communities of practice

Communities of practice is a way of looking at learning as inherently embedded in the social. We can’t learn stuff, language, ideas, practices, behavior, identity, rules, etc out of context, we’re always learning these things as they specifically apply to a given situation. We’re learning what words mean, and how to use them in context. It’s most notable in the lingo we use, especially surrounding the work environment. If I describe QBU actions as app engine programs that take specified action to a group identified in a query, I’m speaking a specific techy language as it applies to a specific schools implementation of a student information management system. If I talk about how useful fuel is because I click fewer squares while harvesting crops, I’m talking about how I function and understand tools provided to me in Farmville. If I reference JAFF I’m speaking about a specific group of people and demonstrating my identity with them by knowing the acronym. So the idea of communities of practice functions as a way of looking at the learning that individuals go through as new members, existing members, outside members, leading members, etc of the various groups they participate in on a daily basis. These practices seem inherently social, verbal, and real life. To apply to internet environments we (as educators) would need to identify ways of encouraging group participation and group knowledge discovery in an online class environment. So, how do we structure an online classroom, given all the preconceived ideas students have about them, in ways to foster true social learning? To being, for English/Composition 101 we would need to decide what our main goals are. Besides exposure to college based writing, what else are we teaching students? To read assignment sheets? To be college students? To think critically? What else is important and how do we make those important values in our classroom community so the students will learn them through participation in the class as they learn the practices of the community?

check out this book for more information Wenger, Etienne. (1998). Communities of practice: learning, meaning and identity. New York, NY: Cambridge university press.