Nurturing learning communities

Abstract

Learning communities advance cooperation, collaboration and collective attitudes for learning. Arguments for communal learning go beyond rhetoric of an education that supports all learners to reach their full potential and the creation of personalized learning courses for students to successfully achieve learning goals. The purpose of this handbook chapter is to inform and develop educators’ thinking about nurturing learning communities in contemporary formal learning environments which in a post-pandemic and postdigital era are more likely organized in blended and online learning modalities. The handbook chapter delineates an understanding of learning community and arguments as to why we need to expend effort and time to pursue communal learning attitudes. It highlights the value of positive and productive learning communities and draws attention to challenges that dishearten the pursuit of learning communities. It considers the pursuit of nurturing learning communities in the formal learning context emphasing the need for ongoing criticality of all processes and content of learning in design and implementation. It also shares teaching and learning practice orientations that were found to work for encouraging a sense of learning community to develop and keep going.