Origins

Communities of Practice is a learning theory developed by education theorist Entienne Wenger and anthropologist Jean Lave to better understand informal social learning.  It is a theory applied to better understand informal learning within a number of different environments from apprenticeships among African tailors, to learning within the Chrysler and Shell Corporations to get a competitive edge over Japanese car manufacturers, to collaborative learning happening on social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit.

CoPs Defined

A Community of Practice is an informal, self-managed (Wenger & McDermott, p. 41) group of people who “share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger & McDermott, p.4). The group comes together to:

1. Capitalize on the skill sets individuals bring to the community
2. Discover and learn new knowledge together
3. Synthesize & implement change

Seven Principles of a CoP and Questions We Should Ask Ourselves

1. Design for evolution (Wenger & McDermott, p. 51). What logistics for the CoP can be planned for now that will be catalyst for the CoP’s growth (e.g. Should members take turns facilitating for each module? Is there enough flexibility within the topic areas: foundations, frameworks, collaboration, and assessment. Should any of those topic areas be negotiated? Does each member seek related readings or does the facilitator select those for that module?
2. Open a dialogue between inside and outside perspectives. CoPs build on collective community experiences (p. 51). Questions asked could include: What do I bring to the table? Are there outsiders we need to invite into our community for dialogue on a particular issue? (e.g. Dr. Jie Zhang’s presentation on Culturally Responsive Pedagogy during the COPALI kickoff event).
3. Invite different levels of participation (p. 51). Questions asked could include: What ways do I prefer to engage with others remotely? Will there be times during the institute where more flexibility will be needed that we should account for up front? (e.g. busy instruction times of the semester).
4. Develop both public and private community spaces (p. 51). Questions asked could include: What ways do I prefer to engage with other tracks within COPALI and folks outside of COPALI (other networks where we engage with CoP issues like conferences (ACRL 2023), organizations we belong to like SUNYLA, or groups within our own libraries/institutions? Are there social media platforms (Twitter or Mastadon) or tools (hypothesis) that we’d like to use to engage a wider audience? How might I like to network one-to-one with members of our CoP?
5. Focus on value (p. 51). Questions asked could include: What professional development goal(s) do I have and how might they mesh with those of our CoP? What intellectual products would be most useful to create and how might I like to access the body of knowledge we compile beyond this institute (Nov. 2023)? A third of the modules are intentionally marked vaguely as “issues” so we can fold in the interests and needs of the folks within our track – what are those for me?
6. Combine familiarity and excitement (p. 51). Questions asked could include: How do we combine the familiar with the new & exciting (e.g. combining new teaching techniques with our CoP learning – perhaps there are particular collaborative learning strategies we’d like to try out, for example)?
7. Create rhythm for the community (p. 51). Questions asked could include: Some of this is embedded into COPALI by creating 6 overarching modules for the three CoPs (foundations, frameworks, two issues specific to each track, and collaboration) on a 2 week cycle. Other than that, what regular meetings and activities might I want to get into a rhythm where I feel like I, my CoP track, and COPALI as a whole is accomplishing something of value?

Reflective Pause

Carving out time for conversation during the kickoff event that focused on how each track envisioned running was an important start to building shared community.  Participants were asked to think about/make note of their thoughts on what they hoped to gain from the institute experience.

Expectations of each CoP

As part of a discussion on COPALI’s Code of Conduct, members within all three tracks mutually agreed to the following:

• We are all learning together
• This is not a credit-bearing class
• Block off time in your calendar
• Show up and do the work
• Be prepared to participate
• Participate authentically
• Take space / leave space
• Communicate schedule challenges to the development team leader for your track

References

Marineo, F., Heinbach, C., & Mitola, R. (2022). Building a Culture of Collaboration and Shared Responsibility for Educational Equity Work through an Inclusive Teaching Community of Practice. Collaborative Librarianship, 13(1), pp. 62-77. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/collaborativelibrarianship/vol13/iss1/8

Treyner, B. (2008). Headshot of Etienne Wagner. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Etienne_Wenger_893x893.jpg

Wenger, E., McDermott, R.A., & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice: A guide to managing knowledge. Harvard Business School Press. https://worldcat.org/title/48083908