Learning community

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A learning community is a group of people who share common academic goals and attitudes and meet semi-regularly to collaborate on classwork. Such communities have become the template for a cohort-based, interdisciplinary approach to higher education. This may be based on an advanced kind of educational or 'pedagogical' design. [1]

Contents

Community psychologists such as McMillan and Chavis (1986) state that four key factors defined a sense of community: "(1) membership, (2) influence, (3) fulfilment of individuals needs and (4) shared events and emotional connections. So, the participants of learning community must feel some sense of loyalty and belonging to the group (membership) that drive their desire to keep working and helping others, also the things that the participants do must affect what happens in the community; that means, an active and not just a reactive performance (influence). Besides, a learning community must give a chance to the participants to meet particular needs (fulfilment) by expressing personal opinions, asking for help or specific information, and share stories of events with particular issue included (emotional connections) emotional experiences". [2]

Learning communities are now fairly common to American colleges and universities, and are also found in Europe.

History

In a summary of the history of the concept of learning communities, Wolff-Michael Roth and Lee Yew Jin suggest that until the early 1990s, and consistent with (until then) dominant Piagetian constructivist and information processing paradigms in education, the individual was seen as the "unit of instruction" and the focus of research. [3] Roth and Lee claim this as a watershed period when influenced by the work of Jean Lave, [4] and Lave and Etienne Wenger [5] among others, researchers and practitioners switched to the idea that was knowing and knowledgeability are better thought of as cultural practices that are exhibited by practitioners belonging to various communities; [6] [7] [8] [9] which, following Lave and Wenger's early work, [5] are often termed communities of practice. [10] [11]

Roth and Lee claim that this led to forms of praxis (learning and teaching designs implemented in the classroom, and influenced by these ideas) in which students were encouraged to share their ways of doing mathematics, history, science, etc. with each other. In other words, students take part in the construction of consensual domains and "participate in the negotiation and institutionalisation of ... meaning".[ This quote needs a citation ] In effect, they are participating in learning communities. Roth and Lee go on to analyse the contradictions inherent in this as a theoretically informed practice in education.[ citation needed ]

Roth and Lee are concerned with the learning community as a theoretical and analytical category; they critique how some educators use the notion to design learning environments without considering the fundamental structures implied in the category. Their analysis does not consider the appearance of learning communities in the United States in the early 1980s. For example, the Evergreen State College, which is widely considered a pioneer in this area, [12] established an intercollegiate learning community in 1984. In 1985, this same college established the Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education, which focuses on collaborative education approaches, including learning communities as one of its centrepieces.[ citation needed ]

Learning communities began to gain popularity at other U.S. colleges and universities during the late 80s and throughout the 90s. [13] The Washington Center's National Learning Commons Directory has over 250 learning community initiatives in colleges and universities throughout the nation.[ citation needed ]

Models

Learning communities can take many forms. According to Barbara Leigh Smith of the Evergreen State College, [14]

The learning community approach fundamentally restructure the curriculum and the time and space of students. Many different curricular restructuring models are being used. Still, all of the learning community models intentionally link together courses or coursework to provide greater curricular coherence, more opportunities for active teaming, and interaction between students and faculty.

Experts frequently describe five basic nonresidential learning community models: [15] [12]

  1. Linked courses: Students take two connected courses, usually one disciplinary course such as history or biology and one skills course such as writing, speech, or information literacy.
  2. Learning clusters: Students take three or more connected courses, usually with a common interdisciplinary theme uniting them.
  3. Freshman interest groups: Similar to learning clusters, but the students share the same major, and they often receive academic advising as part of the learning community.
  4. Federated learning communities: Similar to a learning cluster, but with an additional seminar course taught by a "Master Learner", a faculty member who enrols in the other courses and takes them alongside the students. The Master Learner's course draws connections between the other courses.
  5. Coordinated studies: This model blurs the lines between individual courses. The learning community functions as a single, giant course where the students and faculty members work full-time for an entire semester or academic year.

