Weaving in the Community of Inquiry and Practice
"Weavers see patterns and make connections. Weavers organize serendipity and contribute significantly to the sum of personal and social creativity in the world."
(Leif Smith and Pat Wagner, Pattern Research, Denver, CO; Smith coined the term "weaver")
Community Weaving Roles
1. Greeting participants at the beginning of the CIP
2. Weaving the tapestry of community after things are underway
Any participant can act as a weaver at any time, making additional connections between people and ideas.
Greeting Participants
As weavers, you greet and welcome CIP participants as the Community begins. Each of the four of you has an assigned group of 14-15 participants. These groupings will also be used for the Council Circles.
1. Send individual Internet e-mail to each person in the group, welcoming them to the CIP, introducing yourself as a Community weaver, offereing assistance to help them feel oriented and get settled in, and suggesting they might like to join you in the Cafe after Orientation.
You might point out your on-line Profile as a way they can know more about you....
2. Pay attention to how the participants in your group are progressing through Orientation.... Notice if someone only gets part way through Orientation. You can either inquire as to whether they are having problems or consult with us about whether some reminder, nudge, or intervention is appropriate. Please be light and tactful....
3. The second table in the Cafe is "Journeys and Arrivals." It's a place for people to "land" in the CIP and say "I'm finally here" and tell stories about their journeys if they like.
Whenever one of your assigned people comments at this table, please respond so s/he will know s/he's been seen and heard. Use your intuition and judgment about the appropriate balance between being responsive and excessively friendly. Think of hosting a great party: Be attentive but not too much <smile>.
Weaving the Tapestry of Community
1. As things get rolling, find out what your assigned people are looking for in the CIP, what their passions are, what their quests are, and so on. Then over the course of the CIP, where possible, help them make connections along the lines of their hopes and aspirations.
2. Read the Profiles and Opening Ceremony responses for everyone in the Community, not just your assigned group, and look for patterns and connections, particularly with your people.
3. ...Toward the end of the first weekly round in the Council Circle, create a harvest (integrating key points, identifying themes, etc.) This helps weave the circles and also models harvesting for other participants.
4. In the community as a whole, create harvests as appropriate.
From the 1996 Awakening Technology Community of Inquiry and Practice (CIP)
Content and Groupware Design © 1996 Awakening Technology.
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From www.awakentech.com on 12/30/2024 ---- item last modified on 04/17/1998.