Community of learning
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Definition
Closely related to Wenger's concept of a social learning system which is made up of a network of communities of practice.
Types of learning communities
A learning community may consist of any or all of the following types of communities:
- Community of practice: a group of people that take part in a common activity, talk and share information about this activity and define themselves in relation to it.
- Community of interest: a group of people that come together to address a problem of interest to all. They may or may not be from the same community of practice.
- Task-based community: a group of people that works together to accomplish a defined task. They may or may not be from the same CoP.
- Knowledge-building community: a group of people that works together to produce a body of knowledge.
Online learning communities
An online learning community uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) to take part in the activities of the community. The computer-supported environment may be a support for the learning that takes place within a community or the community and the learning may exist entirely within the virtual environment.