1. SWAC Community of practice
For RPT Leadership Teams
Presenters: MaryJane Snoeks (LDCSB), Tom Smith (TVDSB)

2. Profile of rpt 10 RPT 10 SWAC Profile
3 Colleges: Fanshawe, Lambton, St. Clair
Over 13 SWAC classrooms/teachers
Expanding into adult SWAC on some campuses
Regional Area: London, Sarnia, Windsor, Stratford, Huron Perth
Profile of rpt 10

3. Rpt 10 meetings
3 face to face meetings a year (plus teleconference if needed)
Host college/chair of the RPT rotates every 3 years
Co-chair of the RPT is an affiliated school board rep (rotates every 3 years) and this person oversees special projects supporting the school boards (including the SWAC Community of Practice)

4. What is the profile of your rpt?
How many colleges are in your RPT?
How many school boards?
How many SWAC classrooms do you have in your RPT? (include Adult programs)
What is the profile of your rpt?

5. SWAC Community of practice
In RPT 10 the SWAC COP began as an informal meeting between SWAC teachers during the RPT meetings (separate room location) about 6 years ago
SWAC teachers saw great value in meeting and discussing items that were relevant to them such as: classroom structure, access to college resources, delivery of curriculum, activities, problem solving etc. 
SWAC Community of practice

6. Benefits of the community of practice
Foster an environment in which knowledge can be created and shared to improve what people are doing in their classrooms
Important as a venue for innovation in delivery of SWAC programs 
Create an opportunity for succession of SWAC teachers
Building capacity and resources
Enable the SWAC teachers to consult with each other in order to come up with better or more efficient solutions
Providing perspective (as to what is happening in other boards and colleges)

7. Areas for improvement... moving to a more formal approach
Great ideas were being generated; however, because the group was closed and informal, moving  ideas forward into classroom implementation continued to be a challenge in some cases
Funding to attend the SWAC COP meetings was not consistently accessible 
Without a formal agenda there is the potential that not every voice is heard 
The SWAC teachers were not aware of the SMART goals of the RPT (ideas/conversations/projects didn't always align which is necessary in order to leverage RPT funding)
Formal minutes were not kept (to bring back to school boards and the RPT for review, to measure progress and needs)
Some members of the COP viewed their participation as valuable and some did not
Not all RPT members understood the objective of the group and the measurement of those objectives: How do we know this has value? Is it working? How will we know it is working?

8. Next steps: a formal approach
How will we achieve success with our SWAC COP? 1
Objectives 2
Sponsorship 3
Leadership 4
Risk Free Environment 5
Measurements 6
Next steps: a formal approach
Objectives: 
Providing SWAC educators who work with the most at risk students in our system a chance to establish a network of support, and to establish an understanding of what is happening across the RPT. Assisting SWAC teachers in becoming a community of support for one another that in the end will improve the SWAC experience for students.
To educate others by establishing a specific presentation for the annual SCWI Symposium that not only highlights the Community of Practice, but also one specific best practice that has come about as a result of the meetings in that giving year.
To formalize the COP so that it can be presented as a model to other RPTs to use, and can be carried on year after year.
Sponsorship:
RPT 10 to cover expenses for SWAC teachers to attend. 
Leadership:
Co chair of the RPT will organize and chair the COP, creating agendas and reporting on things that are happening at the meetings to the RPT. Minutes provided to board leads to be used to support moving forward ideas within each board. 
Risk Free Environment
SWAC teachers feel a place of belonging and the ability to share ideas without judgement and with the support of the other SWAC teachers. 
Measurements
We will know this is working by assessing the progress of the meeting minutes, the growth and development of the programs, the consistency of support from the colleges, and the continued funding from the RPT.

9. Terms of reference (handout)
Set a formal agenda
Chair
Established location
Formalized agenda format
Funding guidelines
Goals for the COP(RPT SMART goal)
Terms of reference (handout)

10. RPT Smart goals

11. Outcomes from the first year of the formal cop
SWAC teachers reported that they felt a sense of community 
Best practices created opportunity for change
SMART goal was met
RPT decided to continue funding 
Support for the terms of reference (handout)
Meeting minutes shared with the RPT
Goals set for next year to focus on PD and support for the SWAC teachers

12. This past year … rpt 10 cop
Three workshops organized by the RPT co-chair (board rep)
Reframing Our Responses (Compassion, poverty in schools, self-esteem) (one day)
Mental Health First Aid (two days), CMHA
Compassionate fatigue (full day), OMSSSA
No time for formal collaboration (due to cost and structure of workshops)
Survey taken by SWAC teachers...

13. Results of the feedback after two very different years
SWAC teachers liked the intensive training and were grateful to have access to it
Much of the learning was relevant and applicable
Teachers looking for more time for collaboration and team building (appreciated the workshops but missed the formal agenda)
Cost of the workshops was high, some of the content was not relevant
Due to the time commitment of the workshops not all SWAC teachers could attend as it was organized
SWAC teachers would like to focus on some aspects of the workshops (more focused and directly relevant)

14. Moving forward into
The COP will be a combination of agenda and workshops
Workshops will be focused on community resources and case studies relevant to everyday situations in SWAC (possibility of having past presenters help facilitate this)
Build in time for team building activities for the SWAC teachers
The RPT will continue to fund the SWAC COP
The RPT will create a SMART goal around the COP

15. structure a COP for the SWAC teachers in your RPT?
fund the COP?
decide upon a chair for the SWAC COP?
do things the same as RPT 10?
do things differently than RPT 10?
How might you.... 

16. questions

17. contact MaryJane Snoeks LDCSB msnoeks@ldcsb.ca
Tom Smith TVDSB
Thank you
contact