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Origins of 'communities or practice'

The notion of communities of practice is based on a social theory of learning and draws heavily on the work of Vygotsky et al. That is, that much (professional) learning and innovation occurs in a social context of mutual relationships and shared experiences.

Specifically, the term of communities of practice emerged from the work of Wenger, Lave and others. It brings together notions that can be readily observed in effective (professional) learning:

• community: learning as belonging, endeavours worth pursuing and participation is recognised as competence
• identity: learning as becoming as well as personal histories in our communities
• meaning: learning as experiences around which people negotiate meaning
• practice: learning as doing and as mutual engagement in action

Three components

Thus communities of practice are made up of three components

• a group of people who are collaborating on the basis of
• an agreed body of knowledge with a view to enhancing 
• a shared repertoire of practices

Communities of practice can be found everywhere. They develop naturally to overcome the limitations of formal organisations and institutions. Given the complexity, uncertainty, ambiguity, fluidity of membership... and need for adaptability that characterises contemporary life and work, communities of practice arise as a  'natural' response to the obstacles to situated success and well-being.

The several faces of 'practice'

In his book 'Communities of Practice: learning, meaning and identity' Etienne Wenger articulates several dimensions of practice

• Practice as meaning including negotiation of meaning, participation and reification (giving some 'abstract' form to our experience)
• Practice as community as a source of coherence resulting from mutual engagement, joint enterprise and a shared repertoire
• Practice as learning resulting in emerging structures, the engagement of new members and enhancing practices
• Practice as boundary that connects with other communities of practice

Negotiation of meaning 

At the heart of communities of practice is an ongoing process of negotiation of meaning and in this sense it has two complementary meanings

• navigating the territory of purposes, policies, activities, practices, experiences, knowledge (both tacit & explicit) and existing and potential meanings in order to
• achieve higher levels of agreement on the meaning of the practice and all associated with it

This negotiation is undertaken through insightful questioning (see action learning)

Communities of practice and professional learning

Improved professional practices are the intended outcomes of professional learning. Participation means contributing and benefiting from the learning being undertaken by members of the professional group. The core learning process is around the negotiation of meaning of

• experiences
• policies
• purposes
• detailed activities and arrangements of new, improved or traditional practices
• significance
• concepts
• rationales
• understanding
• relationships
• division of effort (see also activity theory)

Activities are professional if they are likely to be enhanced by high order knowledge, skills and experience drawn upon by the practitioners.  In addition a professional practitioner is required to exercise judgement and choice, and to design and implement a suitable response to the situation at hand. Institutional plans, explicit purposes, policies... may help inform the practices involved but these artefacts (having been developed before hand) cannot fully define all aspects of the response required by the situation at hand. 

Thus (professional) learning is greatly enhanced by participation in one or more communities of practice.

Communities of practice bring consistency and coherence to those aspects of practice that cannot be achieved through literal enactment of plans, policies... Thus the kind of collaboration that emerges within communities of practice supports 

• the development of standards and  
• the achievement of higher levels of sustainability
• management of change
• rapid deployment of practices
• adding of value
• reduction of costs
• ...

See Collaboration - overview

Now re-read the above as if it was about the literacy of some children you know well - some doing well in terms of literacy, others not doing so well

• How would you describe their 'communities of literacy'?
• What are the implications? For schools, for home, for communities...?

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