Community+of+Practice

Community of Practice
Post your response to each question in the **Response** column below. Include your name next to your post. Try to use a use a different color font for ease of reading various responses. As the list grows, feel free to expand upon other posts, without deleting any comments.

the **needs of adult learners?** || //Members of communities of practice are thought to be more efficient and effective conduits of information and experiences. While organizations tend to provide manuals to meet the training needs of their employees, CoP's help foster the process of storytelling among colleagues which, in turn, helps them strengthen their skills on the job.// ([|Seely Brown & Duguid 1991]). That's a quote directly from the Wiki page on the CoP, but why re-invent the wheel? I think the focus on "storytelling" holds significant appeal for adult learners, especially educators, who find their professional lives fragmented by minutiae. Constructing a narrative of practice and development creates a mythology of professional community. I am not implying that it is mythical, but that it can be epic.
 * **Question** || **Responses -- Bill ; Hecklinger/Cantor/Chatham/Peterson/Herlein; Mulartrick Recchio-Demmin, Dickerson, Wilson/Swanson/Perry/deGuzman/English/     ** ||
 * How does the approach support

=
Adults have the knowledge and insight to know what it is they desire to learn or need to learn. It can be insulting if administrators fail to acknowledge this. Professional Development in the Communities of Practice model, bases the content of learning on what the teacher identifies as an area of interest or weakness. The learning happens through job embedded experiences in groups of teachers who share a common goal. They can meet face to face or share resources and ideas using Web 2.0 tools. “CoPs often focus on sharing best practices and creating new knowledge to advance a domain of professional practice. A community’s specific purpose and goals inform the appropriate activities and technologies that should support it.” Communities of practice require collaboration and shared responsibility. This method of PD is ideal for teachers that are juggling so much at once with very little time to engage in organized PD. The ICohere Design Guide also suggest s that “communities” are cultivated versus is “built” which lends itself to adult learning and goals being internally versus externally driven. (iCohere CoP Design Guide) =====

If Malcolm Knowles’ assumptions of adult learning are true, all adults have a psychological need to be self-directing (Glickman, Gordon & Gordon, 2010). Communities of practice, commonly referred to as personal or professional learning networks, are self-organized and have a primary goal for members to learn from each other. Studies have shown that adults have more meaningful learning opportunities in informal environments versus highly structured environments. Although not all adults might be ready for self-directed learning, it is something that should be fostered instead of inhibited.

The Community of Practice design (CoP) accommodates the needs of adult learners by its inherent nature encompassing the three theories of intelligences as described by Glickman (pg. 51). The triarchic theory of intelligence accounts for componential intelligence (cognitive), experiential intelligence, and contextual intelligence. When adult learners form a community of practice they contribute a wealth of knowledge from all of these levels. This is unlike professional development that focuses on one area of content knowledge, but does not give the adult learner the opportunity to add to that knowledge through their own experiences or perspectives. A well-structured CoP allows members to be at once both teachers and learners. Thus, the professional experience becomes one that is more well-rounded. The community of practice concept supports the needs of adult learners by allowing teachers to pull from their own experiences and link them to strategies that can help to improve instruction. Therefore, seasoned and new teachers can share ideas about what has worked and what has not in regards to improving instruction. Therefore, the playing field is leveled. Thus, each member can learn from one another. The work of community of practice groups can be used to effectively invoke reform in many school districts. In addition, the environment for the community of practice can also vary to meet the demanding schedules of adult learners. Teachers often are concerned about not having enough time to engross themselves in professional learning. Communities of practice teams often times connect online or meet in person. Community of Practice will support the needs of adult learners by recognizing and adapting to how teachers (and students) learn best. To assume that the needs of a learner change drastically once they graduate high school or college would be shortsighted. Learners, including adult learners, thrive when there is differentiation and learning matches their needs. “The need to individualize teacher learning, indicated by the literature on adult learning, stands in sharp contrast to the actual treatment of teachers (Glickman, Gordon, and Ross-Gordon, 2010, pg 59). This help explain why a community of practice where through small communities teachers can grow and learn from one another is a viable option for professional development. Through these communities teachers can collaborate, reflect, and grow professionally. “In order to learn and grow, teachers need to participate in a continuous cycle of collaboration (Mezirow, 1981, 1990 and Brookfield, 1986).” While we recognize there are differences in the ways adults learn in comparison to younger students, especially in regards to transition events (Glickman et al., 2010, pg. 73), the reality is that many adult learners find comfort in being surrounded by colleagues and working on real-world (real-school) problems together. ||


