COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE AND THE TERTIARY SECTOR What doesn’t make a community of practice? And what does?

WHAKAKOTAHI  Unity  Integration  Cohesion  Togetherness  Shared idea  Shared action  A common purpose

COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE A group of people who share a common passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly What holds communities of practice together is a common sense of purpose, joint enterprise, a need to know what other members know and a desire to learn from each other

COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE: FEATURES  Shared concern, purpose, practice and commitment  Informed connections  Joint enterprise and activity  Deliberate mutual learning

COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE: SOME POSSIBLE EXAMPLES Staff groups Schools Community organisations Support groups CLASS Literacy Aotearoa REAPs ACE regional Networks Universities, Polytechnics, Wananga Sports teams West Coast Tertiary Providers’ Forum

COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE FUNCTIONS  Fostering a sense of community  Enabling the exchange of information  A repository of tacit knowledge  Fostering shared identity

SOME QUESTIONS  What hinders shared learning?  How can we maximise shared learning?  How can we sustain communities of practice in our work?

FORMAL TERTIARY EDUCATION

ADULT AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION

WHAT HINDERS SHARED LEARNING?  Short termism and lack of security  Poor induction and support  Professional isolation  Lack of development opportunities  Arbitrary changes of conditions or policies  Competitive climates and lack of trust  Loss of experience and historical knowledge

DEVELOPING COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE: SOME POLICY AND ORGANISATIONAL PRE- REQUISITES  Value experience  Seek meaningful cooperation  Develop support systems  Foster inter-dependence  Ensure consultation, joint planning and strategising  Encourage shared resources, skills and knowledge  Actively develop potential  Ensure succession planning and delegation

DEVELOPING COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE: MAKING IT WORK AT A LOCAL LEVEL

Buller Adult and Community Education (ACE) Sub-Network

Buller ACE Sub-network: A community of practice  A clear sense of purpose  A clear sense of shared identity  A participatory culture  A commitment to planning on behalf of everyone  Shared activity  A shared store of knowledge  Coordination and communication