LEARNING COMMUNITY IN PUBLIC SCHOOL SETTING
A learning community in a public school setting is where members of a community appoint a group of individuals to select matters that the community needs to learn. After the selection of the subject, another group is then selected to gather information on the preferred subject matter. For example, the first team may select hygiene and sanitation as the topic, the second group then conducts research in relation to the area, and then a public school is selected where the community members will go to be taught on the topic based on researched materials. It is important to note that more than one subject can be taught in a public school to the community. This form of learning helps transform a traditional school to a professional learning community (Calhoun, 1994).
A range of fundamental cultural changes are experienced in the process of converting from a traditional learning environment to a professional one. Parents contribute largely to these changes which include shifting from average learning to individual learning, from listen to practice, from fixed time to variable time, from punitive to positive, teaching to learning, a few elite to many winners, and from isolation to collectivity. More to that, the contribution of the parents is deemed positive since they are able to identify the kind of knowledge needed by the learning community. However, it becomes difficult to execute the changes since there is a shortage of teachers. Consequently, the learning school communities have to depend on volunteers. Most of the duties are left to the volunteers. Sadly, the duties are not well completed since these volunteers are not from the particular community, and so do not know well what to do and how to do it, so as to satisfy the community’s quest for professional learning (Calhoun, 1994). This becomes evident when the volunteers give unsuitable advice or counsel, in relation to the learning environment of the particular community.
Acts 20:33-35 guides on how learning communities can work collectively, without having to seek payment for whatever work they do. According to the teachings, working hard and helping those who are helpless will steer on the community to excellence. It is clearly put in the teachings that there is more happiness in giving than in receiving.
Reference
Calhoun, E. (1994). How to use action research in the self-renewing school. Alexandria, VA:
OUP.