Micro-foundations are based on studies to understand how groups and teams increase their capabilities to work effectively together. [16] If the organization is a puzzle, then the groups are pieces of the puzzle, putting them together makes it solid. [17] describe organizational learning as a dynamic process, where new ideas and actions move from individuals to the organization and same time organization return feedback as data what have been learned and experienced in the past. Feed-back from the organization comes to the individual through groups and vice versa. They divided organizational learning into three levels where individual learning is based on intuiting and interpreting while group learning is based on interpreting and integrating, and finally, the organization is about institutionalizing. When these theses are compared with other scholars' studies, there can be found many similar exposes, [18] [19] also prove that groups are basic blocks which make a base for organizational learning. Although he claims that learning organizations work is based on several "lifelong programs of study and practice": First, it is based on the individual. In his opinion, all starts with a group member and his/her capability to expose the deepest desire. By that, a person can encourage others and he/herself to move towards the goals. Second is mental models, where individuals have to constitute reflect on their own thought and feel how they see and feel the world against their actions and how they affect their actions. The third one is all about sharing our visions. Basically, it is about how we can create a commitment in a group. Fourth is about group learning and how members can develop their intelligence and ability. The last one describes system thinking.

When studying many other scholars, [20] [21] [22] [23] there can be a basic red line of all these theories about organizational learnings. It all starts with individual tacit knowledge. Socializing that to another person transforms through externalization to explicit where it can be shared with a team and by arguing, internalising, and turning it into practice. This is the ever-lasting spiral that brings the organization to the learning path.[ citation needed ]

The basic of learning comes from the individual, and after sharing and debate it with other individuals, it became too aware. These individuals make together a group and sharing knowledge with other groups it comes to learning at the organizational level.[ citation needed ]

Living-Learning Communities

Residential learning communities, or living-learning communities (LLCs), are a type of academic intentional community which range from theme-based halls within a college dormitory to degree-granting residential colleges. [24] What residential and nonresidential learning communities share is an intentional integration of academic content with daily interactions among students, faculty, and staff living and working in these programs. [25]

Students who participate in LLCs tend to have higher GPAs, increased retention rates, and greater academic engagement compared to their peers living in traditional, non-themed residence halls. [26]

Results

Universities are often drawn to learning communities because research has shown that participation can improve student retention rate. [27] Lisa Spanierman, Jason Soble, Jennifer Mayfield, Helen Neville, Mark Aber, Lydia Khuri & Belinda De La Rosa note in the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice that learning communities can have a much greater impact on students which including predicting greater academic interactions, and the development of a greater sense of community and belonging. [28]

Retention rate

Comparing students that live on-campus in learning communities, and those that live off campus shows that students that participate in learning communities are more likely to persist to graduation. [29] [30] This is supported in supplementary scholarly literature through the work of Vince Tinto as he states "For example, social and academic systems that positively reinforce each other will increase student commitment such as when students are part of a peer group that also serves as a study group. [31]

Sense of Community and Belonging

Learning Communities have been shown to contribute to a students sense of community and belonging. [28] Sense of belonging is understood as "a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members’ needs will be met”. [32] The importance of the development of a sense of belonging is outlined by Abraham Maslow as it is deemed a universal human need, and an essential element to health. [33]

Academic Performance

Research conducted by John Purdie, and Vicki Rosser concluded that students who participated in learning communities earned higher grades, even when controlling for entering characteristics, and environmental characteristics. [29] Universities are able to contribute to the increased academic performance of students what participate in a learning community because of its ability to predict greater peer academic experiences and an enriched learning environment. [34] In a study conducted by Karen Inkelas of Northern Arizona University students that participate in academic based learning communities self-reported an increase in meeting learning outcomes. [35]

Approaches

See also

Related Research Articles

Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually involved correspondence courses wherein the student corresponded with the school via mail. Distance education is a technology-mediated modality and has evolved with the evolution of technologies such as video conferencing, TV, and the Internet. Today, it usually involves online education and the learning is usually mediated by some form of technology. A distance learning program can either be completely a remote learning, or a combination of both online learning and traditional offline classroom instruction. Other modalities include distance learning with complementary virtual environment or teaching in virtual environment (e-learning).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collaboration</span> Act of working together

Collaboration is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Most collaboration requires leadership, although the form of leadership can be social within a decentralized and egalitarian group. Teams that work collaboratively often access greater resources, recognition and rewards when facing competition for finite resources.

Situated learning is a theory that explains an individual's acquisition of professional skills and includes research on apprenticeship into how legitimate peripheral participation leads to membership in a community of practice. Situated learning "takes as its focus the relationship between learning and the social situation in which it occurs".

The Association of College and Research Libraries defines information literacy as a "set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning". In the United Kingdom, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals' definition also makes reference to knowing both "when" and "why" information is needed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Service-learning</span> Pedagogy combining learning objectives with community service

Service-learning is an educational approach that combines learning objectives with community service in order to provide a pragmatic, progressive learning experience while meeting societal needs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Community service</span> Unpaid work to benefit a community

Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. It can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed on a voluntary basis and may be compulsory. While individual benefits may be realized, they may be performed for a variety of reasons, including citizenship requirements, alternatives to criminal justice sanctions, school or class requirements, and requisites to obtain certain benefits.

