Why You Need A Learning Community in Your Classroom (And the steps to create one)

A functioning community offers opportunity for support, connection and stimulation. The learning community is not anything more than.

You want to offer your students with the chance to take their education up a notch while also helping you develop your business and expand the reach of your brand If yes, then you're in the right position to create a educational community.

Find out what makes up an online learning community , and the basic elements that constitute the essential components of a successful community of learning.

What is a Community?

Learning communities are made up of individuals with the same goal in learning, who work in tandem and interact with each other. Learning communities are a place where interactions are practical as well as emotional. Learning communities enable learners to share information and resources as well as provide assistance and support, with a focus on continuous and open communications.

These are some tips to help you understand the concept of a learning community and what it is not!

A learning online network is or can become...

• A group of people that have common motives, objectives and beliefs.
• An online discussion forum for ideas, issues and other issues.
• A space for discussion
• A collaborative environment
• Inspirational source
• A variety of students as well as professionals.

    A learning platform online doesn't...  

• A professional school or a committee
• A gathering for socializing
• A job board , or even a platform for marketing
• Alternative to traditional education

If you're having trouble defining what an educational community is These suggestions can help you understand the difference between what it's about and what it's not. These guidelines will assist you in understanding the best way to create an educational community, as well as what to create a learning environment!

What exactly is a learning community? Four instances

The term "learning community" There are many kinds for learning communities. They are classified based on the shared characteristics of learners. They generally are determined by the context in which the community of learning is created.

Four examples are provided:

• Communities of interests: In majority cases, communities of students come together with shared interests or similar desires. The interest-based learning community could be inspired by sourdough bread or sports cars or some other thing! Whatever your hobbies are it is possible to build or join an online learning community that is focused on the topic.
• Community-based action learning: Individuals with the same goal can form an action-based learning community which is built around initiatives that help or promote the cause. Groups of social activism that hold workshops, develop educational resources and host fundraisers are great examples of an active learning community.
• Learning that is based on community and location In some instances there is a common thread that runs through the learning communities is location of community. The learning communities which are geographical may focus on the study of the fauna and flora which reside in the region, and also the history of the place For instance.
• Professional-based learning communities: A kind of learning community that focuses on professional growth. for the purpose of bringing people from specific fields together. They can offer guidance and suggestions, or just help each other. An illustration of a professional-learning community is jazz musicians who get together to share their work, provide feedback and critique, and also network with fellow musicians.

The main goals for a group of people who learn

Each learning community has each of their own set of goals which is based on the specific journey they are on. There are however a handful of basic elements that make up learning communities which help provide a stimulating and fun learning environment for the students.

The main objectives of a community is learning:

    Learning shared  

The core of every learning group is the goal of creating a positive learning space that helps learners to achieve their goals. A learning community is an area where learners are able to discuss their experiences in discussions with their peers.

Community members form part of the method of learning. It could include:

• Solutions for building
• Sharing Resources
• Criticism and feedback
• Questions and questions and

These are the kinds of action that is taken by learning communities, which allow members to interact and to become familiar with the material.

Connectedness

Alongside learning together Learning communities also involve forming bonds between participants. Learning environments that succeed are collaborative that aims to foster communicating openly and encouraging better-quality learning.

Students can discuss their thoughts as well as get emotional assistance and have fun playing with each other. The classroom isn't only a environment, but also an incredibly sociable environment for social interaction.

   Assistance  

Just like any training experience There will be some ups and downs. A successful Learning community gives support to its members. It can include psychological and academic. They can also help one another out and share challenges.

In addition to the assistance of fellow students, these groups of learners also provide an opportunity for experts to voice their opinion. These experts can take the form of coaches, mentors or even course directors who function as moderators in the group.

The help that learning communities provide students helps to facilitate an extensive and accurate learning. This can assist students to learn faster.

It is an Online Learning Community model

Learning online requires a different type of learning community that allow for learning in person and blended learning because it's completely remote.

In order to promote collaboration and interaction among students during online courses students of in the Faculty of Education at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology created an idea known as the learning Community model especially designed to be used in online classes.

The Fully Online Learning Community model is derived by the Community of Inquiry model developed by Randy Garrison, Terry Anderson and Walter Archer in 2001. The concept is based on the idea that an online learning community requires two factors that comprise online presence as well as cognitive Presence.

   Social Presence  

In the event that you join a brand fresh group, you should try to be yourself to the other members of your group so that you can build more of a bond that's more enduring. Your Social presence is measured in the way you present you as a person emotionally and socially - to become perceived as genuine. '.

Social participation includes:

• Communication
• Group cohesion
• Collaboration

In an online learning community it's tough to feel authentic when you're seated at a computer. The web is the primary source of social interaction, therefore it must be used effectively. The model of online learning communities considers how to improve interactions among group members, and assist students stay in touch with each other.

