Elyse Eidman-Aadahl – Communities of Practice for Professional Learning: Connected Learning for Adults

Can the concept of communities of practice help frame connected learning in the workplace and beyond?

Key Questions and Comments:

• (28:14) How do you design experiences for adults that are about what they’re learning and what they’re interested in? The inquiry-based model definitely fits into that category. I think about it in terms of ‘How do you use that concept to motivate people to continue to do the work that we do?’
• (33:09) Does learning–in the context that we’re talking about here–mean ‘mastering content’ or does it mean learning a process of problem-solving?
• (41:26) How do you ensure that this hierarchy doesn’t play into the work that goes into working with youth? As the support person, how do you ensure that the people are getting what they need, but most importantly, that everybody […] feels like they’re part of a team?
• (44:08) How does connectedness offer something different than the characteristics that Elyse offered in the first two slides (Interest-powered, Peer-supported, Academically oriented)?
• (57:54) What do you think is the critical first step for reimagining a culture of participatory learning, working in typical hierarchical environments?

View the Conversation
During the broadcast, the conversation also took place on Twitter using the hashtag #connectedlearning.

Guests for this webinar included:

• Elyse Eidman-Aadahl: Elyse Eidman-Aadahl directs National Programs and Site Development for the National Writing Project (NWP), a 38-year old national network of nearly 200 university-based sites known for a distinctive model of professional learning for educators. Eidman-Aadahl designs and facilitates inquiry networks for practitioners focused on the teaching of writing, digital literacy, and youth development. You can Follow her on Twitter at@ElyseEA.
• Howard Rheingold
• Lacy Manship
• Kim Jaxon
• Tene Gray
• Fred Mindlin

Resources for this webinar:

• Dynamic list of Diigo bookmarks on Traditions in Adult & Workplace Learning
• Elyse’s PowerPoint slides from this webinar (read-only)
• Connected Educator Month: August 2012
• The National Writing Project’s website and their Digital Is community
• Henry Jenkins example of offline participatory cultures: Samba Schools in Rio de Janeiro
• Overview of Doug Engelbart’s ‘Networked Improvement Communities’ concept
• “Hearing Student Voices,” from NWP’s Digital Is
• “Wanna See the Movie,” from NWP’s Digital Is