Capacity 1 Looking Back

"A community of practice is a 'group' of people that share the same interest and build relationships that enable them to learn from one another." (Wenger, Communities of Practice).

Even before I started the LTT program I was involved in a community of practice, though i didn't call it that. In my work place I intentionally seek out my colleagues to discuss what we are doing in the classroom, difficulties, strategies and lessons that we have tried that worked or didn't work. Bouncing ideas off of each other - to continually try to improve our practice. I have also been part of the a larger community of practice in the district. Participating in the WIT (Whatever It Takes) initiative, being challenged to look at my practice differently and strive to differentiate my instruction.

LTT has challenged me to take my community of practice to the 'virtual' level. Joining communities on line. I have gone from reading articles and blogs to responding to posts and posting my own blogs to joining a variety of Professional Learning Communities. I have discovered what works for me in these PLNs and what doesn't. I have found that though Twitter can be used in a professional way and not just for updating people about your activities - it isn't the first place I go to when searching for educational sites, or information.

Servage's article Making Space for Critical Reflection in Professional Learning Communities has stuck with me for the whole two years of this program. It challenged me to include 'critical reflection into my PLC and move from 'debriefing' to asking deeper questions about education. One of my colleagues has questioned me on more than one occasion regarding my use of the Smartboard and technology in general. Does it add to the lesson and the students learning, how does it differ from an overhead or the plain old whiteboard? This questioning forced me to take a closer look at the lessons I am doing on the Smartboard.

From my introduction to the term Professional Learning Communities back in August 2009 to now I have had to shift my thinking. It now has to include giving back - not just listening to others, reading others responses, etc., but also fully participating in the community - putting ideas and questions 'out there.'

What I am still learning is to balance time - for me at least it takes less time and energy to have a face-to-face conversation compared to the online one. But both are extremely valuable.