COPCS: Community of Practice, Creativity and
Support
NCDB: Area 4 State/Multi-state DB Projects
Presentation Team Diane Kelly, Director
Connections Beyond Sight and Sound, MD [email protected]
Kathy McNulty, Associate Director National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness [email protected]
Susan Edelman, Director VT Project for Children and Youth with Deaf-Blindness [email protected]
Community of Practice, Creativity & Support (COPCS) Community of Practice as a Framework History, Purpose and Membership Protocols and Processes Areas of Shared Work Progress and Achievements to Date Future Directions Sustaining Strategies: What makes it work?
Community of Practice Key to improving performance Approach to knowing and learning “Communities of practice are groups of people
who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.”
http://www.ewenger.com/theory/ Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and
Identity. Cambridge University Press.
COPCS: History Community Learning as Belonging
Practice Learning as Doing
Collaborative teamwork as a shared belief and practice for years among many of the states projects (1990’s)
Face to face Positive Interdependence Individual Accountability Interpersonal skills Creative problem-solving
Opportunity out of situation - 2001 “In what ways might we…”(2002)
PDM, Boston
COPCS: History continued Meaning
Learning as Experience
IdentityLearning as Becoming
Product development workgroups established (12/2002)
Three Products: 2004
SOS - Sharing Our Strengths 4/2005
COPCS was born!
Identity
COPCS: Purpose and Membership
The purpose of the Community of Practice, Creativity and Supports (COPCS) is to share, create and support the project staff working on the ten federally funded state deaf-blind projects in Area 4, one of four regions being supported by the National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness.
http://www.tcnj.edu/~webtest2/area4
COPCS: Internal Processes Protocols Developed: October-December 2005
Norms: the ways we operate when together, based upon our guiding principles, beliefs, and research
Communication: the media and strategies by which we share, create, and support each other
Decision-making: the processes by which we make decisions about our shared work
Protocols Approved: December 6, 2006
COPCS: Areas of Work
Technical Assistance Activities Professional Development Product Development Family Support & Training
COPCS: Progress & Achievement
COPCS Website
http://www.tcnj.edu/~webtest2/area4/collaboration.htm
COPCS: Future DirectionsAs a Community, we want to:
commit to contributing to the body of evidence-based practices on deaf-blindness;
identify on-going strategies that will sustain and energize the membership to pursue the highest level of professionalism and creativity in serving children who are deaf-blind;
COPCS: Future Directions
encourage and welcome new members into the community;
expand the current content areas of work by beginning to explore COPCS activities in the areas of Early Intervention and Literacy.
Sustaining Strategies Guiding Principles and Protocols Faithfulness to CPS Frequent Contact Celebrations Unique Identity Work Ethic “Re-energizing”
Focus on Process and Shared Leadership
Working Together in Energizing!
Unique Identity!
EVA Tour 2007
Celebrations!