 * How does the approach support **differentiated**
 * professional development to meet the unique needs**
 * of staff in your school?** || I chose CoPs for the same reason I like PLCs: They allow schools, staff and leaders to differentiate technology and 21st Century skills integration for educators and students whether they be digital, natives, immigrants or Digital "3rd Culture Kids"--the kind of digital being I see myself and many of the members of this cohort as. (To wit, not an immigrant with an accent, but someone who remembers the homeland, although the term may be meaningless--a citizen living in a place she was not born, but is fully comfortable in. A Pico Iyeresque "global soul" of technology.) I have no doubt that technology will play a bigger and bigger role in education into the foreseeable future, but that does not mean we should cast aside the cadre of senior experts and youthful luddites among us. We need to create structures of practice and trust where these members of our learning communities can feel comfortable professionally developing through shared inquiry. CoP's allow for that.

Wegner defines Communities of Practice as “groups of people who share a concern or passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.” This concept corresponds well with promoting differentiated PD. Staff members with common concerns often informally communicate, brainstorm, and seek solutions. Formalizing this process would allow for these naturally forming groups to become more effective in finding the resources they need to solve issues they have identified in their classrooms. Teachers know what specific instructional challenges they face. Communities of practice can allow teachers to form small supportive groups to collaborate on these challenges based on need, rather than participate in ‘one-size-fits-all’ whole -staff activities. Furthermore, teachers participating a community of practice can utilize technology to connect with similar communities outside of their school environment and to learn from experts. Social media, websites, and various Web 2.0 tools can be used to collaborate and gather the content and resources needed for a specific challenge.

All adult learners have different needs. Even though my district just started “conference in-service days” where teachers have a menu of sessions to choose from, some teachers are still struggling to find meaningful workshops to attend. Communities of practice bring people together with similar interests and/or needs in an effort to collaborate on shared desires. The members of the group determine the outcomes.

A CoP uses a variety of activities to support learning within the community (Wenger, 2006). These methods may include: collaborative problem solving, requests for information, mentored experience, sharing assets, coordination and synergy, discussions, joint projects, visits and mapping knowledge. As such,the venue for these activities can be online, f2f, or a hybrid mix. Members can choose the learning activity that best meets their learning style. Community of practice supports differentiated professional development because it offers a wide range of opportunities to connect to fellow educators who share the same goals or vision of the school and/ or district. Teachers are given an opportunity to serve as leaders, mentors and work as a team to achieve their goals. Teachers can choose activities in which they feel most comfortable without the pressure of attending meaningless trainings. There are so many levels and variations of professional development needs that are unique in each building due to the culture and norms that have been established. A challenge of providing for the pd needs at the district level, is learning what those intricacies are at each building and to somehow build meaningful professional development on a district-wide basis, while meeting those unique needs. In the social learning approach, teachers consistently meet in a variety of ways (face-to-face, virtually through social networking sites, use of wikis etc) to address issues, share ideas and find solutions that will meet their targeted needs. We know from experience and in our readings that teacher participation in the planning and execution of professional development is critical to success. This just makes sense given that, again, teachers know the outcome and impact of changing curriculum, shift in pedagogy, etc that happen each year in their building. We also know that breaking down the pd to meet specific needs (ie core subject, grade level) is important to a successful pd program. ||
 * What **elements** need to be in place so that the
 * professional development is of high quality and effectively**
 * improves instruction?** || The same as for any other PD: lots of release time, the building of trust among participants, financial support for equipment and possible external training. Specific to the CoP model, a reflective process that asks three key questions needs to be in place. These questions are:


 * //Internally//: How to organize educational experiences that ground school learning in practice through participation in communities around subject matters?
 * //Externally//: How to connect the experience of students to actual practice through peripheral forms of participation in broader communities beyond the walls of the school?
 * //Over the lifetime of students//: How to serve the lifelong learning needs of students by organizing communities of practice focused on topics of continuing interest to students beyond the initial schooling period?
 * See resource #1, below.

