In the landscape of communities and boundaries that we live, we identify with some communities strongly, and not at all with others (Wegner, 2000). This means that we often choose what communities we are part of and can easily identify with them whereas other communities are of no particular use or do not interest us.
What is my Community of Practice?
Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. (Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner, 2015)
The Domain
My school is my main domain.The school and the surrounding farming community are the foundation for which the other communities I belong to lie. The students, teachers and whanau all want the best for our school and collaborate to ensure this happens. We have a vision instrumental in all we do. We want our children to leave Papakaio School being the best they can be by following our 4 P's - People, Passion, Potential and Passion.
The Community
Our shared visions and ideas are threaded through all we do within our domain. In our MLE I work closely together collaborating and sharing ideas on ways forward for our learners. I also do this at our staff and syndicate meetings with all participants in these meetings being equal and valued. Working as a mentor teacher is new for me this year and therefore a lot of learning has gone on for both myself and the beginning teacher. In our CoL we have sessions on Literacy that all teachers engage with - sharing and reflecting.
The Practice
I share resources and ideas, always looking at ways to improve my teaching for our learners. I participate in Professional Development (Mindlab, Maths, Wordlab,Coding) and take what is learned back to school to help within our classroom context. As a staff we are always talking about our learners whether it is a planned meeting or an informal chat at lunch or morning tea in the staffroom.
My CoP is ever changing depending on what area I am working within - be it staff, junior team, management team, mentor, or curriculum development. I am always reflecting, researching, seeking advice when needed and listening to feedback and ways to improve my own practice. This can only happen in a supportive Community of Practice.
Reference
https://codeclub.nz/
Wenger, E.(2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organization,7(2), 225-246.
Wenger-Trayner, E and Wenger-Trayner, B. (2015). Introduction to communities of practice. A brief overview of the concept and its uses
https://literacyinnovators.co.nz/wordlab
No comments:
Post a Comment