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Autumn 2011 Study Groups and Communities of Practice are well underway!
We are energized with new ideas and ways to bring professional development and continuing education to interpreters across the U.S. We are undertaking a new venture that we hope will address the critical need expressed by many to bring professional development to more experienced interpreters. A trend in training & performance improvement circles are Communities of Practice.
We are just embarking on a new journey with the establishment of the CoP groups. The critical piece of this process is YOU!
These will be groups for YOU and will bring together like-minded professionals interested in discussing topics relevant to practice, interest, and the thirst to expand, increase, and enhance knowledge in specific domains of practice of importance to YOU! In this way, you discuss topics in which YOU yearn to discuss, YOU will own through the discussion, and therefore, YOU will use it in your professional practice. These CoPs will be a different way to earn CEUs because YOU will not be attending a workshop developed and delivered by someone who estimates what YOU need but will be developed of, by, and for YOU.
Look for CoPs in the areas of legal, medical, ethics, business practices, mental health, education, and any area of interest to practicing interpreters. The sky's the limit and YOU determine the subjects.
We are entering our 13th year of developing and providing professional development here at Signs of Development. We were pioneers in the industry, paving the way for workshops & CEUs to be received in convenient and more cost effective ways by leveraging technology, creativity, energy, and the talents of all. Since that time, we have been excited to see so many follow suit to expand the opportunities for professional development to interpreters. That, in turn, supports an industry and the consumers they serve by developing interpreters to be more qualified and confident!
The time has flown by and we've seen so many interpreters rise to new heights with their skills and knowledge of the profession. We're now into our second decade and ready to work with you to attain YOUR goals! We are hard at work pioneering new opportunities and are putting the full force of our knowledge and experience leveraging that technology, creativity, energy, and talent that has constantly and passionately worked to advance the field of Sign Language interpreting! The following is the information to describe the expectations and parameters of the CoPs:
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Description of Activity:
Communities of practice are groups of people who share a common interest, concern, thirst for knowledge, or a passion for a topic related to what they do. Together, the group develops the collective knowledge to learn how to do what they do better. The hallmark of the CoP is the interaction. Based solidly in social and situated learning, CoPs depend upon the regular interaction and activities of the community members who develop a relationship over that time (and potentially beyond!)
Participants (or community members) will have the opportunity to engage in research, dialogue, and application of a variety of topics related to interpreting competencies. CoPs are broken into major categories and further into a specific subject or topic lasting 4 weeks. Participants may opt out of a CoP after the 4 week period or continue membership delving further into the topic.
Educational Objectives:
Community Members will:
o Engage in a community of professionals interested in advancing skills and knowledge in a specific area of competence required to be a qualified interpreter
o Provide leadership in one area of the specific topic to guide community members toward a new, and perhaps heightened, sense of awareness and knowledge about the topic
o Demonstrate an increased awareness and knowledge about the specific topic area
o Articulate the application, synthesis and evaluation of the subject matter to the interpreter’s work
Action Plan:
Community Members will participate in the main article, their own article, and two articles posted of other community members as well as a comprehensive reflection according to the following guidelines:
o read the main article provided and respond to and discuss the thought question for that article in the first week.
o seek out one relevant article on the same topic to post for other members to read.
o develop and post one thought question to lead the discussion for the week their article is read and discussed
o respond to at least two posts by Members discussing their article.
o develop a summary of the article and discussion at the end of the week.
o select two articles posted by other Community Members to read and discuss (at least 2 posts).
o A short summary of the article will be posted by each member participating in the discussion.
o at the conclusion of the CoP, all Community Members will post a comprehensive reflection of the CoP topic. These reflections are required to be at the upper levels of higher order thinking (synthesis and evaluation.)
Evaluation and Assessment (Describe how you will evaluate student learning & presentation effectiveness.)
Because the learning is generated and co-created by the Community Members, evaluation will be done based on the quantity of involvement (number and timing of postings) and the quality (synthesis and evaluation of the 4 weeks from the Reflection posting.) An RID evaluation tool will be used to ascertain the effectiveness of the CoP in furthering the knowledge of the Community Members in the topic area of participation.
(Edited by Denise Oviatt - original submission Thursday, 31 March 2011, 09:59 PM) | 
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