About communities of practice

The term ‘communities of practice' emerged from Lave and Wenger's (1991) study that explored learning in the apprenticeship model, where practice in the community enables the apprentice to move from peripheral to full participation in the community activities.

Communities of practice (CoPs) are

‘groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis. They develop a body of common knowledge, practices, and approaches. They also develop personal relationships and established ways of interacting. They may even develop a common sense of identity' (Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002, p. 4).