Communities of practice for connection, collaboration, shared learning and meaning making

Drawing on research (2015, 2016, 2017, 2023) undertaken by the presenter with Further Education and Training (FET) practitioners based in the South-East of Ireland, the need for more spaces to be created, supported and protected for FET practitioners to come together, to connect and to collaborate will be established. The principles upon which effective ‘Communities of Practice’ are formed will be explored and the potential benefits of timetabled communities of practice for FET practitioners will be examined.

Benefits of inclusive and democratic communities of practice include decreasing feelings of isolation and disconnection from peers, centres and employers. They also include increasing opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, collaboration, collective meaning making, establishing collective responses to change, and forming, re-forming and strengthening individual and collective professional identities.