February 24, 2015

Learning CommunitiesWhitney Kilgore

Agenda

✤ 0. Pre-Assessment

✤ 1. Presentation: communities (CoP, PLC, PLN)

✤ 2. Activity: Live Twitter chat

✤ Use #CECS6220

✤ 3. Small Group Discussions

✤ Report back to the whole group

✤ 4.Post-Assessment

Underlying Theories

✤ Piaget 1967: Constructivism

✤ Bandura 1970: Social Learning

✤ Callon, Latour, & Law: Actor-Network Theory

✤ Senge 1990: Learning Organization

✤ Lave & Wenger 1991: Situated Learning

✤ Lave & Wenger 1991: Community of Practice

✤ Siemens 2005: Connectivism

The continuum PLC, CoP, PLN

Why

Communities?

✤ We are stronger together

✤ Humans’ need to belong

✤ Social Learning as a part of our

DNA

✤ Collaborative Inquiry = higher

level of cognition

Learning TogetherReal-world application of our knowledge is powerful learning practice

What is a PLC?PLC = Professional Learning Community

A Professional Learning Community is a

collaboration of teachers, administrators,

parents and students, who work together to

seek out best practices, test them in the

classroom, continuously improve processes,

and focus on results.” (DuFour, 2002)

Professional Learning Communities

Theoretical Base: Learning Organization

✤ Senge (MIT) coined the term “learning organization”

and is the leading researcher on this theory

✤ “a place where people are continually discovering how

they create their reality and how they can change it”

(Senge, 1990, p. 13)

Dimensions

of a PLC

Adapted from DuFour, R. DuFour, R., Eaker, R., Karhanek, G. ,2004; Wells, C. & Feun, L. ,2007)

Characteristics of a PLCAs stated by members of my PLN

What is a CoP?CoP = Communities of Practice

“groups of people who share a concern, a

set of problems, or a passion about a topic

and who deepen their knowledge and

expertise in this area by interacting on an

ongoing basis” (Wenger, McDermott &

Snyder, 2001, p. 4)

Elements of CoPs

Theoretical Base: Social Learning

✤ Bandura: learning is a cognitive process that takes place in a social

context.

✤ Wenger’s work has evolved over the years; originally noted naturally

forming groups of practitioners of craft and skill-based activities

✤ CoPs take various forms

vary in size

life span

location (face-to-face vs. virtual)

relationship to the organization

Henri and Pudelko (2003) assert that Wenger’s theory of

communities of practice is at the heart of communities

even virtual ones.Photo Credit: BigStockPhoto

What is a PLN

✤ Simply stated, this type of

learning network is tailored to

the individual based on their

personal learning needs

(Downes, 2006).

✤ More prevalent in field of

education (professional

development)

✤ Learners enter with specific

goals, roles, and motivations

Image created with NodeXL

Personal Learning Networks

✤ Theoretical Base: Connectivism

“A learning theory for the digital age”

✤ This theory “asserts that knowledge - and therefore the

learning of knowledge – is distributive, that is, not located in

any given place (and therefore not 'transferred' or 'transacted'

per se) but rather consists of the network of connections

formed from experience and interactions with a knowing

community” (Downes, 2006, p. 1)

✤ Main Principles of Connectivism (Siemens)

cc licensed flickr photo by Will Lion: http://flickr.com/photos/will-lion/2595497078/

Social Media is Like Pandora’s Box – Grainne ConoleWho am I? What is personal, what is professional, and what is private?

Deeper Learning

✤ “The interconnected, interactive

nature of social learning

exponentially amplifies the rate

at which critical content can be

shared and questions can be

answered.”

✤ From: Collaborative Learning

for the Digital Age in The

Chronicle of Higher Education

Cathy Davidson: Director of the

Futures Initiative - CUNY

Big Thanks!!

✤ Thanks to Steve Wheeler,

Joyce Seitzinger and Sheryl

Nussbaum-Beach who

volunteered to share their

ideas with me for this talk

today.

✤ This is the power of the PLN!

Activity: Sketch your current PLN(1 minute. Snap a picture and upload to Twitter using

#CECS6220 hashtag. )

cc licensed flickr photo by courosa: http://flickr.com/photos/courosa/344832659/

Activity: Twitter Chat

✤ We will use the Q1: A1: format for questions and

answers.

✤ I’ll be posting the Questions, please share your

thoughts or resources (URLs) on twitter using the

#CECS6220 hashtag.

✤ At the end of the class, I’ll archive the chat using

Storify and send the link to the archive to your twitter

account.

Small Group Discussions

✤ (15 mins): How many have a supportive learning community at

work? - Break into three groups to discuss. Each group takes

one model and discussed how they would make use of this

model to solve an existing issue. Come up with a design strategy

and support strategies for how they would implement the model.

✤ Choose a spokesperson to present your design strategy and

support strategy to the class at the end of the 15 mins.

Wrap up and Post Assessment

✤ https://unt.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/preview/SV_e9Banzgk

Jzx9gCF

✤ Bandura, A. (1971). "Social Learning Theory". General Learning Corporation.

✤ Downes, S. (2006). Learning networks and connective knowledge. Retrieved from http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/paper92/paper92.html

✤ Dufour, R. & Eaker, R (1998). Professional learning communities at work: Best practices for enhancing student achievement. Alexandria,

VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

✤ Flanigan, R. (2011). Professional learning networks taking off. Education Week. Retrieved from

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/10/26/09edtechnetwork.h31.html?tkn=NXCFrTi53Q/RNUP7oI3Dyieu/9gskTJyoOc/

✤ Hord, S. M. (2004). Professional learning communities: An overview. In Learning together, leading together: Changing schools through

professional learning communities (Shirley Hord, Ed.). New York: Teacher College Press, 5-14.

✤ Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated Learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. New York: Cambridge University Press.

✤ Lewis, B., & Rush, D. (2013). Experience of developing Twitter-based communities of practice in higher education. Research in Learning

Technology, 21.

✤ Siemens, G. (2008). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. ITFORUM for Discussion, 1-26.

✤ Saint-Onge, H. & Wallace, D. (2003). Leveraging communities of practice for strategic advantage. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann.

✤ Veletsianos, G. (2012). Higher education scholars' participation and practices on Twitter. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 28(4),

336-349.

✤ Warlick, David (2009), “Grow Your Personal Learning Network,” Learning and Leading with Technology (March–April), 12–16.

✤ Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Sage Social Science Collection, 7(2), 225-246.

✤ Wenger, E., McDermott, R. & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

✤ Wesely, P. M. (2013). Investigating the community of practice of world language educators on Twitter. Journal of Teacher Education,

64(4), 305-318.

References: