This husband and wife research team explores ideas behind social learning theory, social media and communities of practice. Etienne is known for coining the term while studying apprenticeship as a learning model. He believes the practice of a community is dynamic and involves learning on the part of everyone. Beverly is a learning consultant specializing in communities of practice. Her expertise encompasses both the design of learning architectures and the facilitation of processes, activities and the use of new technologies. Both believe the school or classroom is not the primary learning event. It is life itself that is the main learning event. Schools, classrooms and training sessions still have a role to play in this vision, but they have to be in service of the learning that happens in the world.
Communities of Practice: A Brief Introduction
Wenger, Etienne. Communities of Practice: A Brief Introduction. Posted online April 18, 2012. People form communities of practice (COP) to engage in a process of collective learning. Communities of practice come together regularly around a concern or passion to learn how to do it better.
