‘The Cookie’: a recipe for effective collaboration through communities of practice

ABSTRACT

Communities of Practice (CoP) have the potential to transform the workplace into learning organisations that prioritise each and every child’s learning and foster collective responsibility, encouraging teachers to see themselves as change agents beyond their classrooms. Previous manifestations of collaborative teaming approaches have met with mixed success for reasons explored within this article. Still, these kinds of work spaces, when sustained over time, can transform the organisational culture of a school. In this article, we share a research-based framework designed to cultivate truly collaborative workplaces. This Community of Practice (CoP) Cookie framework is a major focus at the University of Florida Lastinger Center for Learning, an organisation dedicated to creating equitable education systems for teachers and students. The framework consists of four key elements: content, conditions, processes, and structures. We have implemented this framework repeatedly, honing our approach and contributing to educators’ success. At the end of the paper, a case study illustrates the approach in the hopes that other educators can learn from the lessons we have learned.

KEYWORDS:

• Communities of Practice
• professional development
• collaboration

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Raquel M. Diaz

Raquel M. Díaz, Ed.D. ([email protected]) Raquel Munarriz Diaz, Ed.D. is the Senior Partnership Manager at the University of Florida Lastinger Center for Learning. She has over 30 years of experience in education. As the Senior Partnership Manager, she manages several projects across the nation aimed at bringing organisations together to collaboratively problem solve internally and to use engaging tools and processes to collaborate with external providers. Dr. Diaz believes in the power of learning communities and strives to serve as passionate advocate for early childcare professionals.

Philip E. Poekert

Philip E. Poekert, Ph.D. ([email protected]) is the Director of the University of Florida Lastinger Center for Learning. Phil taught in the South Bronx, Oakland, Los Angeles, and West Palm Beach before joining the Lastinger Center as a graduate assistant and working his way into leadership. Phil manages the Lastinger Center’s portfolio of research and service projects, and his own research focuses on the development of teacher leadership and the impact of collaborative professional development on teaching quality and student learning.

Pedro R. Bermudez

Pedro R. Bermúdez ([email protected]) Pedro R. Bermúdez provides professional development support for the Lastinger Center of the University of Florida and its local, state, and national partners. As part of his work, Mr. Bermúdez designs and facilitates a variety of professional development experiences focused on growing and sustaining communities of practice, leading for equity, and project-based learning. Pedro ‘Pete’ Bermúdez is a member of the School Reform Initiative (SRI) and consults for a variety of state and national organisations.