Communities of Practice Defined
Wenger (2000) describes Communities of Practice (CoP) as situations where people who share a common interest in a subject or area collectively collaborate, locally or globally, with each other over an extended period of time. Howland, Jonassen, & Marra (2012) argues that humans are inclined to learn with and from each other through discussion and collaborative activity. Furthermore, Howland et al. (2012) state that it is through this process where learners exploit each others’ skills and knowledge in order to complete tasks, develop solutions and innovations. According to Wenger (2009), there are three elements that constitute a CoP: a domain, a community, and a practice. In essence, a CoP is a context specific learning community where learning can occur, both intentionally and unintentionally, through active participation (Learning-Theories.com, n.d.; Wenger, 2000, 2009).
CoP falls within the situative learning view as described by Mayes & de Freitas, (2004) and Ravenscroft (2011) whereby learning is situated within the context it resides. Furthermore, it aligns itself with the apprenticeship learning view where as part of a context specific community learners learn with and from each other (Mayes & de Freitas, 2004; Wenger, 2009). With the rapid development of the Internet, there is a rise in online CoP where passionate like-minded people share their experiences and collaborate with each other locally, nationally and globally. Therefore online CoP also falls within the connectivism learning view developed by Siemens (2006) and Downes (2012).
What is the purpose and function of your practice? In what ways do you contribute to the community of your practice?
With the above in mind, I have numerous CoP that I belong to. In the Educational world alone I have the school in which I belong and the courses that I am undertaking and the online community groups I am part of. In particular MindLab, Massey and Google+. In my own personal life, I also belong to the Putaruru Gun Club where I am the shoot secretary. Each of the above I engage in and contribute to.
In the educational world, CoP becomes complex. There are many CoP, from the classroom level through to curriculum teams, to a collective staff and to the professional development, including courses, that I undertake let alone to the learning groups that I belong to.
As a classroom teacher, I have always taken the view of learning with and alongside my students. Although I am aware that classroom management is a key aspect of being a teacher I have never really liked the ‘jug-in-mug’ theory. I struggle with the concept that a teacher must know all the knowledge and as we move into the 21st century I cannot see how this is possible. I see a teacher’s role to facilitate the learning, to create the environment where all learners learn from the point that they start. Learning to me is life long.
At the school I was at, I was part of the Technology curriculum team, leader of the DEET (Digital Engagement and Enrichment Team), Board of Trustees teacher representative, part of the Middle Management team, the Social Science team and the Mathematics team. Each of these I was an active participant. I like learning with and alongside others, I like listening to the views and ideas of others and sharing the ideas that I have learned through the professional development that I undertake. Although I now can see that at our school there is a need for more collaborative learning opportunities within the staff level particularly when it comes to planning.
What are the core values that underpin your profession? Evaluate your practice with regard to these values.
All teachers in New Zealand are bound by the Code of Ethics (Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, n.d.-b) and the Registered Teacher Criteria (Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, n.d.-a). In addition, there are the values that come from the New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007). Furthermore, there are the values of the school in which I teach. This makes for an interesting mix of ideas and values.
As a classroom teacher, I believe it is my role to provide an environment where all students are valued and that they make progress in their learning. I believe that all students have the ability to achieve at their highest level no matter where their starting point is.
I am critically reflective of my own practice and am always trying to improve not only my practice but also the classroom program for the benefit of my learners. Especially where the use of digital technologies are concerned. I enjoy participating in professional development and using the ideas learned within the classroom context and sharing new learning with colleagues. Although I will admit that balancing the professional development with the other areas of my life can be challenging at times.
There will be more that I think of as time goes on... I will have to come back to this I feel.
References
Downes, S. (2012). Connectivism and Connective Knowledge: essays on meaning and learning networks. National Research Council Canada. Retrieved from http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&btnG=Search&q=intitle:Connectivism+and+Connective+Knowledge+Essays+on+meaning+and+learning+networks#0
Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. (n.d.-a). Practising Teacher Criteria. Retrieved May 16, 2016, from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/registered-teacher-criteria-1
Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. (n.d.-b). The Education Council Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers. Retrieved May 10, 2016, from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0
Howland, J. L., Jonassen, D., & Marra, R. M. (2012). Meaningful learning with technology (4th ed., pp. 1–19). Boston, MA: Person Education, Inc.
Learning-Theories.com. (n.d.). Communities of Practice (Lave and Wenger) - Learning Theories. Retrieved May 10, 2016, from http://www.learning-theories.com/communities-of-practice-lave-and-wenger.html
Mayes, J. T., & de Freitas, S. (2004). Review of e-learning theories, frameworks and models. JISC e-learning models desk study. (Vol. 202). London, United Kingdom: JISC. Retrieved from http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&btnG=Search&q=intitle:JISC+e-Learning+Models+Desk+Study+Stage+2+:+Review+of+e-learning+theories+,+frameworks+and+models#0
Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum (Vol. 116). Wellington: Learning Media. Retrieved from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/the_new_zealand_curriculum
Ravenscroft, A. (2011, January 6). Dialogue and connectivism: A new approach to understanding and promoting dialogue-rich networked learning. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/934/1755
Siemens, G. (2006). Connectivism : A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1), 3–10. Retrieved from http://202.116.45.236/mediawiki/resources/2/2005_siemens_Connectivism_A_LearningTheoryForTheDigitalAge.pdf
Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organization, 7(2), 225–246. http://doi.org/10.1177/135050840072002
Wenger, E. (2009). Communities of practice: a brief introduction. Communities, 1–5. Retrieved from http://www.ewenger.com/theory/
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