You an easily see how these questions mesh with the goals of PLCs, especially when the school itself is posited as a learning community. (Aside: I think that Wegner & Co. need to hire a rewriter to reword those questions, however. Dear Buddha, that is ugly prose.)

Communities of practice create situations where folks with similar interests can come together to share their expertise. Novice as well as veteran teachers can benefit from this type of community. As stories are swapped among group members, all learn from the experience, knowledge and skill of their peers. Effective professional development must grow naturally out of the organic conversations. As group members identify solutions to some scenarios, they will also identify areas in which they need more professional development. High quality professional development will respond directly to the needs identified by group members. Barbara Rogoff observed communities of practice at work in a Salt Lake City school. Her book, entitled Learning Together: Children and Adults in a School Community promises to be an interesting resource on this topic. See more at this website: []

There has to be a common understanding of how “communities of practice” function. Sharing ideas and strategies is great, but there needs to be an ultimate goal or vision to increase student achievement.

Cambridge, et.al (200) describes two types of architecture necessary for the success of a Cop: technical architecture and social architecture. The social architecture necessitates the formation of a social learning group that is cohesive and focused on a learning domain. It is important to realize that, as with any social group, there are stages to development. Most important is the building of a strong foundation based on common interests. Members need to be fully engaged and feel like the association with the group increases their performance professionally. Members need to believe they are all contributing, and receiving back, something useful from the group. In some instances a facilitator can perform the role of keeping the group directed. There also needs to be an underlying sense of trust such that members can expose weaknesses in which they need remediation and know they will receive positive feedback and helpful suggestions.

In order for professional development to be of high quality and improve instruction, it must be geared toward the teacher’s needs and concerns (Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2010). In addition, teachers must have a plethora of learning opportunities that support their goals and teachers must take an active role in determining the school/districts goals. A variety of factors are considered important in the successful implementation of a professional development program that supports the Community of Practice. Of critical importance is a focus on individual growth where teachers participate in the planning and execution of the learning often conducted in a collaborative, small group environment (Glickman, 2010; Burke, n.d). Additionally, the integration of the new learning through follow-up and regular feedback allows for a process of ongoing, gradual professional development through incremental changes in practice (Guskey, 2009). In order to accomplish this, districts, schools and/or supervisors need to create a culture where teachers are involved in the planning of professional development; a clear mission is set that focuses on student outcomes, administration provide support of time for learning; teachers are given follow-up support to ensure integration; and the learning is active whenever possible (Glickman, 2010). Motivation is a critical factor in adult learning that can be encouraged by involving teachers in the planning process (Glickman, 2010). In addition, planning involves differentiating the needs of staff at the varying stages of their career allowing for participants to cultivate excitement for learning amongst staff at similar levels of professional growth. ||
 * How does the approach **support teacher evaluation?** || It makes teacher evaluation what it should be: Formative and based on peer review. "Teacher evaluation" as a term has come to mean the same as "EVERYONE expects the Spanish Inquisition!" to educators everywhere. We know that standardized testing is not as effective a measurement devise for student learning as the type of internal, personalized assessment the Finns do: why would it be any different for educators? Local, organic contextualized teacher evaluation built on trust and community--it's the way forward. Moreover, teachers are more critical of each other in specific ways than any general teacher evaluation could ever be. (Deny that.) This willingness to roast each other over the fire (the hearth, really) is matched only by our reluctance to allow our colleagues to be burned at the stake by the State. That's less dramatic, and more realistic, than it sounds if you think about it. Leave teacher evaluation to the self-policing of professionals and their professional communities, and there will be no need for a secret police.

