Contexts of Learning - Community of Practice (CoP)

1. CONTEXTS OF LEARNING:
A VIEW OF COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Shurla Charles-Forbes
Masters in Education, Adult Education Candidate
Yorkville University
Course: EDUC 6303

2. OUTLINE
 What is Learning?
 Definition of Contexts of Learning
 Community of Practice (CoP)
 Implications
 What it means for learners
 Conclusion

3. WHAT IS LEARNING?
 Merriam, Caffarella and Baumgartner (2007, p.
277) writing on the work of Illeris 2000; Ormrod,
(1995), defines learning as “a process that brings
together cognitive, emotional, and environmental
influences and experiences for acquiring,
enhancing, or making changes in one’s knowledge,
skills, values, and worldviews”.

4. TYPES OF LEARNING
Formal Informal
Non-formal

5. DEFINITION OF CONTEXTS OF LEARNING
 Learning Context – “the set of circumstances that
are relevant when someone needs to learn
something”. de Figueiredo (2005, p. 128).
 Context – “the set of circumstances that are
relevant for the learner to build knowledge when
referring to content”. de Figueiredo (2005, p. 129).

6. EXAMPLES OF LEARNING CONTEXT
 Classroom
 Website
De Figueiredo (2005, p. 130)

7. EXAMPLE OF CONTEXTS OF LEARNING
 Community of Practice (CoP) – “groups of people
who share a concern or a passion for something
they do and learn and how to do it better as they
interact regularly”. Wegner, (n.d.,p.1).

8. ORIGIN OF COP
 Learning Theory – “the community that acts as a
living curriculum for the apprentice” coined by
Wegner & Lave. Wegner (n.d., pp.3-4)
 Ollis (2011, p. 253) notes that Lave and Wenger’s
“development of a theory of adult learning which
situates learning in social and community sites
has contributed to understanding knowledge
formation through informal learning”.
 Seaman (2008, p. 270) stated that it was in an
“effort to provide perspective on learning and
knowing within a social context”.

9. COP CONTINUED
CoP
Wenger, (n.d., p. 1)
Everywhere

10. DIMENSIONS FOR COP
 Domain – shared interest
 Community – joint activities & discussions, help
each other, share information
 Practice – practitioners shared repertoire
Wegner (n.d., p. 1-2)

11. TYPES OF ACTIVITIES
 Meaningful Activity
 Shared Activity
 Coordinative Activity
Akkerman, Petter and de Laat (2008, p. 385)

12. DISTINCTION FROM A COMMUNITY
 Goal
 Shared practice
Seaman (2008, p. 270)

13. FORMS OF COP
Wenger, (n.d., p. 3)

14. FEATURES OF COP
 Leadership comes from within the communities
 It is about developing and sharing knowledge
 External organizations may legitimize participation
in the community
 Originated from business group practices
 Develop informally and are emergent

15. FEATURES OF COP CONTINUED
 Members can be either core or peripheral
 Work collaboratively
 Informally bound by what members do as well as
what they know
 Assumption that all knowledge is constructed
narratively
 Primary unit of analysis is the community
 Learning is a social process
 Follows specific stages of development
Seaman (2008, pp. 273-277 )

16. APPLICATION OF COP
 Organization
 Government
 Education
 Associations
 Social sector
 International development
 The web
Wenger (n.d., pp. 4-6)

17. OTHER TERMS FOR COP
 Learning Networks
 Thematic Groups
 Tech Clubs
Wenger (n.d., p. 3)

18. IMPLICATIONS
 Common desire to improve
 They are formed for improvement
 There may be anonymity which strengthens the
community
 Improve the community as a whole (depending on
the foci)
Seaman (2008, pp. 277-278)

19. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR LEARNERS?
 Peer to Peer Learning
 Professional Development
 Horizontal Communities
 New Learning Partnerships
 Rise of Social Media
Wenger (2010, p. 7)

20. CONCLUSION
 Learning
 Contexts of Learning
 Community of Practice
 Implications of Community of Practice
 What it means for Learners

21. THANK YOU

22. REFERENCES
 Akkerman, S., Petter, C., & de Laat, M. (2008). Organising Communities-of-Practice: Facilitating Emergence. Journal of Workplace Learning 20. 6, 383-
399.
 de Figueiredo, A. (2005). Learning Contexts: a Blueprint for Research. Interactive Educational Multimedia.
 Merriam, S., Caffarella, R., Baumgartner, L. (2007). Learning in Adulthood (3rd ed.) San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
 Ollis, T. (2011) Learning in Social Action: The Informal and Social Learning Dimensions of Circumstantial and Lifelong Activists, Australian
Journal of Adult Learning 51, No. 2, 248-268.
 Seaman, M. (2008). Birds of a Feather?: Communities of Practice and Knowledge Communities, Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue. 10, No. 1-2, 269-
279,306.
 Wenger, E. (n.d.). Communities of Practice: A Brief Introduction: Retrieved on May 25, 2014 from: http:wenger-trayner.com/theory
 Wenger, E. (2010) Communities of Practice and Social Learning Systems: The Career of a Concept. In Blackmore, C. (Editor) Social Learning Systems
and communities of practice. Springer Verlag and the Open University., E. (n.d.). Communities of Practice and Social Learning Systems: The Career of a
Concept. Retrieved from http://wenger-trayner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/09-10-27-CoPs-and-systems-v2.01.pdf June 07, 2014