Activity 4:​Y​our professional community

Create a blog post where you first define your community of practice in regard to Wenger’s concept of community of practice.

• Our 'community of practice' is small group of people who care, learn and grow together in a small rural community. We have developed a common vision for our school and our children. Together we use 'our common values' to ensure our teaching and learning programmes achieve this vision. Together we discuss, plan and research ways we can ensure our children are provided with the opportunity to learn and thrive in an environment that promotes and encourages all to Care, Learn, Grow Together, and that best fits the needs of our community.

• Our domain is education which is centralised around the location of our school. Our school is along a rural highway with a small number of children living within country surroundings - lots of space to explore and roam. Our staff are country focused and are passionate about their country lifestyle.

• Our community involves the teachers, the board of trustees and parents.

• Our practice is the shared vision developed and modified each year by the community itself which supports the teaching and learning programmes and vision of our school - Together we Care Learn and Grow.

Then critically analyse your professional community of practice by providing answers to any three o​f the following provocations which are most relevant to you.

What are the current issues in your community? How would you or your community of practice address them?

• Our community of practice is becoming smaller each year. We are a small rural school that was originally built to teach the children of the local Woodhill Forest workers in the early 19th century. Late 2014 the local iwi, Ngati Whatua, won their Treaty Claim and the local forest and surrounding land (not in private ownership) was given back to the local iwi Trust. The Local Council also has a greenbelt in our immediate area which surrounds our school limiting any prospective housing development. Therefore our school has a limited community, which in turn affects our school role. 

• Initially a few of our families had questions accepting the size of our school with the hope we will grow. Unfortunately we can have no immediate growth without housing development. 

What is the purpose and function of your practice? In what ways do you cater for the community of your practice? 

• Our teaching and learning programmes, practices, vision and implementation embrace our rural lifestyle and opportunities. Innovative and passionate staff, along with the assistance of technology is one way to boost student achievement. Higher student achievement is the best way to market our school in our community and grow our school role. This is our goal, and the desire of our parent community. Our staff work hard collaboratively to continue to grow our student achievement. 

What are the core values that underpin your profession? Evaluate your practice with regard to these values.

• The key competencies strongly influence our community of practice, in particular our teaching and learning programmes - why, how, and what we teach. 
• I strongly believe that key competencies are life long skills that are important to teach, learn and practice in order to prepare our children with the ability to persevere, problem solve, be creative and survive in the fast paced unknown of the future which is, the 21st century. 

Reference

OPENiPhotojournalism. (2009, Sep 15). Etienne Wenger talks about 'walking the landscape of practice'. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjw0YoqpEq8&feature=youtu.be&list=PLb5Ty6fTaPkWE

Team BE. (2011 Dec 28, 2011). Communities versus networks? [ Web blog post].. Retrieved from http://wenger-trayner.com/resources/communities-versus-networks/

Wenger-trayner.com. (2015). Introduction to communities of practice | Wenger-Trayner. Retrieved from http://wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/