Community of Practice Guidelines

Do you want to nurture the growth of your community, foster innovation, and support and share quality practice? A Community of Practice is a great way to network with like-minded professionals who share a concern or common passion. 

Communicating and collaborating within a Community of Practice supports everyone in the community to be the best version of themselves. Sharing different perspectives and experiences is a valuable way to learn from and with others and is a key way to strengthen a unified early years workforce. 

Key considerations when supporting the growth of yourself and others within a Community of Practice?

Your purpose – It is useful to define the purpose of your community, and your shared goals and values. 

Privacy – Define what is and is not ok to share within your community. Consider children, families, and learning services.

Language – Language and conversation should be positive, nurturing and supportive.

Respect – Respect the opinions and experiences of all members of your community. It is ok to disagree with others, but this should be done respectfully and by acknowledging the opinions of others. 

Confidentiality – Any information shared within your community should stay within the group. Sharing information outside of the community must not occur without the permission of the other members of the group.

 Give space to others – Be aware and allow all community members to share their thoughts and ideas. 

Shared responsibility – Consider the strengths and interests of all members of your community, and share responsibility for the coordination and running of the group.

Topics – Decide how you will define your regular topics of reflection and conversation. Setting the topic before your meetings will help keep your group remain focused and ensure you get maximum value from your community.

Technology – Explore digital solutions to help you communicate between meetings and store/share resources.

Survey your community – Schedule regular opportunities to survey your community to ensure the topics, resources, and discussions are meeting the needs of the group.

Use the THINK logic when contributing to group discussions 

T – is it True?

H – is it Helpful?

I – is it Inspiring?

N – is it Necessary?

K – is it Kind?

Lastly, remember that a Community of Practice should be a safe space where mutual respect and trust underpin and guide your conversations, supporting you to be the best version of yourself!

Storypark supports the learning and development of educators. If you are interested in discovering more about how Storypark can help your professional growth, book a chat with a Storypark expert today.