Communities of Practice
Come on, Pronto!
This is the second year that Communities of Practice (CoP) have been taking place and, this year, even more CoPs have started to mushroom across the country. CoPs are held locally and set up in almost all counties providing the perfect opportunity for MFL teachers to come together to share and collaborate. Two hours pass very quickly when like-minded people sit down to work together and have a meaningful exchange on a common interest.
Each CoP is unique and creates a collegial unit which is specific to the needs and interests of its own members. At the beginning of the year participants can vote on what topics they would like to base their first meeting on and then, at the end of each meeting, topics for subsequent meetings are proposed and voted on. This system allows MFL teachers to engage on current and relevant matters and have immediate support and ideas from peers. As well as discussing all things MFL, one of the greatest benefits of CoPs, is to get to meet other MFL colleagues.
E-mails and numbers have been swapped and there is always someone that you can contact to bounce an idea off or run a question by. In certain counties WhatsApp groups have been created between participants and this type of support network has become a great source of information as well as providing a forum where you can instantly check in if you have a query about something.
CoPs are an invaluable resource for MFL teachers. The more participants and interaction, the better the quality of exchange. If you haven’t yet attended why not try and join next year?
Erica Flanagan & Laura Quigley
PPLI Associates
