A. Objective: What have you learned from reflecting on this particular quote? What has caught your attention?
This quote by Wegner fits under the umbrella of a constructivist view of learning through experience, and is closely linked to the theory of situated learning, which posits that learning occurs best in the real life situation where it is going to be applied. Etienne Wenger, a cognitive anthropologist, who worked together with Jean Lave coined the term ‘Communities of Practice’ (CoP) back in 1991 (Stamp, 1993). Wenger begins the paragraph that the quote is taken from by saying “What is shared by a community of practice – what makes it a community – is its practice”. Members of a CoP are active practitioners, who interact to share tips and best practices, ask questions of their colleagues, and provide support for each other. According to Wenger’s early work, you can’t create or implement a CoP – it is there already, occurring naturally.
Wenger (2002) identified the structural characteristics of a CoP as including a domain of knowledge, a notion of community and a practice: “A domain of knowledge creates common ground, inspires members to participate, guides their learning and gives meaning to their actions.” “The notion of a community creates the social fabric for that learning. A strong community fosters interactions and encourages a willingness to share ideas.” “While the domain provides the general area of interest for the community, the practice is the specific focus around which the community develops, shares and maintains its core of knowledge.” (pp 27-29).
So how do communities of practice relate to teaching student nurses in the clinical context? Certainly the culture of hospitals and the nursing profession lend themselves to the formation of CoP amongst the staff, and student learning in the clinical environment is situated learning. But I am wondering how students fit into these already established CoP?
B. Reflective: What did you realize about teaching as a result of this quote?
Nursing students require clinical placements in order to learn the practice of nursing. It is where they are socialized into the professional role, and adopt and internalize the practices, values and beliefs which define the profession. The first thing I realized as a result of this quote by Wegner is that as a teacher I cannot ‘create’ a CoP on the teaching units my students are placed on. They are there already. However, I believe that I can facilitate their learning by understanding the CoP they will be engaged with, and try to support the learning that can take place within it.
C. Interpretive: What was your Aha! moment when you read this quote? In what way(s) did this quote change your mind about being an adult educator? What was one key insight that you now have as a result of this quote?
From my previous readings, my understanding of the concept of a CoP was that it was a ‘good’ thing. That this was simply recognizing the way that knowledge was shared organically, and that it was something that has always occurred between practitioners in a field of practice. It wasn’t until I did a literature search on CoP and student nurses, and read the article by Jean Astley-Cooper title “The lived experiences of British student nurses in the transitional spaces of their clinical placement” (2013), that I understood that not all CoP were positive or constructive, that there were ‘bad’ CoP as well. Astley-Cooper looked at clinical teaching units through the lens of a student nurse. She identified successful, unsuccessful, and failed CoP. Reading the descriptions of unsuccessful and failed CoP, of course I recognize their features, which include alienating students, failure to recognize learning needs, assignment of menial tasks, abuse and bullying, unprofessional behaviors, and failure to provide quality patient care or meet competency standards. I have often worked with students on units where these were issues, but had framed the issue under a negative unit culture and unsupportive learning environment.
D. Decisional: How has this quote and the insight you have gained from reflecting upon it, influenced your notion of teaching or how you will teach in the future?
One of the concepts identified in a positive CoP for student nurses to interact with is that of ‘belongingness’. Belongingness is described by Levett-Jones & Lathlean as “ A deeply personal and contextually mediated experience that evolves in response to the degree to which the individual feels (a) secure, accepted, included, valued and respected by a defined group, (b) connected with or integral to the group and (c) that their professional and /or personal values are in harmony with those of the group” (Levett-Jones & Lathlean, 2008, p. 104).
In Levett-Jones & Lathleans research into belongingness, a critical and recurring theme was the influence of belongingness on the students’ capacity and motivation to engage in clinical learning opportunities when on placements. They identified four themes specific to belongingness and its impact on learning: motivation to learn; self-directed learning; anxiety – a barrier to learning; and confidence to ask questions. “Students felt more empowered and enabled to capitalise on the available learning opportunities when they felt they had a legitimate place in the nursing team, and they were often more self-directed and independent in their approach. They were also more confident in negotiating their learning needs, in asking questions and in questioning practice. Students who were secure in the knowledge that the nurses they worked with were receptive to and supportive of their learning focused their attention and energy on learning rather than trying to fit in.” (p. 107).
The registered nurses that students work with on a day to day basis were found to be the single most important influence on their sense of belonging and learning. They found that belongingness was promoted by staff receptiveness, inclusivity, legitimization of student role, recognition and appreciation, and challenge with support (2009).
As a clinical instructor it is critical for me to recognize that I am not the most important person to my students. Positive staff-student relationships are crucial for students to feel accepted, included and valued. It is therefore important that I partner with and support nursing staff, who in turn support and teach my students in practice settings. They need to recognize and feel valued for the pivotal role they play in the my students’ socialization to the work-force and their learning.
A final reflection is that I find myself using the possessive term ‘my’ students. Perhaps I need to make a paradigm shift in my use of language, and refer to students in a clinical placement as ‘our’ students. In this way, the CoP may be encouraged and empowered to take ownership of the students in their care.
References
Astley-Cooper, J. (2013). The lived experiences of British student nurses in the transitional spaces of their clinical placement. Retrieved August 17, 2013 from http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.canterbury.ac.uk%2Feducation%2Fconferences-events%2Fesrea2013%2Fdocs%2F061.pdf&ei=JYEQUqq2FomIrQeO6oGgBA&usg=AFQjCNEQmypCdPpQ8FYApLE6NpPfHfptQQ&sig2=pd2dP9HK4Dx-37tgYiTfzA&bvm=bv.50768961,d.bmk
Levett-Jones, T., Lathlean, J., Higgins I., & McMillan, M. (2009). Student relationships and their impact on nursing students’ belongingness and learning. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65(2), 316–324 doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04865.x
Levett-Jones, T., and Lathlean, J. (2008). Belongingness: A prerequisite for nursing students’ clinical learning. Nurse Education in Practice, 8, 103–111. doi:10.1016/j.nepr.2007.04.003
Stamps, D. (1993). Learning is social. Training is irrelevant? Retrieved August 17, 2013
from: http://www.co-i-l.com/coil/knowledge-garden/cop/learnsoc.shtml
Wenger, E., McDermott, R., Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating Communities of Practice. Harvard Business Press: USA. Retrieved August 17, 2013 from:
http://books.google.com.om/books?id=m1xZuNq9RygC&dq=cultivating+communities+of+practice&printsec=frontcover&q=&hl=en#v=onepage&q=cultivating%20communities%20of%20practice&f=false