On the 16th of April we had an excellent discussion on the Pyrko, Dorfler and Eden (2019) article which focussed on understanding how engaging in communities of practice can be extended beyond functional groups (such as within the confines of the individual study support and library teams) but across broader areas of the organisation (known as the landscape of practice). This engagement allows for incidental learning, reinforcement of shared goals, and the adoption of norms that constitute an organisational culture.
Here is the recording of the discussion.
During the discussion, there was mention of the highly theoretical nature of the article that may have been challenging for those new to concepts within our learning session. I highly recommend this Introduction to Communities of Practice by the seminal authors on the topic (Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner): https://wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/
Here are some key take-away points from the article:
- The social constructivist view of learning whereby knowledge is a product of a social process that allows for group members to draw on others’ performance in their role as a “cue for action” (p.484)
- This learning process within a community of practice is largely dependent on the buy-in from members and this often results in differing degrees to which a person interacts meaningfully with
other members, and invests their identity (p.484) - A landscape of practice is the sharing of meaning between different communities, which
may be more challenging than learning within the boundaries of one community of practice: “Learning between different communities requires practitioners to be prepared to go through acts of transformation as they seek to understand how knowledge from another community may fit within the context of their own work, enriching and altering what they know” (p.485). - Taking time to allow for communities of practice to enjoy a shared thinking process is essential for membership to be nurtured, more than would be the case in a simple “deployment of knowledge” from one group member to another (p.489)
- It’s essential that mere “islands of practice” (p.494), for example, the Learning and Growing hour, do not stand alone but are the basis of a more integrated approach to improving our program delivery to students and our growth as practitioners.
- Attaining, maintaining, and participating in Networks of Practice (this network includes members of a shared field) allow value to be re-invested in the Landscapes of Practice or Communities of Practice.
Please feel free to leave a comment!
Thanks, Monique