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Communities of Practice at the Learning and Teaching Commons

by · December 3, 2019

The Learning and Teaching Commons will be piloting several communities of practice (CoPs) to support professional learning for faculty and staff.  The term, Community of Practice was coined by Lave and Wenger (1991) to describe “groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” – an approach to professional learning that affirms Evergreen’s commitment to learning communities.  Each of our professional journeys are unique – participating in communities of practice presents an opportunity to leverage the diverse knowledge and perspectives of individuals in the service professional growth. Several CoPs emerged to continue learning from the Summer Institutes.  Look out for updates from these dynamic learning groups!

  • Evergreen’s First Year Experience
  • Supporting Neurodiverse Students
  • Evergreen Leadership
  • Team Planning:  Inquiry-Based Design
  • Leading with Racial Equity

The Learning and Teaching Commons has partnered with Student and Academic Life to pilot two additional Communities of Practice for our staff colleagues.  These CoPs described below are informed by the ACPA/NASPA Student Affairs Professional Competencies.  To indicate your interest in either of these communities of practice, please complete this survey.

Supervisors Community of Practice will focus on the art of supervision (see page 24)
Target Audience: Anyone who serves as a supervisor or is interested in learning more about the art of supervision

Personal & Ethical Foundations/Social Justice & Inclusion Community of Practice will focus on awareness and understanding of one’s values and beliefs in relation to professional codes of ethics and principles for personal wellness and understanding oppression, privilege, power and social justice. (see pages 16 & 30)
Target Audience: Staff with student-facing responsibilities

Indicate your interest at through this survey link: https://evergreenkatief.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7R0i6xzaCjRXS1D

Resources on Communities of Practice:
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press.
Wenger, E. C., & Wenger-Trayner, B. (2015). Communities of Practice: a brief introduction
Wenger, E. C.(1998). Communities of Practice: Learning as a social System. Systems Thinker, 9(5), 2–3.

In community,
Julia Metzker

=================
Julia Metzker (she/her)
Director, Washington Center for Improving Undergraduate Education
http://www.evergreen.edu/washingtoncenter/

The Evergreen State College
2700 Evergreen Parkway NW
Sem II E3115
Olympia, WA, 98505
metzkerj@evergreen.edu | 360-867-6637

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