Situated cognition is a theory that posits that knowing is inseparable from doing by arguing that all knowledge is situated in activity bound to social, cultural and physical contexts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Student affairs</span> Department of services for student success at institutions of higher education

Student affairs, student support, or student services is the department or division of services and support for student success at institutions of higher education to enhance student growth and development. People who work in this field are known as student affairs educators, student affairs practitioners, or student affairs professionals. These student affairs practitioners work to provide services and support for students and drive student learning outside of the classroom at institutions of higher education.

Residence Life is the comprehensive program that surrounds the experience of living "on and off campus" in a residence hall at a college or university. Residence Life is usually structured with planned events, a code of conduct and ethics, and a relatively large array of staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extracurricular activity</span> Activity outside regular education

An extracurricular activity (ECA) or extra academic activity (EAA) or cultural activities is an activity, performed by students, that falls outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school, college or university education. Such activities are generally voluntary (as opposed to mandatory), social, philanthropic, and often involve others of the same age. Students and staff direct these activities under faculty sponsorship, although student-led initiatives, such as independent newspapers, are very common. However, sometimes the school principals and teachers also bring in these activities in the school among the students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open educational resources</span> Open learning resource

Open educational resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research materials intentionally created and licensed to be free for the end user to own, share, and in most cases, modify. The term "OER" describes publicly accessible materials and resources for any user to use, re-mix, improve, and redistribute under some licenses. These are designed to reduce accessibility barriers by implementing best practices in teaching and to be adapted for local unique contexts.

Networked learning is a process of developing and maintaining connections with people and information, and communicating in such a way so as to support one another's learning. The central term in this definition is connections. It adopts a relational stance in which learning takes place both in relation to others and in relation to learning resources. In design and practice, networked learning is intended to facilitate evolving sets of connections between learners and their interpersonal communities, knowledge contexts, and digital technologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civic engagement</span> Individual or group activity addressing issues of public concern

Civic engagement or civic participation is any individual or group activity addressing issues of public concern. Civic engagement includes communities working together or individuals working alone in both political and non-political actions to protect public values or make a change in a community. The goal of civic engagement is to address public concerns and promote the quality of the community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracking (education)</span> Separation of students by ability

Tracking is separating students by academic ability into groups for all subjects or certain classes and curriculum within a school. It may be referred to as streaming or phasing in some schools.

A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who "share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly". The concept was first proposed by cognitive anthropologist Jean Lave and educational theorist Etienne Wenger in their 1991 book Situated Learning. Wenger then significantly expanded on the concept in his 1998 book Communities of Practice.

Student engagement occurs when "students make a psychological investment in learning. They try hard to learn what school offers. They take pride not simply in earning the formal indicators of success, but in understanding the material and incorporating or internalizing it in their lives."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open education</span> Educational movement

Open education is an educational movement founded on openness, with connections to other educational movements such as critical pedagogy, and with an educational stance which favours widening participation and inclusiveness in society. Open education broadens access to the learning and training traditionally offered through formal education systems and is typically offered through online and distance education. The qualifier "open" refers to the elimination of barriers that can preclude both opportunities and recognition for participation in institution-based learning. One aspect of openness or "opening up" education is the development and adoption of open educational resources in support of open educational practices.

Remedial education is assigned to assist students in order to achieve expected competencies in core academic skills such as literacy and numeracy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indigenous education</span> Education that focuses on teaching within formal or non-formal educational systems

Indigenous education specifically focuses on teaching Indigenous knowledge, models, methods, and content within formal or non-formal educational systems. The growing recognition and use of Indigenous education methods can be a response to the erosion and loss of Indigenous knowledge through the processes of colonialism, globalization, and modernity.

