Classrooms as Communities of Practice: Designing and Facilitating Learning in a Networked Environment

Naim Kapucu; Seda Erkoç

doi:10.19126/suje.44634

Classrooms as Communities of Practice: Designing and Facilitating Learning in a Networked Environment

Abstract

Learning is a continuing social action that takes place through interactions with the environment and other individuals. Forming communities of practice provides participants with an environment that combines knowledge and practice and the opportunity to learn through relationships with their peers and practitioners in the community. This study explores the classroom as a community of practice and examines the role classroom activities have in students' collaborative learning. The study uses a graduate-level public administration course as the case. The classroom activities in this course were designed to enhance peer interaction in the classroom and to facilitate learning by balancing theory and practice. The results of two separate surveys indicate that providing environments that blend practice with classroom knowledge lead to highly positive outcomes. Activities that foster peer interaction result in a dramatic increase in friendship relations between students while leading to only a slight increase in the advice network between students. One reason for this result might be the group projects, which create a silo effect on students and limit their work relationships with peers.

Keywords

Learning, communities of practice, student's relations

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Details

Primary Language

Turkish

Subjects

-

Journal Section

-

Authors

Naim Kapucu

Seda Erkoç

Publication Date

January 4, 2013

Submission Date

January 3, 2013

Acceptance Date

-

Published in Issue

Year 2012 Volume: 2 Number: 3

DOI

https://doi.org/10.19126/suje.44634

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA42YR32JG

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Kapucu, N., & Erkoç, S. (2013). Classrooms as Communities of Practice: Designing and Facilitating Learning in a Networked Environment. Sakarya University Journal of Education, 2(3), 116-135. https://doi.org/10.19126/suje.44634

AMA

1.Kapucu N, Erkoç S. Classrooms as Communities of Practice: Designing and Facilitating Learning in a Networked Environment. SUJE. 2013;2(3):116-135. doi:10.19126/suje.44634

Chicago

Kapucu, Naim, and Seda Erkoç. 2013. “Classrooms As Communities of Practice: Designing and Facilitating Learning in a Networked Environment”. Sakarya University Journal of Education 2 (3): 116-35. https://doi.org/10.19126/suje.44634.

EndNote

Kapucu N, Erkoç S (January 1, 2013) Classrooms as Communities of Practice: Designing and Facilitating Learning in a Networked Environment. Sakarya University Journal of Education 2 3 116–135.

IEEE

[1]N. Kapucu and S. Erkoç, “Classrooms as Communities of Practice: Designing and Facilitating Learning in a Networked Environment”, SUJE, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 116–135, Jan. 2013, doi: 10.19126/suje.44634.

ISNAD

Kapucu, Naim - Erkoç, Seda. “Classrooms As Communities of Practice: Designing and Facilitating Learning in a Networked Environment”. Sakarya University Journal of Education 2/3 (January 1, 2013): 116-135. https://doi.org/10.19126/suje.44634.

JAMA

1.Kapucu N, Erkoç S. Classrooms as Communities of Practice: Designing and Facilitating Learning in a Networked Environment. SUJE. 2013;2:116–135.

MLA

Kapucu, Naim, and Seda Erkoç. “Classrooms As Communities of Practice: Designing and Facilitating Learning in a Networked Environment”. Sakarya University Journal of Education, vol. 2, no. 3, Jan. 2013, pp. 116-35, doi:10.19126/suje.44634.

Vancouver

1.Naim Kapucu, Seda Erkoç. Classrooms as Communities of Practice: Designing and Facilitating Learning in a Networked Environment. SUJE. 2013 Jan. 1;2(3):116-35. doi:10.19126/suje.44634