitable that busy teachers will find time to interact with the colleagues who they have the most in common with. And thus, teachers teaching in the same year level are most likely to have a shared body of resources, knowledge and understanding leading to professional discussions. Thus, it is challenging for a school as a whole to form a COP in this respect.
But, that is not what a COP is all about, as Knox, B. (2009, December 4).Cultivating Communities of Practice: Making Them Grow.[video file].points out, the job of an organisation is to shepherd and nurture emerging COPs within itself, and my school does that for sure.
My Whanau or my syndicate-
This is a group of 6 middle school classes that are bound by certain curriculum areas that are covered the same way and taught by all teachers as rotations.( Inquiry, Sports and PE)
We have meetings together, see and talk to each other more often than with teachers from other syndicates and are more likely to have informal 'shop talks ' with each other at break times.
So, the Whanau group would be my closest COP, the one that I belong to most surely. well, definitely more than my whole school. However, within out whanau group are buddy teachers who team teach and cross group students to target teach needs. These pairs of buddy teachers would be forming micro COPs. I am sure I have one with my buddy teacher next door!
But, on reflection, my most valued COP is one that I wouldn't even have considered before my Mindlab journey and before I began to look at 'teaching' as a team effort between the learner and the facilitator..that is ...
My class of learners
If as Wegner points out that, a community of practice is based primarily on the quality of ENGAGEMENT within that community, then my most purposeful and thriving COP has to be my current students. We interact with each other for six hours everyday on the basis of the common goal or enterprise of 'enhancing learning'. We collaborate, share, problem solve, help, evaluate and sustain each other five days a week. Would my principal or a colleague know me as a teacher better than any of my students? I doubt that! Would they know any of my students better than I do? I hope not!!
Could my school or my whanau help me grow as a learner and a teacher more than my 26 enthusiastic, collaborative Year 3/ 4 learners? Not in practice...they could offer me theories, solutions, ideas but I would transform them into reality through Joint Enterprise with my students, through Mutual Engagement based on trust and acceptance building a Shared Repertoire of knowledge and understanding throughout the year.
Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002, p.4
Knox, B. (2009, December 4).Cultivating Communities of Practice: Making Them Grow.[video file]. Retrieved fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhMPRZnRFkk
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