Origins of Communities of Practice

The term community of practice was coined to refer to the community that acts as a living curriculum for the apprentice.

Jean Lave, Etienne Wenger (1991)

Communities of Practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something that they do and who interact regularly to learn how to do it better.

Domain

Practice

CommunityWenger (1998)

Characteristics

Domain: a shared competence, identity defined by shared domainCommunity: build relationships, care about each other and how they learn from each otherPractice: shared repertoire, do things together, improve their practice, share ideas

Wenger (1998)

How it might work for you…

Fitting theory to practiceQuestioning practiceQuestioning FE / teaching normsImproving competenciesIdentifying and understandingvalues

Reports Case studies what worked for you?Adaptations Training Programmes/Projects Innovation

Joint enterprise

Mutual engagement

Shared repertoire

Sharing understanding FE cultureSharing teaching practiceRecognising learner needsReflecting togetherIncreasing knowledge

Degrees of Participation

Peripheral

Active

Core Group

Outsider

Coordinator

Wenger et al (2002)

Level of Energy and Visibility

Coalescing

Potential

Maturing

Stewardship

Transformation

Time

Discussion

ParticipateRefine through practice

Different levels of participation, sharing information, approaches

Active forum for discussion,Debate, activities

Fade,split,

or merge

Stages of Community Development

Wenger et al (2002)

Communities of Practice

In a community of practice, novices and experienced practitioners can learn from observing, asking questions, and actually participating alongside others with more or different experience. Learning is facilitated when novices and experienced practitioners organize their work in ways that allow all participants the opportunity to see, discuss, and engage in shared practices

(Levine and Marcus, 2010)

Cultivating Communities of Practice

Design for Evolution Open a dialogue between inside and outside

perspectives Invite different levels of participation Develop both public and private community

spaces Focus on value Combine familiarity and excitement Create a rhythm for the Community

Wenger et al (2002)

Design for Evolution

Builds on existing networks Combining design elements to catalyse development Whatever works! Meetings, coordinators, thought leaders Reflect and improve

Wenger et al (2002)

Open a dialogue between inside and outside perspectives

Collective experience of members – inside perspective

Outside perspective can see possibilities

Look to other examples – what are they doing well?

Invite different levels of participation Invite different levels of participation

(People participate for different reasons)

Coordinator – core group Active – regular members Peripheral – Watching; Lurkers;

Silent participation

Build benches – bring people to the centre through interesting activities

Wenger et al (2002)

Develop both public and private community spaces

Develop both public and private community spaces

Public events Web of relationships Use informal ‘back channels’

Events to strengthen individual relationships

Relationship strengths to enrich eventsWenger et al (2002)

Focus on Value

Value changes over the lifespan Value may not be evident immediately Value is difficult to assess although

participation may be useful:

Learning a new method Having someone to contact to

ask questions

Wenger et al (2002)

Create a rhythm for the Community

Key projects Special events Idea – sharing forums Tool-building projects

Wenger et al (2002)

Combine familiarity and excitement

Patterns of communication and participation

COPs can be neutral places Stimulate interest and excitement

with a challenging speaker / premise / new approach – invite debate

Wenger et al (2002)

Challenges

Excessive documentation (an end in itself)

Creating Repositories ‘full of stuff’No order, no screening, no organisationComes to define the Community

Solution: think through the purpose of the COP, identify documents that would be useful, develop clear roles for managing them

Wenger et al (2002)

Challenges

Amnesia

Opposite of documentismTend to discuss problems rather than insightsNo record of insights – “repeating the wheel”Déjà vu – participation is unproductive

Solution: record insight and questions so that community activities are cumulative.

Wenger et al (2002)

Challenges

Dogmatism

Strong sense of competence – leads to unbending commitment to established canons and methodsRefuse to accommodate variationRelish specialised knowledge and jargon others don’t understand

Solution: thought leaders to guide community towards adaptability

Wenger et al (2002)

Challenges

Mediocrity

Easier to remain second classSettle for lessNo one pushing for higher standards

Solution: bringing in benchmarking – to stimulate, as a catalyst

Wenger et al (2002)

Teacher Education in Ireland and Internationally

“Teachers should be supported in taking responsibility for their own learning, that self and peer evaluation should be encouraged, and that communities of practice should be recognised”

(Background Report: Teacher Education in Ireland and Internationally, The Teaching Council, November 2010)

Contact Details

Jane O’KellySchool of Education StudiesDCUTel: 01 7007090Email: jane.okelly@dcu.ieTwitter: @janemurnaghan

Research interests: Online learning communities; communities of practice; research, CPD and practice in FET and adult education.

References

Wenger, E (1998) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity. NY: Cambridge University Press.

Wenger, E., McDermott, R., Snyder, W.M. (2002) Cultivating Communities of Practice, USA: Harvard Business School Press

Wenger, E., White, N., Smith, J.D. (2009) Digital Habitats. US: Cpsquare

Kimble, C. Hildreth, P., Bourdon, I (Eds.) (2008) Communities of Practice: Creating Learning Environments for Educators Volume I US: IAP – Information Age Publishing.

Kimble, C., Hildreth, P., Bourdon, I. (Eds.) (2008) Communities of Practice: Creating Learning Environments for Educators Volume II US: IAP – Information Age Publishing.

Levine, T.H. and Marcus, A.S. (2010). How the structure and focus of teachers’ collaborative activities facilitate and constrain teacher learning. Teaching and Teacher Education. 26, pp. 389–398

The Teaching Council. (2010) Background Report: Teacher Education in Ireland and Internationally. [online] Available from: http://www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/Publications/Teacher-Education/Documents/Draft-Policy-on-the-Continuum-of-Teacher-Education.pdf Accessed 2 November 2015.