Post-secondary education for students with intellectual disabilities in the United States refers to the opportunities and challenges faced by these students when pursuing higher education. Historically, individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) have faced barriers in accessing post-secondary education, primarily due to restrictions in federal student aid and academic prerequisites. However, the enactment of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 introduced significant changes, allowing students with ID to qualify for federal student grants and work-study programs. Over the last two decades, there has been a growth in specialized PSE programs designed for students with ID, focusing on fostering skills beyond traditional academic achievements, such as increased independence, self-determination, and employment readiness.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Goodyear, Peter; de Laat, Maarten; Lally, Vic (September 2006). "Using pattern languages to mediate theory–praxis conversations in design for networked learning". ALT-J. 14 (3): 211–223. doi: 10.1080/09687760600836977 .
  2. ↑ Bonk, C. J; Wisher, R; Nigrelli, M (2004). "Learning Communities, Communities of practices: principles, technologies and examples". In Littleton, Karen; Miell, Dorothy; Faulkner, Dorothy (eds.). Learning to Collaborate, Collaborating to Learn. Nova Science Publishers. ISBN   978-1-59033-952-7.
  3. ↑ Roth, Wolff-Michael; Lee, Yew-Jin (January 2006). "Contradictions in theorizing and implementing communities in education". Educational Research Review. 1 (1): 27–40. doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2006.01.002.
  4. ↑ Lave, J. (1988) Cognition in practice: Mind, mathematics and culture in everyday life. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.[ page needed ]
  5. 1 2 Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.[ page needed ]
  6. ↑ Brown, John Seely; Collins, Allan; Duguid, Paul (1989). "Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning". Educational Researcher. 18 (1): 32–42. doi:10.3102/0013189X018001032. hdl: 2142/17979 . JSTOR   1176008. S2CID   9824073.
  7. ↑ Roth, Wolff-Michael; Bowen, G. Michael (March 1995). "Knowing and Interacting: A Study of Culture, Practices, and Resources in a Grade 8 Open-Inquiry Science Classroom Guided by a Cognitive Apprenticeship Metaphor". Cognition and Instruction. 13 (1): 73–128. doi:10.1207/s1532690xci1301_3.
  8. ↑ Scardamalia, Marlene; Bereiter, Carl (July 1994). "Computer Support for Knowledge-Building Communities". Journal of the Learning Sciences. 3 (3): 265–283. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.600.463 . doi:10.1207/s15327809jls0303_3.
  9. ↑ The Cognition and Technology Group (1994). From visual word problems to learning communities: Changing conceptions of cognitive research. In K. McGilly (Ed.), Classroom lessons: Integrating cognitive theory and classroom practice (pp. 157–200). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
  10. ↑ Bos-Ciussi, M; Augier, M; Rosner, G (1 January 2008). "Learning Communities Are Not Mushrooms - or - How to Cultivate Learning Communities in Higher Education". In Kimble, Chris; Hildreth, Paul (eds.). Communities of Practice - Vol. 2: Creating Learning Environments for Educators. IAP. pp. 287–308. ISBN   978-1-60752-610-0.
  11. ↑ Habhab. S. (2008), Workplace Learning in a Community of Practice: How do Schoolteachers Learn? in Communities of Practice: Creating Learning Environments for Educators, C. Kimble, P. Hildreth and I. Bourdon (Eds), Information Age Publishing. Vol 1, Ch 11, pp. 213-232.
  12. 1 2 Tinto, V (2003). "Learning better together: The impact of learning communities on student success" (PDF). Higher Education Monograph Series. 1 (8): 1–8.
  13. ↑ Smith, Barbara Leigh (2001). "The Challenge of Learning Communities as a Growing National Movement". Peer Review. S2CID   151188288. ERIC   EJ647377.
  14. ↑ Smith, Barbara Leigh (1993). "Creating Learning Communities". Liberal Education. 79 (4): 32–39. ERIC   EJ479698.
  15. ↑ Kellogg, Karen (1999). "Learning Communities" (Document). ERIC Digest. ERIC   ED430512.
  16. ↑ Argote L. (2013). Organizational Learning: Creating, Retaining and Transferring Knowledge, Springer Science+Business Media New York, 115-146
  17. ↑ Crossan, Mary M.; Lane, Henry W.; White, Roderick E. (July 1999). "An Organizational Learning Framework: From Intuition to Institution". Academy of Management Review. 24 (3): 522–537. doi:10.5465/AMR.1999.2202135. JSTOR   259140. S2CID   45814035.
