A community of learners can be defined as a group of people who share values and beliefs and who actively engage in learning from one another— learners from teachers, teachers from learners, and learners from learners.
The first, learners learning from teachers, is a long-established aspect of traditional classroom practice. It is with the addition of the second and third aspects that the classroom becomes a true learning community. If teachers are unable or unwilling to learn from students, why should students value the opportunity to learn from each other ? What price lifelong learning, if teachers are reluctant to do it !
To build the foundations of a learning community, teachers need to provide opportunities for students to practise and develop a range of social skills – the abilities to listen to each other; to engage in constructive dialogue; to manage and contribute to the give and take of group work.
At its least sophisticated, it is little more than being cooperative. At its most sophisticated and complex levels it goes beyond learning ‘in a team’ and becomes learning ‘as a team’.
In short…
Having both the skills and the inclination to contribute positively to group work in order to learn productively with and from others.
What do you think?
- Do your students become increasingly like this as they move through your school?
- What makes you say that?
- What do you currently do in school that encourages students to develop their social learning skills?
Make a note of…
- Things you do to support collaborative learning
- Things you might think of trying
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