How+to?

To build a Learning Community, learners must have frequent interactions: face to face; in large or small groups; or online my means of email, chat rooms, or teleconferencing. When such strategies are carried out in a manner in which learners and the instructor feel respected and connected to one another this enhances inclusion. Activities which connect the learner with their previous knowledge, provide challenge, choice and are seen as relevant and inclusive develops a favorable disposition, or attitude, towards learning and establishes meaning. By understanding that students learn best when they are learning something they value, and giving student's options and choices for activities and topics, the instructor can maximize competence As an instructor the design of the curriculum needs to provide for meaningful activities to provide opportunities for learner interaction. Strategies must allow for opportunities to: learn each others names, interests and abilities; take part in discussions; share experiences; and, challenge preconceived ideas and notions. All the while, these activities need to relate back to Bloom's theory to allow for increased integration of new information from memorization to evaluation and creation that is meaningful to the learner.
 * Learning Communities** create an environment conducive to facilitating [|Wlodkowski']s framework for teaching: inclusion; attitude; meaning; and, competence. Through the thoughtful inclusion of instructional strategies into lesson planning instructors can create a Learning Community.

The following is a listing of several instructional strategies. Further strategies are described in Elizabeth F. Barkely's text, pictured at the bottom of the page with a link to the Course Resource page, which can be utilized by an instructor to develop a learning community. [|Games] [|Recripocal Teaching] A variety of [|Scaffolding Strategies] based on scaffolding theory

[|Socratic Questioning]

[|Ice Breakers]

[|JIGSAW - collaborative instructional strategy]

[|Role Play]

[|Case Studies]

[|Think, Pair, Share]