Communities+of+Practice

Communities that promote collaborative teacher inquiry ||< READINGS
 * < Communities of practice can be defined as a process of social learning that occurs when people who have a common interest in a subject or area collaborate over an extended period of time, sharing ideas and strategies, determine solutions, and build innovations.

|| There needs to be:
 * < Three Components of COP

•A domain – a COP has an identity defined by a shared domain of interest eg. Literacy improvement. Membership implies a commitment to the domain.

•Community – a necessary component is that members of a specific domain interact and engage in shared activities, help each other and share information with each other. They build relationships that enable them to learn from each other – they must interact and learn together.

•Practice – members of the COP must be practitioners, they develop a shared repertoire of resources which can include stories, helpful tools, experiences or ways of handling typical problems.

||< || Communities develop their practice through a variety of methods: •Identifying what knowledge and skills students require •Mapping our own knowledge and skills against this •identifying gaps and areas for growth or improvement •Seeking the experiences of others •Discussing developments with others •Visiting other practitioners •Working with an instructional coach ||<  ||
 * Developing Practice through COP