Communities of Practice (CoP) Curriculum , Pedagogy Teacher and Students, where and does it all connect.

Learning is central to all that we do in primary school. Curriculum names it, pedagogy implements it, teachers and students facilitate it. So where does the CoP sit amongst it and how does it affect the overall learning process?

CoPs are implicitly in place in schools, as teachers participate in professional development and share in a daily community that revolves around learning. Communities of practice can be seen, for example, when older teachers advise younger ones and when younger teachers assist older teachers with new technology.

However, new CoPs relating to specific needs will spring up as the learning requires it. Here at OLGC school our priority for students and teachers is excelling in 21st century learning. Included in this pedagogy is the teachers’ understanding and use of Web 2 Tools. To support staff in their learning of the application of these tools, many of which are completely new, our ICT leader facilitates Breakie Techies once a week.

Breakie Techies are ICT learning sessions that all staff are invited to. The sessions run from 7:45 am till 8:30 am. What commences as a lecture-style learning session soon becomes a collaboration. Ability groups form naturally through teaching staff and admin staff assisting and challenging and helping each other. And during this, coffee and croissants are provided to further help build community, especially in what can be a frustrating situation, as well as to help teachers fuel up during a long day of learning ahead.

This CoP, which was created out of the need for teachers to use technology in learning and in everyday life, has evolved because of our shared educational vision, and it is quite powerful. Teachers are experiencing what it feels like to be challenged in their thinking and their ability in areas they may not have thought necessary to revisit. It is a nice reminder as to how it feels to be a student. Since teachers are helping students in an ever-changing world, it is important that we too are adaptable and aware of the technology which our very pupils may use or could use one day.

The camaraderie that this learning and breakfast meet has caused was unexpected. As some teachers have let their guard down and have exposed their weaknesses, other teachers are mindful of them and ensure that they are not left behind in the learning process.

This journey of 21st century learning commenced a couple of years ago when staff visited another leading school to discover the possibilities. Did we know that the excursion which create a CoP? No, not at the time.