MirandaNet and the five-stage model
I was at a seminar yesterday by Christina Preston of MirandaNet, an interesting community of practice for teachers and associated professionals, that has been in existence since 1992 and online since around 1994 but not really effective online until recently.
She reminded us how important it is to do learning (courses) in the context of a community of practice to complete and continue the learning. In many cases, learners do not reach beyond the third or at most fourth stage of Gilly Salmon’s five-stage model because they have to prioritise personal learning for assessment and exams, and the collaborative effort falls off. Christina told us what I have found also in my experience, that if course members are also part of a community of practice then there is a chance of developing real collaborative ongoing learning, mutual support and problem solving.
I enjoyed hearing about MirandaNet, a vibrant and international community of practice.