Community of practice May 23, 2010

According to Wenger (2006) a community of practice 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”. It has three characteristics: domain, community, and practice. Belonging to a community of practice can be useful not only for professional development but for language learning.

For professional development, in the educational field, it can help teachers to solve problems in a classroom, receive and give suggestions for the development of a class, share resources, receive feedback, share experiences, build knowledge, find new approaches and methodologies, explore new technologies, hold discussions, and innovate teaching practices.

As for language learning, a community of practice can be a good strategy to encourage learners from around the world to start collaborating in their learning process and hold real communication and interaction synchronously and asynchronously. Learners can also share experiences, learning strategies, exercises, resources, web pages, and even give advices.

I have not joined any community of practice yet but as soon as I finish the master course I plan to join as many as I can, because I consider this would be a form of being updated and enhance my teaching practice. I remember when I started the master course I did not know about the multiple resources available for teachers or adaptable for teaching, but know I am aware of many of them. Nonetheless, I am also aware that there are still a lot to explore and I am sure that belonging to communities of practice will facilitate this process

Blogging and Social Networking May 22, 2010

Microblogging is a more direct and immediate mode of blogging.  A microblogging entry is shorter than in a blog; it is allowed to write maximum 140 words. Entries can be sent accessing directly the web through a laptop or even with only a mobile phone. Entries can be public or kept private for those people who have permission or belong to a particular group of friends or community.

On the other hand, social networking is grouping of people into specific groups. The members of a social networking have common goals, interest, hobbies, etc.  A social networking is an important and useful strategy to meet people, share experiences, find professional contacts, know about other cultures, find employment, and make business.

In my teaching context, I consider I can use these two strategies for improving writing skills. Microblogging would be good for my students because they do not have a high English level therefore writing sentences and short ideas would be helpful for them. By microblogging students can reinforce how to write complete sentences. In a social networking, students could get in touch with students from different schools and even countries, using and thus learning in a real interactional context.

Collaborative Learning May 2, 2010

Collaborative learning is a method of teaching and learning in which students team together to explore a significant question or create a meaningful project (Concept to classroom, 2004). Collaborative learning creates interdependence among the members of a learning community in which the teacher’s role shift from transmitter of knowledge to designer of meaningful learning experiences where the learners have an active role in discussing, negotiating and building knowledge.

Collaborative learning has been studied for years and its early roots come from the year 1798 when the Russian psychologist Vygotsky explored the relationship between social interaction and individual learning. Then, in the year 1929, Piaget said that collaborative learning and cognitive development are paired in one single process: Learning. 57 years later, Bruner stated that learning is an active and social process where learners construct knowledge based on what they already know. Since then on, many researchers have stressed the importance that collaboration has in the learning process.

The implementation of collaborative practices allows learners to “extend and deepen their learning experiences, test out new ideas by sharing them with a supportive group, and receive critical and constructive feedback” (Palloff, Rena and Pratt, Keith, 2007) Furthermore, it promotes creativity, critical thinking skills, dialogue and initiative (Ibid).