MTDS Terms and Phrases
Community of Practice
A community of practice is created when a group of people who “share a concern or passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger-Traynor, 2015, para 2). The community extends beyond networking or occasional conversations with members interacting together towards a common purpose and the goal of developing a shared set of knowledge, skills, and/or practices. They can be formal or informal structures, but in both there is the creation of relationships that connect people. Communities of practice are not limited to within building or district groups, but may expand connections between educators across boundaries, including across districts, regions, states, and/or countries.