The Communities of Practice approach could support teacher evaluation quite well. However, if a school were pressured to maintain a standard, unrelated evaluation system, the approach would not support or deter from the evaluation. On the other hand, if a school were able to adjust its evaluation system to reflect the focus of the Communities of Practice group or perhaps even the more specific focus of the individuals within the group, learning efforts could be recorded and assessed as part of ongoing evaluation or an annual review. The aim of Communities of Practice is to provide “supported participation” (Glickman, 2010, p. 55) in real situations, much as medical professionals do as they transition from students to doctors. Therefore, as with medical professionals, beginning teachers may find value in ongoing evaluation of their efforts. If the entire PD program of the school has been designed, with teachers, to support the common goals of the organization (Glickman, 2010, p. 350), it makes sense that teacher evaluation would also be based on those goals. Communities of Practice are no exception.

If teacher evaluations permit individuals to set goals for themselves or possibly conduct peer evaluations, communities of practice would encourage goal setting and reflecting in a safe environment. Whether or not the community is working on the same goal, members can share best practices and support each other in the learning process. Even though we do not have peer evaluations in my school district and building administrators are the only sources of feedback, communities of practice could be formed as a result of specific areas of improvement that the administrator wishes to see.

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">In many ways, the membership in a CoP acts as a self-evaluation. Members can use the experiences of others to do a self-reflection on their current classroom practices. They can gain valuable information from the perspectives of others, modify behavior, attitude, or knowledge base, and then use these modifications to improve student performance. This is what classroom observation is all about. The difference is that a teacher gains insight from multiple perspectives, not the single perspective of a supervisor. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The community of practice supports teacher evaluation because teachers can learn innovative means in which to improve instruction. The community of teachers should be supportive in assisting with peer reviews and self reflection and assist one another to increase their level of knowledge. Thus, imparting the newly acquired knowledge to students in the classroom especially in the area of integrating technology. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A community of practice is the process of social learning where a group of teachers collaborate over time to exchange information, share ideas, and find solutions.The purpose of teacher evaluation is to improve teacher instruction which leads to improved student achievement. Part of the adult learning theory as described by "both Mezirow (1981, 1990) and Brookfield's (1986) work in adult learning indicates that in order to learn and grow, teachers need to participate in a continuous cycle of collaborative activity and reflection on that activity and need to develop the powers of critical thinking" (Glickman, 60). Providing a support system with other teachers through a Community of Practice, supports the adult learning theory so teachers can learn and improve their instruction as is the purpose of teacher evaluation. || supports the approach. The resource might provide more general information about the approach or present specific research-based findings on a particular aspect of the approach. || * <span class="wiki_link_ext">Communities of Practice, Wegner Homepage --Bill > > **<span style="color: #660066; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Communities of practice http://www.ewenger.com/theory/ice ** Seven Principles for Cultivating a Community of Practice []
 * **Contribute at least one resource (e.g., web site or article)** that
 * <span class="wiki_link_ext">Developing Communities of Practice in Schools, National Writing Project, reprinted from TC Press --Bill
 * "Communities of Practice." //Etienne Wenger Home Page//. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. [].
 * ICohere. "Community of Practice Design Guide." //ICohere//. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. [].
 * McLaughlin, Milbrey W., and Joan E. Talbert. "Developing Communities of Practice in Schools - National Writing Project." //Building School-Based Teacher Learning Communities: Professional Strategies to Improve Student Achievement//. New York: Teacher College, 2006. 38-63. //National Writing Project - Improving the Teaching of Writing in the Nation's Schools//. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. [].
 * Wenger, Etienne. "Communities of Practice: A Brief Introduction." Web. 11 Nov. 2011. [].
 * Learning Communities from ASCD(Brooke) <span style="color: #005698; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Strategies for Successful Professional Development to Support Technology Integration []