  18. ↑ Gil, Alfonso J.; Mataveli, Mara (13 February 2017). "Learning opportunities for group learning: An empirical assessment from the learning organization perspective". Journal of Workplace Learning. 29 (1): 65–78. doi:10.1108/JWL-02-2016-0009.
  19. ↑ Senge, P., Kleiner, A., Roberts, C., Ross, R., Smith, B. (1994), The fifth discipline fieldbook: strategies and tools for building a learning organization, New York, Currency 1994.[ page needed ]
  20. ↑ Nonaka, Ikujiro (February 1994). "A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation". Organization Science. 5 (1): 14–37. doi:10.1287/orsc.5.1.14. JSTOR   2635068. S2CID   17219859.
  21. ↑ Chiva, Ricardo; Alegre, Joaquín (March 2005). "Organizational Learning and Organizational Knowledge: Towards the Integration of Two Approaches". Management Learning. 36 (1): 49–68. doi:10.1177/1350507605049906. S2CID   143828785. ProQuest   209901282.
  22. ↑ Bresman, Henrik; Zellmer-Bruhn, Mary (August 2013). "The Structural Context of Team Learning: Effects of Organizational and Team Structure on Internal and External Learning". Organization Science. 24 (4): 1120–1139. doi:10.1287/orsc.1120.0783. JSTOR   42002896. Gale   A339529849.
  23. ↑ Zhou, Wencang; Hu, Huajing; Shi, Xuli (13 July 2015). "Does organizational learning lead to higher firm performance?: An investigation of Chinese listing companies". The Learning Organization. 22 (5): 271–288. doi:10.1108/TLO-10-2012-0061.
  24. ↑ "Living-Learning Communities and Residential Colleges". Residence Education and Housing Services. Michigan State University. Archived from the original on 25 December 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  25. ↑ Brower, Aaron M.; Dettinger, Karen M. (November 1998). "What is a Learning Community?: Toward a Comprehensive Model". About Campus: Enriching the Student Learning Experience. 3 (5): 15–21. doi:10.1177/108648229800300504. S2CID   151956113.
  26. ↑ Kurotsuchi Inkelas, Karen; Daver, Zaneeta E.; Vogt, Kristen E.; Brown Leonard, Jeannie (1 June 2007). "Living–Learning Programs and First-Generation College Students' Academic and Social Transition to College". Research in Higher Education. 48 (4): 403–434. doi:10.1007/s11162-006-9031-6.
  27. ↑ Purdie, John R. (2007). Examining the academic performance and retention of first-year students in living-learning communities, freshmen interest groups and first-year experience courses. University of Missouri-Columbia. OCLC   173842996.[ page needed ]
  28. 1 2 Spanierman, Lisa B.; Soble, Jason R.; Mayfield, Jennifer B.; Neville, Helen A.; Aber, Mark; Khuri, Lydia; De La Rosa, Belinda (July 2013). "Living Learning Communities and Students' Sense of Community and Belonging". Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice. 50 (3): 308–325. doi:10.1515/jsarp-2013-0022. S2CID   143629009.
  29. 1 2 Purdie, John R; Rosser, Vicki J (Spring 2011). "Examining the academic performance and retention of first-year students in living-learning communities and first-year experience courses". College Student Affairs Journal. Charlotte. 29 (2): 95–112, 179. ProQuest   903807610.
  30. ↑ Pascarella, Ernest T.; Terenzini, Patrick T. (1993). "Letters: Debating College's Effect on Students". Academe. 79 (2): 5–6. doi:10.2307/40251282. JSTOR   40251282.
  31. ↑ Tinto, Vincent (2012). Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition. University of Chicago Press. ISBN   978-0-226-92246-1.[ page needed ]
  32. ↑ McMillan, David W.; Chavis, David M. (January 1986). "Sense of community: A definition and theory". Journal of Community Psychology. 14 (1): 6–23. doi:10.1002/1520-6629(198601)14:1<6::aid-jcop2290140103>3.0.co;2-i. S2CID   14729262.
  33. ↑ Greer, Germaine (1968). Maslow AH Motivation and Personality NY 1954. OCLC   1126688590.[ page needed ]
  34. ↑ Wawrzynski, Matthew R.; Jessup-Anger, Jody E. (2010). "From Expectations to Experiences: Using a Structural Typology to Understand First-Year Student Outcomes in Academically Based Living-Learning Communities". Journal of College Student Development. 51 (2): 201–217. doi:10.1353/csd.0.0119. S2CID   4541341.
  35. ↑ Inkelas, Karen Kurotsuchi; Soldner, Matthew; Longerbeam, Susan D.; Leonard, Jeannie Brown (September 2008). "Differences in Student Outcomes by Types of Living–Learning Programs: The Development of an Empirical Typology". Research in Higher Education. 49 (6): 495–512. doi:10.1007/s11162-008-9087-6. S2CID   145195946.
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