In this article, King (2016) outlines the key characteristics of a successful community of practice (CoP). The features include a clear focus, active learning, collective ownership, appropriate mix, commitment, and structure. This particular article is tracking the evolution of a set of communities, managed by Learning Forward, dedicated to solving a specific problem within the educational community. Interestingly, these CoPs include members and participants from all areas - not just the educational sphere - as appropriate. It is clear that without a clear vision and a set of governing principles, it is difficult for these communities to be particularly effective. The article is a nice case study in the practicalities of CoPs.
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