A community of practice

A community of practice

Introduction

A community of practice is a group of people who have a passion for what they do and work together through learning and interaction to make it better (Gore & Rosser, 2020). The advantage of CoP is that it provides the individual members with access to knowledge and experience that they could not have gotten it on their own (Deese-Roberts, 2010). This approach has the advantage of not only building their confidence but also enhancing their professional practice.

Class Discussion Groups

These were groups that were formed with the aim of undertaking the specific class projects, which were a requirement for the course. Our joint enterprise was to enable focused discussions through working together to present a quality project for the different units we were in. Before the discussions, each person was assigned a different task, which was part of the larger project so that they can present their findings during physical meetings and online discussions. These interactions, both online and physical, were able to build our mutual engagement throughout the meeting. We utilized the WhatsApp platform and physical venues, as a shared repertoire, to exchange ideas, resources to facilitate generation and completion of quality work for the class project.

Workplace Association

This association was a group of employees at an organization I volunteered during the holidays. The main aim of this association of employees was to facilitate on-job training for both new and older workers of the organization. One of the observations I noted at the organization was professional interactions and undertaking of quality work, which was a product of the association. The joint enterprise shared by the employees was the facilitating professional development of the individual employees and also to assist newer employees in familiarizing themselves with the procedures of the organization. The mutual engagement was built through physical interactions and volunteer learning sessions, which were within or without the premises of the organization. Apart from the physical meetings, there was a website that served as a shared repertoire, where members could exchange resources and experiences meant for professional development.

References

Deese-Roberts, S. (2000). Powerful learning: powerful partnerships. Research Strategies, 17(1), 67-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0734-3310(00)00027-6

Gore, J., & Rosser, B. (2020). Beyond content-focused professional development: powerful professional learning through genuine learning communities across grades and subjects. Professional Development in Education, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2020.1725904