"Participating in these 'communities of practice' is essential to our learning. It is at the very core of what makes us human beings capable of meaningful knowing".
Wenger, (2000)
As humans, we are social beings, interacting with a multitude of different groups of people, creating networks for different reasons but always taking 'learning' from these connections whether intended or not. Wenger (2000) surmises it is within these CoP where we will find 'meaningful knowing'.
We seek to find 'those' who are similar to us, the people we feel most akin to when forming our 'network of learning' and 'those' who will support us as we support them. Within my school, I work within a recently formed vertical team/syndicate which is my immediate community of practice, but it is yet another community of practice I thrive in and not this one.
Who are my CoP?
These are the 'like-minded' people who set out to uplift their pedagogy to further improve teaching practices which in turn, best meets the needs of students and their learning. These are the people who do not 'stand still' for long, they are reflective in their practices and are willing to improve, adapt or change for the betterment of their practices and students and enjoy the company of 'others' who mirror the core values of the community of 'like-minded-ness'. They are willing to share what they know and willingly learn alongside others. They look to further connect and interact with others forming new networks. Within this CoP, dynamic relationships have formed not only between colleagues I work and have worked alongside but also from the connections formed through other mediums such as online groups (eg facebook, twitter) or learning groups (eg educamps). These are my friends and colleagues I trust and respect.
I have acquired a great deal from these colleagues over the years and I hope I have in return, done the same for them in terms of mutual sharing of resources (in its many forms) and knowledge. For example, over time, my reflective practice has developed considerably and greatly to what I have observed from others and their challenges to me.
What is my practice?
I have taught within the Primary School sector for more than 20 years now, with at least half of this time within the Junior end of the primary school, and over this time, I have seen how effective and essential a CoP can be but I have also seen how some within these communities have been toxic to the community of learning and practice.
We are confined within our immediate CoP but within this larger community are the sub-communities which can make the difference. Wenger talks about 'competence' developed through direct participation within the group and the norms and expectations formed through participants engagement and interactions and here within lies the core values (for me) - where we are fueled by further learning and becoming more competent within our craft of teaching. Here unfortunately, are where the toxic few may not like the challenges of voluntary improvement or the tasks of being challenged to explain one's practice.
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References:
Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organisation, 7(2), 225-246. Retrieved from sagepub.com.