The Cognitive Presence

The other element of the model of online learning communities is cognitive Presence. It's the component that's the learning component of a community. Cognitive Presence is the capacity for students to learn and verify what they've learned.

Cognitive presence is identified by:

• Conducting an investigation into the causes
• Discussion of solutions
• Problems, or Questions

The link between cognitive presence and social presence is the two most important elements required that a learning environment online to work.

Tools to establish a completely online learning community

In order to create an online community of learning that is truly beneficial for learners, they must have the appropriate tools at hand. A set of the right equipment will assists in communications and helps build a sense of community among the people who are part of the community.

These tools can be helpful:

• Software to facilitate video conferences, e.g. Zoom
• Social media groups eg. Facebook
• Chatting software, such as. WhatsApp or Slack
• On-line Community Platforms, e.g.

The tools let students easily collaborate. This includes answering questions, discussing concerns as well as socializing throughout the day as well as in.

What can you do to establish an environment of learning in the course you are teaching?

There are numerous benefits of having a learning community especially when you're an instructor. It can help improve your image as a company to encouraging feedback These are just some of the benefits that come from creating an online learning community to your course that you've created.

   Enhance your exposure  

Online learning communities aren't only utilized to stay in touch with your students , and encourage greater involvement - it's also excellent method to increase your professional connections. Invite members of your group to invite friends to join your group or to send news from the group to friends.

   Increase the brand's visibility  

Learning communities are an ideal way to increase your reputation as a brand. If you've got a group who are enthusiastic and active You can utilize it as a way for promoting your company. It is important for people to know about the other people that are taking part in the course - and your community of learners is an effective technique to demonstrate your appreciation for that.

Involving yourself in the creation of your community of learners can help you to improve your branding image, and also encourage students to be part of your community. Wouldn't you like to belong to an enjoyable, welcoming and well-connected group?

Improve customer loyalty

If you are able to create a community of people who are passionate about your program it can also increase the loyalty of your clients towards your company. The use of a Learning community as a way to connect to customers is an excellent way to earn repeated sales from customers. Once they are a part of your group and you continue to sell to students even when they've finished the course.

Along with generating potential customers, you can also make use of your network of learners to show the latest products to your existing customers. This is especially beneficial when courses build on prior courses' content. For instance, you could allow students from your beginners class to move towards your advanced class following. This will not only provide benefits to your students and their families, but also improve the profits of your company!

   Get feedback from students  

The best course designers are aware that the material they create to create their courses will always be changing and always something new to create! One of the biggest benefits of creating a community around your brand is the easy way to collect and analyse reviews of customers.

Ask students to make comments and critiques to the class, as well as filling out regular feedback questionnaires. It is then possible to utilize the feedback to improve the course content and enhance the learning experience more enjoyable. Students who participate in groups are more likely provide feedback and more likely to listen to their opinions.

Three items to consider to

Although creating a learning environment isn't difficult to do but there are communities that fail to be as successful as the other learning community. Investigating the reason why certain learners fail to achieve their goals has led to the discovery of three elements that may affect the effectiveness of the learning community.

These are the signs you should be looking out for:

Focus too narrow

It's fantastic to set objectives for your learners group. If a learning environment fails, it's often because the focus of the class is not sufficient. If too many limitations are placed on an educational group the group could not impact enough. Students are able to have a wide range of desires and requirements regarding your subject. The community of learning you're part of should be ready to meet the varied requirements of the students as well as encourage the growth of these.

   Support is not sufficient  

Learning environments are dependent upon the support students it gives. The majority of learning environments need the help by a friendly, strong group of tutors and other participants for students to reach their objectives. If the community of learners are not encouraged with this kind of help, the learning could fail.

To provide more encouragement and support in your school's neighborhood, you might consider hiring specific coaches or mentors who help students who are struggling. Additionally, you can promote engagement in the community by reward those who are responsive to the needs of other students.

   Limited communication  

In addition to the support offered by a learning community is the matter of communications. For a learning environment to function it should be able keep the spirit of collaboration and cooperation in the community. If the group members lack the energy, time or resources for effective collaboration and collaboration, it's hard to achieve the goals of the group.

A majority of course creators getting started on developing an online learning community is likely to require input from you or the staff members you have to build a culture of collaboration. Think about taking polls, asking questions and perhaps even having competitions that encourage more interaction and engagement among your learners.

In order to create a friendly and solid learning community is a task that takes the time and effort to organize. By using the appropriate tools and materials to create an environment that can help your students reach their targets.

You now know the details of the learning community. Try making your own!

If you've designed an online course, or you're working on one, don't be afraid to set up your own learning community in order to help your students. These learning communities are an effective way to increase students' engagement and enhance their general education experience. There are also some significant benefits of marketing.

Of course there is no reason to restrict yourself to one learning community - you are able to establish multiple communities as many as you'd like, or need.

Join our community of learning specially designed for course designers along with signing up to our Pro Plan to get started with your learning community now!

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