Chapter 2 A Learning Community

Learning Communities serve the purpose of putting the entire community of a school (or at least the people who want to be interested) on the same page for where the education of the students is going.   Also, the community gets to grow in learning too because people can connect through the program and learn some of the things the students may be learning.  It also puts parents and other community members in a position to be very active in their children`s lives but also in the future of the community. 

The benefits of a Learning Community would include great success for students, a closer community, and a more focused learning environment for the students.  Much of this would be due to the fact that most parents would know more about what their children were learning and maybe show more interest what the student had discovered since they are also involved in the project somewhat.  Also, the teacher would be able to have more contact with the parents instead of the conferences a few times a year. 

A Learning Community would also help teachers since they would be running ideas not just through their co-workers, but also through parents and other people who have an influence over their students.  There would be less misunderstandings between teachers and parents since parents would be very involved in the project and be around the teachers much more. 

Students would benefit greatly from a Learning Community since they would have a lot of support from their families and the community.  Also, when they had their finished project I`m sure the community that has helped them will want to see it, which could help the students get contacts in the business world for scholarships, letters of recommendation, and future jobs.  Also, it may motivate the students even more since they can realize that many people are invested in their projects.

For shared vision in a Learning Community a school would need teachers who want to collaborate together and have ideas for their students` projects, a school system who is willing to set meetings for the community at a convenient time for most community members, and community members who are open minded to learning and want to focus on what will benefit the students at the school.  Really, as long as the people in the community can stay focused on the students` success and be able to compromise on ideas a Learning Community could be very successful for the students.

The concept of teachers working together would go very well with our project since we would like the recycling program to be implemented throughout the entire school.  We would need the cooperation of the entire school for a project that size so all of the staff would have to be informed of the details of the program.  We would also need permission to put in recycling bins and gather the items to recycle.  It would also be very helpful to have the parents and community involved since they can offer assistance in the field trip to the recycling plant and also in gathering recyclables around the community.  With the community involved recycling could become a more important part of the entire areas life and the area could become a much cleaner place.