My Community of Practice

Communities of practice 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 don't think I have ever worked with a group of people for whom this is more true. These 'all-consuming' concerns and passions and topics we share are our students and their well-being, learning and success. This community, my teaching colleagues, is the community of practice I am reflecting on.

What we do is often difficult and sometimes heart-wrenching, particularly in a decile two school (in my opinion). It is obvious to me that my colleagues do what they do because they love it and, as cliché as it may sound, they want to make a difference in kids lives. There is a real sense of commitment, loyalty and pride amongst our staff about where we work and of our students. 

Wenger suggests that in order for communities of practice to be successful there are three dimensions of progress they need to be aware of. Enterprise, a community must show leadership in pushing its development along and maintaining a spirit of inquiry. Mutuality, people must trust each other in their ability to contribute to the enterprise of the community. And finally repertoire, a degree of self-awareness. Being reflective on its repertoire enables a community to understand its own state of development. I believe these dimensions explain why I feel this particular community of learning, my teaching colleagues, is so successful.

We are in constant communication with each other, around the photocopier and at morning tea time for example. These conversations are anecdotal but almost always about our students, and in turn our practice. After hours we often communicate via text, email, and social media. As well as this constant, informal dialogue we have with each other we undertake more deliberate acts of learning together and improving our practice. 

As a whole staff every two years we unpack the assessment data we have collected and we pick an area for improvement. Most recently it was writing. This involved an expert visiting our school several times over a two year period. Throughout the two years we came together as a staff regularly and decided how we would use everything we had learned, what were we as a staff going to change about our whole school philosophies/policies/practices and why?

We are encouraged to undertake professional development as the budget and time allows. We meet formally every week for a 'staff meeting'. The focuses of these meetings are rarely administration. This time is set aside each week to question and challenge our thinking. This week, for example, we began to write our graduate profile and next week were are going to moderate our writing samples. These meetings provide us with an opportunity to work with teachers from other parts of the school and draw on their expertise. It also ensures that we are all on the same page and have similar expectations of our students.

I have a huge sense of belonging to my community of practice, my school, and I know others feel the same. Several of our staff have been working at our school for over 20 years. I feel valued and supported. I think I am an active member of my community of practice. I also think up until recently I have been a follower but have in the last year begun to look for more leadership opportunities. 

Wakhlu, N. (2015). Communities of Practice. Retrieved from https://medium.com/lets-gather/how-do-you-support-a-community-of-practice-8e0abf2ac00b.

Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organization, 7(2), 230.