As an experienced and passionate clinical myotherapist, I have spent years refining my skills, helping patients with pain and dysfunction, and staying up to date with the latest evidence-based research to guide patient care. Transitioning my mindset from a clinic-based career professional to a classroom-based teacher and learning facilitator at university level has been equally exciting and challenging. This journey has led me to recently pursue a Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching (Grad Cert). In line with Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory, this evolving learning experience is building and shaping my knowledge, views and perspectives in education (Rojo et al., 2023).
One of the most enriching aspects of this transition has been the development of my professional identity from clinic to classroom, largely through the influence and support of my online Community of Practice (OCOP) in the Graduate Certificate program. In this blog I will discuss key insights in my teaching journey to date, and the benefits and challenges of an OCOP from my own experience and through reflection on current literature. I will argue that whilst there are many challenges to creating and fostering a successful OCOP, the advantages of being involved in a shared community of interest are abundant and far outweigh the negative.
Originally conceptualized by Etienne Wenger and Jean Lave, a Community of Practice (CoP) is developed when a group of individuals who have a shared goal or common interest come together to collaborate, solve problems, expand their knowledge, exchange ideas, and support each other in their field through active engagement within the community (Wenger et al., 2002, as cited in Abedini, Abedin, & Zowghi, 2021, p.1665).
COPs are often regarded as an effective framework for facilitating staff development in higher education, particularly benefiting new teachers by enabling them to learn from more experienced colleagues over time (Wilson, Wilson, & Witthaus, 2020, p.39). As a newcomer to the teaching industry, I have benefited from the valuable insights of my peers in the graduate program OCOP, many of whom have decades of teaching experience from a vast array of industries and backgrounds. Reading the discussion threads of my peers’ professional identities and participating in online class discussions has helped me mould my teacher identity over time to reflect my educational values and beliefs, the professional experience I bring to the university, and the undeniable passion I have for my industry.
The key values and attributes that underpin my professional identity as a teacher are collaboration, communication, commitment, motivation, proactivity, competence and continued learning, some of which I identified through reflection on the five psychological attributes of a teacher identity by van Lankveld et al (2016, p.325).
I am committed to educating, uplifting, and inspiring the next generation of myotherapists. I am devoted to a lifelong journey of learning, reflection, and self-improvement to continually enhance and refine my teaching methods. In my opinion, collaboration is essential for developing competency, proactivity, and motivation in students to learn and succeed and I believe the same principles apply to teacher development. It's clear to me now that these values must also be present within a COP for it to thrive. Without the collaboration and commitment of its members to share ideas and enhance collective knowledge, a COP cannot succeed (Probst & Borzillo, 2008).
In the context of education, CoPs are invaluable as they provide a platform for educators to collaborate, share knowledge, problem solve, reflect on their practices, and grow professionally (Avis & Fisher, 2016). This collaborative approach not only enhances individual teaching competencies but also contributes to the overall improvement of educational outcomes (Avis & Fisher, 2016).
While I recognize the benefits and habits of a successful COP, my biggest challenge has been finding the time to contribute to group discussions with the balancing act of teaching and running my myotherapy practice, and additionally overcoming my lack of knowledge and experience in the teaching profession. Often, I feel as though I have nothing valuable to contribute while I’m processing new concepts and trying to find where they fit within my current teaching practice. I have come to accept that this is a normal part of the process for newcomers to a COP. As outlined by Wenger-Trayner (2013), there are various levels of participation in a COP from the experienced and influential core group of active members to the occasional and periphery members who are less active within the group (as cited in Rupp, 2017). It is natural for newcomers to observe and learn from the periphery, gradually becoming more active and central members as their competence increases (Aeschliman & Powers, 2021, slide 3). This describes my current position.
As someone new to the teaching industry, I have looked to my peers for guidance on best teaching practice and emulated the teaching methods of influential teachers I had as a student. When I reflect on the new concepts I've learned through the graduate program - particularly contemporary educational theories and principles that shape my current teaching methods - it's clear that constructivism, cognitivism, Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), and Scaffolding are the most prominent influences (McLeod, 2024; Wilson & Devereux, 2014, A91-92; Zambrano & Campuzano, 2020, p.2969).
I've also come to realize that teaching methods, even from the most experienced and revered teachers, are not always aligned with how students learn. Therefore, understanding students' needs and being adaptable in delivering content in various ways is essential for optimizing their learning outcomes. (Tulbure, 2012).
As the graduate program advances and I gain the confidence to share my teaching insights and challenges, I anticipate more personal and professional growth from taking a more active role in the OCOP (Rupp, 2015, p.31). Whilst there are challenges of time and inexperience, I can see the exponential value of being part of an aligned COP, whether in the graduate program or in the university with my teaching peers.
As Jeanette Jenkins aptly puts it, “You get out what you put in. If you want more, give more.”.
This principle holds true for any member of a COP.
References:
Abedini, A., Abedin, B., & Zowghi, D. (2021). Adult learning in online communities of practice: A systematic review. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(7), 1663-1694. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13077
Baddar, A. (2024). Learning Theories: from divine to mortals. Journal of University College of Medicine and Dentistry 3(1). https://doi.org/10.51846/jucmd.v3i1.2798
Probst, G., & Borzillo, S. (2008). Why communities of practice succeed and why they fail. European Management Journal, 26(5), 335-347. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2008.05.003
Rojo, J., Ramjan, L., George, A., Hunt, L., Heaton, L., Kaur, A., & Salamonson, Y. (2023). Applying Mezirow's transformative learning theory into nursing and health professional education programs: A scoping review. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 18(1), 63-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2022.09.006
Goodhue, R., & Seriamlu, S. (2021). A quick guide to establishing a Community of Practice. ARACY. Canberra.
Rupp, M. (2015). Helping pre-service teachers enter the community of practice of professional educators through collaborative lesson study. 東海大農紀要 (Journal of Tokai University Agriculture), 34, 31-37.
van Lankveld, T., Schoonenboom, J., Volman, M., Croiset, G., & Beishuizen, J. (2016). Developing a teacher identity in the university context: a systematic review of the literature. Higher Education Research & Development, 36(2), 325–342. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2016.1208154
Wenger-Trayner, E., & Wenger-Trayner, B. (n.d.). Forms of participation. Wenger-Trayner. https://www.wenger-trayner.com/slide-forms-of-participation/
Wilson, A., Wilson, C., & Witthaus, G. (2020). Using a community of practice in higher education: Understanding the demographics of participation and impact on teaching. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 32(1), 39-48. http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/
Chris Kimble. (2008). Communities of Practice - Vol. 1: Creating Learning Environments for Educators. Information Age Publishing. doi:10.1111/bjet.13120