Wiki: Community of Practice

PURPOSE of Community of Practice

To improve practice by: engaging in shared inquiry and learning with people who have a common goal, and implementing that learning

DEFINING FEATURES of Community of Practice

Scope

May evolve from a group of people already meeting or be initiated by individuals who wish to explore ways to improve practices for themselves, their programs, or the field as a whole 

Framework

An ongoing interaction of understanding and experience among members, with the potential of participants’ discourse and reflections leading to public outcomes that may impact the field at large

Strategies

Group members develop, share, and test ideas regarding individual practice, document outcomes and reflections, and use discourse via face-to-face and electronic communication to draw conclusions

EXAMPLES of Community of Practice from the EARLY CHILDHOOD FIELD

A group of teachers, specialists, administrators, and family members form a community of practice to support high quality inclusion. They meet regularly to learn more about tiered approaches to instruction that are designed to help practitioners organize interventions and assessments by level of intensity. They do this by gathering information, participating in webinars, and developing plans for adopting these approaches in practice. As they move toward implementing these practices, they plan ways to share what they learn with others at a statewide conference.

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