My Communities of Practice

Knox (2009) defines a community of practice as “A group of people who share a passion for something they know how to do and who interact regularly to learn how to do it better”. Behind this simple statement is the powerful idea that learning is a social process not only for children but also for adults.

 A common complaint for most teachers is that they never feel like they have quite “got it”: the perfect lesson, the ideal learning environment, the work-life balance…this constant need to improve, perfect and refine is both the best and worst part of being a teacher.

In order to maintain the enthusiasm, drive, and curiosity to pursue the unattainable teachers join and develop ‘communities of practice’ to support them on their journey.

I personally have three communities of practice which I actively participate in. I believe that my involvement in these communities is essential to my development as a teacher.

Wenger (2000) states that the first element of a community of practice is the possession of a common goal or shared “enterprise”. This goal is common across all three of my communities of practice; while I interact with each community in very different ways, with very different outcomes we all have the same central aim: becoming better teachers. Through our interactions with each other, we hope to expand our knowledge, develop our understanding of teaching and learning and find new and innovative ways to help our students.

Community 1: The Junior Team at school

Seeing as this is the community that I am immersed in for 50 hours or more each week this is the community with which I interact the most frequently. This interaction takes the form of sharing resources, planning together and discussing difficulties with classroom management or certain students. We have weekly formal meetings but these interactions take place informally every day through conversations and the sharing of planning and resources.

Community 2: Social Community of Junior Teachers

While my interactions with my three friends who are junior teachers at other schools are much more informal I believe that they are equally important. These interactions consist largely of conversations, electronically, over the phone and in real life. While there is no set schedule for these they usually take place on a weekly basis and often come about when a member experiences an issue, needs to seek clarification on a question or is developing a plan in an area where they lack experience or confidence. Sometimes seeking the advice of a peer who has no involvement in the ‘politics’ or relationships at a school  can provide an unbiased and viewpoint and a fresh perspective on an issue.

Community 3: The Mindlab Wellington Intake

My interactions with other Mindlab members are usually conversations, these initially occurred in-class and online, but now mostly take place on Google Plus due to the change in the delivery of our course. People ask questions about assignments, share resources that they have found and ask for opinions on issues they are experiencing in their classrooms.

Alongside a shared goal and interaction the third element that defines a community of practice is the production of a ‘shared repertoire’ or communal resources (Wenger, 2000). For each community these look very different; for the Junior Team, our interactions usually lead to the production of shared weekly and unit plans, the inception of new initiatives or inquiries and adjustments to classroom practice. My conversations with my Junior Teacher friends usually produce new understandings of concepts that have been reached through discussions, debates, and consequent cognitive conflict. My engagement with other members of the Mindlab community also often leads to understandings of new concepts and additionally the discovery of new resources or tools for learning such as iPad apps.

I am an active participant in all three communities and like to make regular contributions through the sharing of resources, experiences, and discussion. While I feel that my interactions within the Mindlab community and Junior Teachers community are evenly matched by other participants I sometimes need to take on the role of a leader within the Junior Team. While some members of this community are active participants there is a lack of ‘mutuality’ (Wenger, 2000) among some members who prefer to take a more passive role, while they often take on the advice or resources of other participants they seldom contribute themselves. However, as Knox (2009) cautions communities cannot be forced but rather must be ‘cultivated’. Allowing members to participate at a level where they feel comfortable while still encouraging and inviting them to share their ideas is the hallmark of a good community of practice.

Despite different levels of participation these communities of practice remain highly driven and motivated, everyone wants the best for their students, there is a constant need to improve, to discover which keeps me motivated and inspired. After a challenging day in the classroom, these communities provide me with a support network, an outlet, and a reminder that colleagues across year levels, schools, and the country are experiencing similar issues.

References:

Knox, B. (2009). Cultivating Communities of Practice: Making Them Grow.[video file]. Retrieved September 4, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhMPRZnRFkk.

Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organization, 7(2), 225–246.