Formal Professional Development is often expensive, top-down and prescriptive. Another option is to create a Community of Practice (CoP) in which teachers provide support and share knowledge to help one another. This presentation is about the Santiago CELTA network, a CoP that has been functioning for the last three years.

1. PROFESSIONALISM AND
TEACHER-BASED
COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

2. Contents
1. Professionalism
2. Communities of Practice
3. History of Santiago CELTA Network
4. Survey Results
5. Interview Results
6. Conclusions

3. The potential teacher
• Potential vs Reality
• Thornbury on Professionalism
• Knowledge model
• Therapeutic model
• Dialogic model

4. Communities of Practice
● The domain
● The community
● The practice
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner (2015)

5. Communities of Practice and CPD
Kennedy, 2005

6. Successful Communities of Practice
● Leadership (clear vision)
● Membership (engaged members)
● Knowledge and Practices (people continue to learn and improve)
● Skills development (looks for new skills)
● Visibility and Support (Supported by organisation)
Webber, 2018

7. Community of Practice Maturity Model
Webber, 2016

8. Growing the Community
Webber, 2016

9. The Santiago CELTA Network

10. 2015
2016
2017
2018
Kickoff meeting - Robert Young, Ronda Haverland
Monthly meetings, BBQ at end of year
Change of Venue Yearly Routine – 10 presentations, 2 BBQs
Facebook page
Webpage
Regular Attendance, easy to get presenters
Notes: 2 presenters went on to present in conferences, attendance has been 5-15 people

11. Survey

12. Hypotheses
1. People may not attend because:
a. They live too far away
b. They are too busy
c. They are not interested in professional development
d. They don’t think the CELTA network is good professional development
e. They won’t benefit from participation in the Network

13. Data
● 17 people answered the survey
● Five groups
○ I belong to the facebook group, but don't go to any meetings or social events: 4
○ I occasionally go to the monthly meetings or social events: 4
○ I go to all the meetings and I give presentations: 2
○ I go to as many meetings or social events as I can: 4
○ I used to attend events but have since stopped: 3

15. Interviews

16. Participants
● Female, Venezuelan, Participation: 2.5 years
● Female, Spanish, Participation: 3 years
● Male, Canadian, Participation: 3 years
● Male, Chilean, Participation: 3 years
● Female, English, Participation: 1.5 years
● Female, United States, Participation: 1 year

17. Areas
1. Professional Development
2. Professional Benefit
3. Community
4. Presentation

18. Professional Development
● Sharing
● Reflection
● Different Perspectives/ways of teaching
● Practical Applications
● Opportunity to keep learning
● Confidence
● Peer Approval
● Current ways of teaching
● Meaning

19. Community
● Supportive socially
● Sharing doubts
● Sharing experiences
● Gaining points of view
● Community expectations
● Being missed
● Part part of a group
● There to share as a professional
● Sense of duty

20. Do you want to start a network?
Benefits
- Inspiring
- Helpful
- Motivating
- Supportive
- Reduces Isolation
Tips
- Find a good time/place
- Set up a facebook group
- Set up a website
- Have presentations, with space for
discussion
- Foster a community

21. Bibliography
Barth, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R. et al. (2005) On Common Ground: The Power of Professional Learning
Communities. Solution Tree.
Kennedy A., Models of Continuing Professional Development. Journal of In-Service Education 31(2):
235-250.
Webber, E. (2018) Building Successful Communities of Practice. Blurb.
Wenger, E. (1998), Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning Identity. Cambridge University Press.