Isn’t learning in communities something we do all the time… or do we? No man is an island someone once said and I guess this is true, we are constantly interacting with each other and in that interaction we learn from one another. Put people in a group with the sole intention of learning and look at the magic that takes place…

Topic 3 in the ONL181 course was about ‘Learning in Communities and Networked Collaborative Learning’. In our group we brainstormed mainly around the topic of learning in communities and at the end of our discussions we noticed that the following topics stood out:

Collaboration, motivation, skills, reflection, engaged learning and values

Each of these subjects, and how they influence our learning in communities, were discussed in-depth and presented in a Padlet. We also made a video each on a chosen topic and I chose ‘reflection’ as I believe that it is a fundamental aspect of both teaching and learning.

There are several different types of reflection according to Ghaye (2011), reflection IN action (thinking about what you are doing while you are doing it), reflection ON practice (looking back and reflecting, perhaps focusing on something significant), reflection FOR action (gaining understanding for why you have done something) and reflection WITH action ( a conscious action to develop your skills).

All of these types of  reflecting  are important in the learning process as reflecting is more than just thinking…, it is a purposeful act… a cycle of learning. The article found below is an interesting read and looks at how we can help students move beyond thinking that reflecting is a waste of time and to understand that ‘learning how to learn’ is a key factor in self regulated learning.

https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/three-ideas-implementing-learner-reflection/

 

 

Reference:

Ghaye, Tony. (2011). Teaching and Learning Through Reflective Practice: A Practical Guide for Positive Action. Routledge.