2.7.2 Exploring learning communities
Do you think that our case-study subjects are involved in communities of practice? This comment from Karen suggests that she, at least, may have found one while she was studying:
Transcript: Karen
Activity 14: Identifying learning communities
This activity about communities of practice will help you to develop your understanding of the ways in which communities of practice work. Once again, it features an animated film featuring Tina and her friends.
Comment
In the animated film, you saw professional photographer and ill-tempered diner Eric recalling how he learned about photography and made this his career. Clearly the photography club has been a major influence on his learning throughout his adult life. However, it’s likely that other groups of people and other individuals have had an impact on his learning. These people may include his work colleagues at the newspaper and other professional photographers with whom he has come into contact over the years. Each of these groups of people could be functioning as a community of practice.
The next activity is a good opportunity to reflect on how the groups in your own life influence your learning and studying. By doing this, you are also evaluating the relevance and usefulness of communities of practice as a theory.
Activity 15: Your groups – Are they communities of practice?
Lave and Wenger suggest that being a member of a group is a key part of learning in general. Such membership might also be important for your study in Learning to learn. Have you told people that you have started this course? Have you tried to involve them as a result of doing some of the activities? If you have, think about their responses. Were they positive or were they indifferent? The people might even have made negative comments about your studies.
Use a table such as that shown in Figure 18. In the first column list the groups to which you belong. In the second column comment on how these groups support your learning. For example, you might say that your family members have done household chores to give you time to work on Learning to learn. If they do not know you are studying, you could put in what you imagine their reactions would be. In the third column make some notes about whether the groups seem to have any of the three features of a community of practice. For example, you might note that your family members know about three or four easy-to-cook meals that they can produce when you are not able to cook for them.
Comment
This activity might have reminded you that friends and family can have a big impact on you. They may already have had an impact on how you see yourself as a learner. This can have an ongoing effect on any subsequent study and on any plans for change. It might even affect how you view this course. This is fine if you feel supported by the groups to which you belong. But what if you feel that none of these groups is on your side? Well, we hope that you see Learning to learn as a support that helps build your confidence and belief in yourself. Perhaps one of the things you need to include in any of your plans for change is finding a group that can be a community of practice as far as you are concerned.
The other result of the last activity is to give you a clearer idea about communities of practice and to make you think about the extent to which this concept applies to you at the moment. By seeing how it might apply, you are exploring its relevance and usefulness. Even if you decided that few or none of your current groups have features of communities of practice, you will have given yourself the chance to see how these key features may be applied.