Q&A: Three Communities of Practice, in practice!

With the right support and management, teacher Communities of Practice (CoP) can become thriving networks to share experiences, ideas and continually innovate in our everyday teaching practices. If you’ve never run or participated in one before, how do you get started? And how do you keep the momentum and enthusiasm going when people get busy, topics get tired and old approaches don’t seem to work anymore?

This lively panel session took us into three communities in colleges across Navitas, each at various stages of development. This group of highly experienced teachers and academic managers shared how they started their Community of Practice, what works well and some ideas for their future development.

Click below to see a summary of some of the questions and answers from the session:

Watch the full discussion for some entertaining, human and very real perspectives on what can make or break a Community of Practice for teachers. The conversations offer a sense of the thoughtful planning and behind-the-scenes management that support effective Communities of Practice. Regular sessions are usually aligned with existing structures and processes in colleges, for example, and fit into a bigger picture of other professional development offerings, both formal and informal. Great care is taken to design for variety and relevance to teachers’ daily and ongoing challenges, and by creating valuable sessions that everyone can contribute to, communities such as these can sustain engagement with both voluntary and mandated participation.

If you have your own insights to share around communities of practice, please let us know!

Learning and Teaching at Navitas

Q&A: Three Communities of Practice, in practice!