Sessions

Communities of Practice helping teachers adapt to sudden changes

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented level of sudden change for educational institutions on a global scale in 2020. As in much of the world, many universities in Japan moved to emergency remote teaching online. Large numbers of teachers felt underprepared to move their courses online and to teach online, especially on short notice. For these teachers, the support provided from their schools’ media centers often fell short of instilling confidence in them for the transition. As a result, many teachers turned to their colleagues and formed support groups. These communities of practice (COPs; Lave & Wenger, 1991) formed and developed in universities and in social media groups. This short presentation will provide specific examples of COP and will share practical suggestions about how COPs can help prepare teachers to adapt to change in the future.