COPCS: Community of Practice, Creativity and Support NCDB: Area 4 State/Multi-state DB Projects

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 dmkelly@umd.edu

Kathy McNulty, Associate Director National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness kathy.mcnulty@hknc.org

Susan Edelman, Director VT Project for Children and Youth with Deaf-Blindness susan.edelman@uvm.edu

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!