Learning Communities in Practice

Most would agree that a learning community of practice cultivates social and intellectual development in educational settings but what are the other benefits and what does a learning community actually look like in practice? This book explores such questions as: Are learning communities essential in education? How are they designed and developed? What difference do they make in learning? 

The book contains contributions of educators who share their research and practice in designing and implementing learning communities in school, university, and professional network settings. It presents their experiences, and the how to of these educators who are passionate about building and sustaining learning communities to make a real difference for students, teachers, faculty, and communities. Combining scholarly and practitioner research, the book offers practical information to teachers, school and university administrators, teacher educators, and community educators. 

This is an extraordinary collection of theoretically sound and practical ideas for teachers and teacher educators. The authors present fascinating accounts of down-to-earth practices tested in experience. Priceless! Nel Noddings, Lee Jacks Professor of Education Emerita, Stanford University 
This book provides a wealth of information on how learning communities function in practice and, more importantly, how they are sustained over time. The chapter authors document a wide array of international programs located in different institutional settings, including cross-institutional and cross-national programs. I recommend this book for both university-based and school or district-based educators who are serious about improving instruction based on locally available data. Renée T. Clift, Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign