Blog #3 Community of Practise

Wenger (1998) identified Community of Practice (or CoP) as a group of individuals working to create and develop a common identity which helps to improve teaching communities. 

Inquiry 1: Research Informed Leadership

Possible inquiry questions: What does our evidence tell us about current practise? How do we use research to make informed decisions about our practise?  Where to from here our CoL?

Who are in our Community of Practice? Current team leaders as well as mentor teachers. 

Sparks (2013) cited in Brown et al (2015) described how “…Some of the most important forms of professional learning occur in daily interactions among teachers…” It is through mutual engagement (Wenger, 2000, p.229) that staff interact within our school community to build trust in professional relationships. Timperley and Hulsbosch (2010) as cited in Brown et al (2015) described this knowledge building work as a priority for school leaders.

My hope is that our CoP make better informed decisions because of research based information. Dialogue between members to be open, honest and transparent, and  that we give constructive feedback (to each other) rather than personal opinions based on personal beliefs and culture.

Descriptive:

Within our CoP, we have been working together to figure out ways to motivate, engage and promote dialogue with colleagues. 

My hunch is… because we are all on a journey that requires lots of research to build knowledge, it may at times feel like we are making very slow progress.  I see that we each bring something different to the table and that individuals need time to process information.  I feel that it could feel unfair that people make assumptions about your thinking because you cannot articulate your thoughts correctly or fast enough for their liking.  That’s the part I find most frustrating.

Comparitive:

The thing I enjoy most about this CoP is the daily interactions with my peers.  One member described our dialogue as being beneficial and is helping them better understand research based evidence. Another found all extra readings overwhelming, due to the growing demands of daily teaching and leadership roles within our school.  I like how research has opened the door to conversations (and other mediums) with other MindLab peers whom I may never have interacted with, if it wasn’t for this course.

Critical reflection

What I’ve learnt (from the research) is that our CoL need to be informed (based on relevant research).  We need to use reflective inquiry models and begin to ask ourselves those uncomfortable questions that make us think “why I do what I do?” and “what am I going to change to improve outcomes?” 

Inquiry 2: Leading change

Possible inquiry questions: How did we get here? What can we do to build a positive culture within our school? Are you an example of our school values and why?

Who are in our Community of Practice?

Teachers who are early adopters and are keen to implement PB4L within our school.

According to Knox (2009)  “…communities emerge from interaction rather than design…” He furthermore asks how we, as a CoP, could offer time and support for our members? Linking our school values, walking the talk and ensuring consistency school wide can be challenging due to previous experiences.  However, it is about moving forward with a common goal to do what is best for our learners.

Descriptive:

Our school is going through major changes (due to new management team).  I feel that the process of change has taken a bit longer than what I expected. I guess because of the pace we have taken, I can see pockets of frustrations from individuals who need the most help.

Comparitive:

Our team has identified we need a schoolwide approach to help manage behaviour. Rohan (2017) describes how schools need to put in place the expectations for student behaviour. There needs to be clarity and consitstency for everyone involved.  But in order for all this happen there needs to be a “buy in” from everyone.

Critical reflection

Teachers often talk about how our current workload could be overwhelming at times. Add to that, the added expectation of extra curricular demands on top of that. Sometimes, people find it easier to cope with pressure by “passing the buck” to others who have stronger expertise in areas of behavior. How do we encourage others to join in this common goal to ensure consistency? What else could we do to help others see the value in goal because Knox (2009) explained that people do what they do on a voluntary basis! My hope is that when change happens, and the foundation is set, that we have a program that benefits not only our school, but the wider community too.

References

Brown.B, Friesen. S, Saar. C, Park. A, Marcotte. C, Hampshire. T,  Martin. B, &  Martin. J. (2015).  Focus on Inquiry: Providing Leadership Through a Disposition of Inquiry

Retrieved from

http://inquiry.galileo.org/ch6/instructional-leadership/providing-leadership-through-a-disposition-of-inquiry/

Jay, J.K. and Johnson, K.L. (2002). Capturing complexity: a typology of reflective practice for teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18, 73-85.

Jurasaite-Harbison, E., & Rex, L. (2010). School Cultures as Contexts for Informal Teacher Learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(2), 267-277.

Knox, B. (2009, December 4).Cultivating Communities of Practice: Making Them Grow.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhMPRZnRFkk

Rohan, T. (2017) Teaching For Positive Behaviour: Supporting engagement, participation, and learning. Ministry of Education

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

Wenger, E.(2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organization,7(2), 225-246.