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Each individual member of a learning community takes responsibility
for their own learning, the learning of others in the group and for
the group process itself. What is to be learned; how it is to be learned;
and how it is to be assessed is negotiated within the group context.
Tutors act as facilitators and co-learners with the added responsibility
of ensuring that the academic standards required are met and that
the group is functional for learning.
At the other end of the spectrum the students
would participate from the start in deciding what should be covered
in the course. They would help make up a course outline, which would
be modifiable with time to reflect the increased sophistication
and changing needs of the students. The students would decide with
the instructor what tasks should be carried out, whether there should
be an exam and/or whether other tasks would be encouraged (such
as a research paper). (Rogers, 1983, p. 76).
Rogers, C. (1983) 'An Unusual Science Course
in a University' in Freedom to Learn for the '80s, Columbus, Ohio:
Charles E. Merrill Publ Co, p. 76.
..the term 'learning community' has been used
to describe a learning event with fixed time limits and existing
for a more or less specific purpose. The design involves bringing
together a group of people as peers to meet personal learning needs
primarily through a sharing of resources and skills offered by those
present. (Pedler, p. 68)
The learning community then is seen as resting on two major principles:
- That each individual takes primary responsibility for identifying
and meeting his/her own learning needs.
- That each person is responsible for helping others identify
and meet their needs and for offering themselves as a flexible
resource to the community.
(Pedler, p. 69)
Pedler, M. (1981) Developing the Learning Community
in Boydell, T. and Pedler, M. (Eds) (1981) Management Self-Development:
Concepts and Practices, UK: Gower.
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