Reading Reflection #2

1.    Discussion on the focus of Learning Communities.

A learning community is when a group of people, either peers or other colleagues, comes together to try to solve a problem or issue that will benefit the community. Not only do learning communities work together to resolve issues, but also they are always learning about each other’s differences, learning how to learn.

2.    Discussion on the benefits of Learning Communities.

Although it may not seem like it at first, there are actually a number of benefits when working in a group. Working with others allows you use your colleagues, or group members, as sounding boards. It’s always helpful to get a second, or third, opinion, and when working in a group you have someone else to brainstorm with, reflect with, and plan with. When working in a learning community, you are not only learning about working together, but you’re also learning more about the topic you are working to resolve.

3.    Discussion on how Learning Communities affect teachers.

Teachers can especially benefit from learning communities in multiple ways. By working with a group of people, teachers can learn more about the topic at hand, gaining multiple perspectives on the same issue. It’s always important to get different points of view on a potential plan or idea, and by learning about more than one element of a topic, you’ll gain more insight on whether or not the plan is beneficial to the classroom or the community.

4.    Discussion on how Learning Communities affect students.

Students will benefit from learning communities in a similar way to Project Based Learning. Students will first learn the skills required to work with others toward a similar goal. Learning communities allow students to discover that their peers have information and ideas to offer, that they might not have though of themselves. When combining both learning communities and project based learning, students will be exposed to real-world experiences in a structured environment (the classroom).

5.    Discussion on the components for shared vision in Learning Communities.

Learning communities have a strong vision of helping others learn how to learn. When combining different minds on the same topic or issue, each mind will expand the topic in a different direction, allowing new ideas and possibilities. Not only do members of a learning community need to share their ideas and knowledge, but they also have the responsibility of sharing tasks. The vision of a learning community is for everyone to accept responsibility for their own participation, working toward bettering the community.

6.    Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

In our “classroom kitchen” group, we are working together to come up with a fun, yet educational, model to help students get excited about food. We are combining our skill sets and knowledge to explore different possibilities, such as creating a classroom cookbook, learning about what types of food different cultures eat, or holding a bake sale in the classroom.