Reading Reflection #2

I thought after reading Chapter 2, that the focus of Learning Communities was best described on page 30. “A “learning organization,” or professional learning community, as it is often referred to in education, is different from other professional relationships. A learning organization can be any business work team, big or small, that engages in ongoing, collaborative problem solving focused on making the business better. In the process, individuals and the team expand their capacity to create the results they desire. They learn new patterns of thinking, they learn how to capitalize on the wisdom of the group, and, most importantly, they continually learn how to learn together.” 

Throughout the chapter I came across a lot of benefits of the learning communities. I decided that after a long list of benefits to choose the examples and explanations found on page 31. “Creating a professional learning community means making time for new ways of working with colleagues. Traditional professional development activities make up approximately 5% of a teacher’s non-student contact time each year. Programs are often single-shot and mandated rather than selected by the participant, and the content often focuses on adding something new rather than improving what a teacher is already doing. Professional learning can certainly support your shift to project-based instruction, but the fundamental program changes you make will require frequent and intentional collaboration with your colleagues.” This is definitely a good explanation as to what happens in comparison to our traditional professional development with the project-based learning communities. This is some of the instructions that are given for interactions with the other teachers you may work with, also found on page 31. “Find time to watch and reflect on each other’s classroom interactions. Learn to give each other critical feedback. Capitalize on the wisdom of the group. Engage in new patterns of thinking. Learn how to continually learn together.” Also on page 33 is a short list of benefits. “Decreased teacher isolation, increased commitment to the mission, shared responsibility, more powerful learning, and a higher likelihood of fundamental, systemic change.”

I think that doing any of the fore mentioned benefits, you could understand the affects that learning communities have on teachers. By getting teachers talking with one another, hopefully new and fresh ideas can be passed around and the interaction will become more of a friendship instead of co-workers.

Page 32 has some effects on the students with the learning communities. “A project-based learning collaboration among students is a lot like a professional learning community among teachers. For both, the learning is relevant and rigorous, and the “students” learn to learn together. Both groups develop the skills and dispositions necessary in the “real world,” including communication, problem solving, project management, motivation, and persistence. Both build bonds as they share triumphs and disappointments.”

The components for the shared vision in learning communities is best described as a list. As mentioned on page 35, “Members of your community for addressing digital-age projects should share these research-based components:

• ·         Have a clear sense of mission

• ·         Share a vision of the conditions they must create to achieve the mission

• ·         Work together in collaborative teams to determine the best practice to achieve the mission

• ·         Organize into groups headed by teacher-leaders

• ·         Focus on student learning

• ·         Are goal- and results- oriented

• ·         Collaborate with each other

• ·         Hold shared values and beliefs

• ·         Commit themselves to continuous improvement

• ·         See themselves as life-long learners”

I would have to say that the online communities section found on page 33 and 34 would relate to my topic/project. We are using the blog to communicate and the entire class is using eLearning to take this class, so it is “they show how teachers as active learners don’t wait for professional development to come to them; instead, teachers create their own opportunities for shared learning. What’s more, you will gain experience with the social networking tools that many of your students are already using to create and communicate with their own online communities.”