A Community of Practice (CoP) does not thrive on structure alone — it flourishes when cooperation grows into true collaboration. This shift is rooted in an environment where members feel safe, empowered, and truly included. In educational settings, strong CoP foster students’ agency by encouraging learners to take ownership, participate in decision-making, and actively shape their learning experiences. At the same time, CoP embody the principles of inclusive education, ensuring that diverse perspectives, needs, and voices are recognized and valued. In this way, CoPs support inclusive school development in a participatory and sustainable manner.
To create sustainable success, CoP meetings must be built on shared values, supportive relationships, and clear guiding principles that enable meaningful engagement, open dialogue, and collective ownership. These aspects help ensure that CoP meetings are well-designed, empowering, and effective — ultimately allowing the community, and the students it serves, to thrive.
Cooperation, coordination and collaboration:
What’s the difference?
De BruÏne& Gerdes (2018) distinguish different levels of working together:
Cooperation, coordination and collaboration:
1. Cooperation – Working side by side
Cooperation means people help each other when needed, but mostly work individually toward related goals.
Tasks remain separate.
Interaction is supportive, but limited.
Each person keeps responsibility for their own part.
Typical example:
Teachers share materials or tips with each other, but each plans lessons independently.
2. Coordination – Organising work so it fits together
Coordination involves organising tasks, roles, and timelines to ensure that individual contributions fit together smoothly.
Work is aligned, synchronised, or sequenced.
Clear structure, roles, and procedures.
The focus is on efficiency and avoiding overlap.
Typical example:
A school team divides responsibilities for a project (e.g., one handles communication, another data collection). They check in to keep the process aligned.
3. Collaboration – Working together to create something new
Collaboration means people work jointly on shared tasks, make decisions together, and take collective ownership.
Knowledge and responsibility are shared.
New ideas emerge from interaction and co-creation.
Relies on trust, communication, and shared purpose.
Typical example:
A CoP collectively develops a new teaching approach — brainstorming, testing, refining, and evaluating it together.
In short:
Cooperation = we help each other.
Coordination = we organise to avoid chaos.
Collaboration = we create something together.
If we look at Communities of Practice in inclusive school development processes, we can see that this approach reflects the characteristics of collaboration:
Communities of Practice
link practices and knowledge back and forth
promote extensive learning from and with each other
promote the development of holistic approaches
promote working together towards common goals
promote the joint search for solutions to complex problems
Key aspects for fruitful collaboration within a Community of Practice in inclusive educational settings
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Values – Building a shared foundation
A thriving CoP is grounded in shared values. Mortier and colleagues (2010) highlight three main CoP values to enable a constructive process, they are:
open attitude: flexibility to adjust to the environment;
safe environment with an equal input: allowing to learn from each other and for all participate in the construction of ideas;
commitment to successful inclusion: maintaining an effective support system and promoting a positive atmosphere.
Moreover, further important values thriving a CoP are curiosity, respect, and, in particular, learning from one another. Defining core values together helps align expectations and strengthens collective responsibility. Values serve as a compass for interaction and decision-making.
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Climate – Creating a safe and supportive space
Collaboration requires a positive climate in which all members are encouraged to speak openly, express doubts, share challenges, and contribute ideas without fear of judgment. A welcoming, supportive atmosphere increases engagement and allows deeper learning. In order to create a safe and supportive space, the CoP team can for instance co-create a short set of “ways we work together”. Short check-ins, informal conversations, or small team tasks help deepen connections and reinforce the community’s social fabric. Moreover, communication routines such as “Think-Pair-Share" ensure equal participation.
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Communication guidelines – Keeping dialogue clear and respectful
Clear communication guidelines help ensure that every voice is heard. This may include turn-taking practices, active listening, respectful feedback, and the conscious inclusion of quieter members. Good communication reduces misunderstandings and fosters constructive dialogue.
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Shared decision-making – Empowering the community
A CoP thrives when members feel ownership of decisions. Involving everyone in planning steps, agreeing on priorities, or shaping next actions fosters commitment and strengthens group cohesion. Shared decision-making transforms participation into true collaboration. In educational contexts, this also includes fostering student agency - ensuring that learners have a genuine voice in decisions that affect their experiences. When students are empowered to contribute ideas and perspectives, the CoP becomes more inclusive, responsive, and collectively driven.
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Reflection and continuous improvement – Learning as you go
Regular reflection moments help identify what works well and what might need adjustment, for example by using the “Stop-Start-Continue" method at the end of a CoP meeting. This simple routine keeps reflection manageable and creates a continuous feedback loop, helping the group adjust quickly and intentionally. In doing so, reflections strengthen adaptability and ensure that the CoP evolves with the needs of its members.
Why these aspects matter
Together, these elements create the conditions for successful and meaningful CoP meetings. When the environment is safe, values are shared, communication is open, and decisions are made collectively, cooperation naturally transforms into collaboration — enabling the CoP to grow, innovate, and sustain long-term impact.
In Module 4, you will find a variety of methods and tools designed to support the effective planning and facilitation of your CoP meetings.
Reflection Task: “How Does My CoP Become a Space for True Collaboration?”
Reflect on your current (or future) Community of Practice and answer the following prompts. Take notes for yourself and be as concrete as possible:
Values – What guides us?
Which shared values are already visible in your group?
Which ones still need to be discussed or made explicit?
Communication – How do we talk and listen?
How effectively does your group communicate?
Are all voices heard, including quieter or more hesitant members?
Climate – How safe and inclusive is the space?
What helps people feel comfortable sharing ideas, challenges, or mistakes?
What could strengthen psychological safety in your CoP?
Shared Decision-Making – How do we choose together?
How are decisions currently made?
Where might you involve members more actively—including students, if relevant—to enhance agency and ownership?
Reflection – How do we learn as we go?
What routines for reflection already exist (e.g., check-ins, feedback rounds)?
What new reflection practices could help your CoP keep improving?
References
De BruÏne, E. & Gerdes, J. (2018). Naar de andere oever. Tijdschrift voor Orthopedagogiek, 9-10. https://www.tijdschriftvoororthopedagogiek.nl/110-1137_h1-Naar-de-andere-oever-h1
Mortier, K., Hunt, P., Leroy, M., Van de Putte, I., & Van Hove, G. (2010). Communities of practice in inclusive education. Educational Studies, 36(3), 345–355. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055690903424816
