Group 3 Community of Practice, reflection #2 Alison Bryan, Amarpreet Chatha, Matthew Kennedy, Alex Large, Roger Mann, Simon

n Schaerz, & Christine To Group 3 Where are they now? From the reflection we submitted four weeks ago, group 3 has changed and evolved into the Community of Practice that we are now. We are dynamic professional individuals who collectively believe in our Community of Practice, and the importance of dialogue and discussion. Each member within our CoP has contributed to the sense of community and belonging that we had set out to create. We are now an encouraging community of individuals who appreciate the differences, and experiences of each other. We believe that our CoP should reflect who we are as individuals in order to represent the complex characteristics of our CoP. After using the learning style test we have been able to better understand who we are as learners, and subsequently the role we automatically assume during our CoP discussions. We understand and accept the differences that we represent, but encourage one another to step outside of our comfort zones and take on roles that may be unfamiliar or different. Rather than seeing our individual learning styles as differences and qualities that divide us, we see our individual preferences as opportunities for growth and exploration. The Community of Practice we have created allows us to strengthen our sense of self while also contributing to a sense of community. A practical outcome of our CoP has been the motivation that it has provided for us to keep up with our readings and commit to attending our classes. We have all been incredibly committed to our Community of Practice, and it has created an enriching experience for all of us. Community of Practice What have we been discussing? Week of: January 30th, 2013

Discussions around When were brave Discussion topics/ideas enough to risk a conversation, we have the chance to rediscover what it means to be human. In conversation, we practice good human behaviour Topics as per plenary 1. Cognitive: How does a CoP add breadth and depth to our understanding of teaching? 2. Affective: What are you learning about yourself in your CoP? Process: What roles do you assume in your CoP and how will it affect your teaching?

In terms of the cognitive aspect of CoPs, Summary of discussion we discussed the importance of accountability. The norms we established within our groups, we felt, grounded the importance of reading the weekly topics. Because of this we feel that our discussions are much more content rich. From there we picked up dialogue on what we personally take away from our CoP (affective). What resonated with the majority of us was that within our CoP we improve or at the least affirm our confidence with public speaking. As becoming teachers we all agreed that this skill is paramount. CoPs provide a secure and non-judgemental environment to hone this skill. Each week we have agreed, within our CoP, to switch roles (i.e., speaking to the class, taking notes, and playing the devils advocate on certain topics). This encourages every member to experience the processes involved with important roles that we will have to assume as teachers. The carry over is as follows: Speaking to the class develops public speaking skills; taking notes fosters closely paying attention to the issues at hand; and the presence of a devils advocate encourages critical thinking. th Week of February 6 , 2013

Discussions questions as per plenary: Discussion topics/ideas 1. How do we support each others transformational learning respectfully, inclusively, purposely, and intentionally? 2. Do we have a role and responsibility to contribute to collective transformative learning in education? Discussion around learning profiles 1. What will transform (revision habitual behavior) us now that we know our individual learning styles? 2. What role do you automatically assume in these learning environments? 3. Have you always felt comfortable speaking within groups or even small groups? 4. Will learning about yourself as a learner/student help you as a teacher? Discussion around the theme perseverance

We discussed the importance of being Summary of discussion open and explicit as we approach the transformative learning experiences of others. Our Community of Practice believes that each individual has the role and responsibility to contribute to collective transformative learning in education, and this can be done through both formal and informal CoP discussions. During which time teachers and staff can discuss/evaluate course curriculums and debrief from the previous week. The goals of the CoPs are to encourage conversation, collaboration, and strong dynamic professional relationships. As emerging teachers it is essential for us to understand that we need to move towards unfamiliar learning/teaching styles. We dont need to completely change who we are as learners, but it is beneficial for us to adopt new habits of learning. Within our CoP we automatically assume a role that is most reflective of our individual learning styles (listener, leader, active participant, thinker). Some of us find it more comfortable than others when speaking within groups and small groups. We realized that our comfort within the CoP comes from our understanding of who we are as learners, and that perhaps as doers we may expect others to watch us as we demonstrate/display, essentially as we do. With regards to the idea of perseverance we talked a lot about our future as teachers. As we know, it is increasingly difficult to assume that obtaining a degree guarantees a job. We discussed the

Week of February 13th, 2013 Discuss the metaphor for our CoPs Discussion topics/ideas learning journey.

The discussion today revolved around Summary of discussion picking an appropriate metaphor to describe not only adult learning but also our CoP. We figured that the best place to start would be to look at our CoPs values and how they mesh with the individuals within. We all acknowledge that we have strengths and weaknesses that we can build with the help of the supportive members in our group, a kind of group mentorship. We all agree that the carryover from information learned to real life situation is an important tenant of adult learning, i.e., context matters. We also had some discussion around the importance of putting ones agenda aside when working in a group environment. For adult learning to occur unimpeded, ego and self advancement must be cast aside. Adult learning is also dynamic, helping us adapt to new demands in our profession. The demand to adapt and evolve as teachers also never discontinues. There is always a new challenge or task we will have too adapt to. The best metaphor that summarizes our understanding of adult learning and also describes our CoP is the squad of superheroes known as The Avengers. The Avengers are diverse, they all have their strengths and weaknesses and as they learn to interact, chucking their egos aside, they are able to solve the ultimate problem of any CoP - to save the world from an invading alien army! As soon as the bad guys are defeated at the end of the movie, a new challenge presents itself.