EXPLORING COLLABORATION IN ACTION: KAHUKURA COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Findings A strong vision and purpose
The vision for Kahukura is: “supporting responsive, collaborative learning; connecting students and teachers across the south west of Christchurch.”12
Kahukura has a clear statement which describes their collective well: “We are a group of people [leaders, teachers and students], who interact regularly to engage in collective cluster learning which widens and deepens insights, understandings and knowledge for all participants. As a CoP we have already developed a shared repertoire of resources, experiences, stories, and tools which have become our shared practice beyond the walls of each school.”
Principals established Kahukura through their connections and as a consequence of proximity. They and their boards of trustees had a strong preference for finding local solutions to local educational problems affecting their learners. Before the Christchurch earthquakes, principals across the seven schools had collaborated at various points in time. Kahukura initially formed in response to the Christchurch earthquakes. The principals wanted to collaborate through a CoP to allow for: • flexibility with the definition and remuneration of positions, including not requiring CoP leaders to be taken out of their school role • tracking of the CoP’s desired student outcomes. Principals began the collaboration by sharing ideals and understanding the value of developing professional relationships within their schools and across the community. Although the schools worked together, Kahukura set no overall achievement challenge or benchmark. This decision recognised the individual autonomy of each school to set their own targets.
12 Source: Kahukura Strategic Plan
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