Communities of practice (CoPs) have been around in various forms for centuries; however, the concept as a learning model was first offered by educational theorist Etienne Wenger-Trayner and cognitive-anthropologist Jean Lave in 1991 (Young, 2018). They defined CoPs as “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” (Young, 2018). CoPs are more than a group of people in a common profession or classmates at the same school. Per Wenger-Trayner, they are comprised of three requirements:

Domain: Participants have a common purpose or interest.
Community: Participants interact, collaborate and share ideas.
Practice: They are more than a one-time event, such as a professional conference. They are ongoing and have shared resources (Wenger-Trayner, 2015).

CoPs can be formed in businesses and organizations as ways to strategize best practices and problem solve. In an education setting, they are often used as a mechanism for teacher and administrator professional development (Wenger-Trayner, 2015). For example, Baltimore County Public Schools created a highly successful CoP for library media specialists with a shared interest in being Future Ready Librarians. Their belief was that “exposure to other talented and passionate LMSs provides ways to transform instructional practice and professional growth” (Glick, 2017).

When CoPs are virtual, it offers the benefit of connecting with people around the world. Online CoPs can include structured and unstructured learning opportunities, such as posting on a problem-solving discussion thread or participating in a regularly scheduled discussion led by an expert or assigned moderator (Young, 2018). CoPs are a powerful professional development tool for any industry. Teachers gain the additional benefit of learning in an environment that reinforces future-ready skill development like what their students are engaged in (Young, 2018). In education environments other than professional development, such as in K-12 or in MOOCs, it is challenging to form true CoPs, where communications are ongoing and truly collaborative. In any digital CoP, it takes a lot of planning, collaboration and commitment to create a space that becomes a go-to place for learning opportunities. In the future, with more sophisticated technology, it should become easier to create engaging digital CoPs, where students can benefit from the valuable peer-to-peer learning they offer.

Glick, Fran. “Improving Teaching and Learning Through Communities of Practice.” Future Ready Schools, 30 Sept. 2019, futureready.org/improving-teaching-learning-communities-practice/.

Wenger-Trayner, Etienne, and Beverly Wenger-Trayner. “Introduction to Communities of Practice.” Wenger-Trayner, 14 Apr. 2015, wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/.

Young, David. “Communities of Practice: A Professional Development Theory for the Digital Age.” Technology Solutions That Drive Education, 5 June 2019, edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2018/12/communities-practice-professional-development-theory-digital-age.