My Practice Within the Community   

"Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly." (Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner, 2015)

Given this definition, I am able to reflect that I have a number of communities of practice relevant to myself as a teacher and learner: 

• my syndicate team, 
• my staff 
• members of our large staff who share my interest in all things digital and in evolving pedagogy, 
• my teaching social networks,
• teachers who I have worked with at other schools and still have open lines of communication with for sharing ideas and solving problems, 
• my Mindlab group, who continue to meet up online and in person to discuss our learning and help each other with assignment questions.  

Wegner (2000) discusses the term 'brokering', where a person acts as a broker between communities.  As I have worked in a number of different schools and have some level of identification with a number of community groups, I readily identify with this role.  I love to learn new things and discuss ideas with people, and I also find it rewarding to share my ideas and teaching resources with others.  Wegner identifies the broker as not belonging in any one place, but rather they prefer to  "...sit at the boundaries of many practices than move into the core of any one practice".  I often sit on the edges of many groups and then improve upon and pass on the best ideas that would particularly suit the needs of another group to them.  

Community

The community of practice where I currently engage the most is my current syndicate group - Tangaroa Syndicate - a syndicate of 3 teachers and 90 students, aged 12-13.

'Whakataukī: - Te toka tu moana / The rock standing in the ocean.

Tangaroa Mission: ' Our purpose, as a team, is to develop the academic, social and physical skills of our Year 8 students, to help them succeed at school and in life.'

Domain

The teachers in my syndicate and I talk daily about our students, discussing their academic and social needs, planning together for them, and supporting each other with some of the more unsociable Year 8 behaviours we encounter.  Our classes join together most days for fitness and sport, students change classes for maths, and we organise teaching rotations where we each teach minor topics to our strengths (Digital Technologies, Performing Arts, and Physical Education).  This requires us to communicate daily to organise our timetables, to share ideas and planning, and to support each other with the management of our students who, for various reasons, find school difficult.

Practice

As a community, we have a real sense of belonging and connectedness.  As experienced teachers with varying strengths, we value each other and are all active members of this community.  I know that my contributions are valued, and I value the contributions made by my syndicate members.  Other that supporting teaching and learning, we also connect on a social level.  We are all parents of primary aged children, and all feel the pressure at times from trying to be a 'good' teacher as well as a 'good' parent.  When one of us is struggling with workload, students at school, or children at home, the others are able to provide support and vice versa.

References:

Finlay, L. (2008).  Reflecting on reflective practice.  PBPL paper 52
Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organization, 7(2), 225-246.