(A blog post for the purpose of the MindLab Applied Practice in Context Course)
In Communities of Practice and Social Learning Systems Wenger argues that for an institution to be successful it needs to become a social learning system both within itself and also as part of larger community, industry or professional learning system. Learning within a community of practice (CoP) is regarded as a social process, rather than a solitary process.
A CoP can be defined as a group of people, who are involved in a shared purpose or function andwho learn from each other. At any particular time a CoP will contain people at a variety of stages - people who have just joined, people who are skilled in the shared endeavour. As outlined by Wenger (2013) a CoP is more than just a group of friends. Rather it is bounded by a domain or a shared interest and a commitment to this, especially with regards to ongoing learning and development.
Teachers can belong to and contribute to a CoP either within their organisation or at a wider level through social networking groups that may have developed organically or may have been specifically constructed for this purpose. One cannot presume that just because teachers work together in a school, for a common purpose they are a CoP with the shared purpose of learning, knowledge sharing and collaboration. Rather, the CoP has to be carefully cultivated so a culture of learning is created and everyone is a contributing member of the CoP. Three factors are generally regarded as being important for a CoP. These are the awareness of social presence and the social nature of learning, a willingness to take an active part and collaborate as a 'learner' and 'teacher,' and a recognition of the importance of contributions for the ongoing existence of the CoP. As part of a CoP my purpose is to learn, basically to pick others' brains and share where I can. Ongoing growth and improvement, along with a search for clarity and increased understanding is part of my reason for belonging to CoPs.
As previously mentioned members of a CoP may all be at different stages. Some may feel they are more of an apprentice while others may feel they are more of an expert. As such, the roles and contributions are different. Someone who is an apprentice may feel they have little to contribute and they are there to learn from others. Others who are more expert may feel that they are able to share their experience with the group. Yet, due to the focus on collaboration and shared social learning, there is no predetermined hierarchy within such groups.
As teachers, while we may belong to a teaching/educators CoP, many of us would also belong to a subset CoPs with more specific interests. As a teacher of Educational Robotics I belong to this CoP. The connections I have here are interesting. While there are teachers who are also teaching (primary and secondary) in the field of Educational Robotics there are also professionals in the 'real world' field of robotics and computer science, inventors and entrepreneurs who are working in this field and teachers and students in the tertiary field in robotics. As this field is still relatively in its infancy and as such there are a limited number of people involved in it it would be difficult to have a useful CoP without it being mediated to an extent by social networking and the Internet. This CoP intersects with the CoP I belong to as a researcher in the field of STEM education.
I am so grateful for the CoPs that I belong to as I feel it is within these environments that I do most of my learning, and where my thinking is challenged and I am encouraged to reflect on the beliefs and points of view that I hold. The diverse perspectives and range of experiences that others bring to CoPs only enriches all of our experiences as we continually strive to be the best educators that we can be.
Wenger, E. (2013). Communities of practice: a brief introduction
In Communities of Practice and Social Learning Systems Wenger argues that for an institution to be successful it needs to become a social learning system both within itself and also as part of larger community, industry or professional learning system. Learning within a community of practice (CoP) is regarded as a social process, rather than a solitary process.
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| http://www.agilebuddha.com/agile/drive-innovation-by-creating-communities-of-practice/ |
Teachers can belong to and contribute to a CoP either within their organisation or at a wider level through social networking groups that may have developed organically or may have been specifically constructed for this purpose. One cannot presume that just because teachers work together in a school, for a common purpose they are a CoP with the shared purpose of learning, knowledge sharing and collaboration. Rather, the CoP has to be carefully cultivated so a culture of learning is created and everyone is a contributing member of the CoP. Three factors are generally regarded as being important for a CoP. These are the awareness of social presence and the social nature of learning, a willingness to take an active part and collaborate as a 'learner' and 'teacher,' and a recognition of the importance of contributions for the ongoing existence of the CoP. As part of a CoP my purpose is to learn, basically to pick others' brains and share where I can. Ongoing growth and improvement, along with a search for clarity and increased understanding is part of my reason for belonging to CoPs.
As previously mentioned members of a CoP may all be at different stages. Some may feel they are more of an apprentice while others may feel they are more of an expert. As such, the roles and contributions are different. Someone who is an apprentice may feel they have little to contribute and they are there to learn from others. Others who are more expert may feel that they are able to share their experience with the group. Yet, due to the focus on collaboration and shared social learning, there is no predetermined hierarchy within such groups.
As teachers, while we may belong to a teaching/educators CoP, many of us would also belong to a subset CoPs with more specific interests. As a teacher of Educational Robotics I belong to this CoP. The connections I have here are interesting. While there are teachers who are also teaching (primary and secondary) in the field of Educational Robotics there are also professionals in the 'real world' field of robotics and computer science, inventors and entrepreneurs who are working in this field and teachers and students in the tertiary field in robotics. As this field is still relatively in its infancy and as such there are a limited number of people involved in it it would be difficult to have a useful CoP without it being mediated to an extent by social networking and the Internet. This CoP intersects with the CoP I belong to as a researcher in the field of STEM education.
I am so grateful for the CoPs that I belong to as I feel it is within these environments that I do most of my learning, and where my thinking is challenged and I am encouraged to reflect on the beliefs and points of view that I hold. The diverse perspectives and range of experiences that others bring to CoPs only enriches all of our experiences as we continually strive to be the best educators that we can be.
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| http://i.myniceprofile.com/1438/143858.jpg |
References:
Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organization, 7(2), 225-246.Wenger, E. (2013). Communities of practice: a brief introduction
A great read Jill and definitely provoked reflection for me. I (naively) made comment in my blog post that my school staff was a CoP, but that's my perception and how I feel we operate. On reflection it's near impossible for me to know how all of our staff feel about our culture or their place in that and how they 'buy in.' And of course as you mention that could change daily too. I like how you mention your extended or specialised CoP, something I hadn't explored.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your response. School staff can definitely be a CoP I think - a goal of many leaders would be to make sure this is the case as schools need to be learning environments for all - not just our students. Cheers, Jill.
ReplyDeleteHello Jill! I am wondering if you are a member of NZACDITT? And if you have attended CS4HS seminars in Christchurch? This group has helped me a lot in teaching programming. If you are a member maybe we can meet at the next cs4hs seminar in Christchurch. I would love to learn more about STEM education and robotics.
ReplyDelete