Implications of learning communities in primary education..

There are implications of learning communities in primary education from the perspective of teachers and pupils:

Teachers:

• They can monitor the progress of their pupils and make comments
• They can run reports about which pupils are participating and which are not
• Information is easily accessible and can be archived, thus being easily manageable
• Teachers across the globe can share lesson plans, for example, websites such as TES allows teachers to share resources. However, it can be argued that due to the fact that resources are easily accessible it has led to a ‘wood from the trees’ situation where it becomes harder for teachers to improve their teaching.

Pupils:

• Increase student engagement through unique learning environments and experiences, for example: moodle, VLE etc.
• increase the depth of student learning through experiences requiring the application of knowledge
• Can share knowledge and information through learning communities, especially if pupils need help with  a particular area of work
• Easily accessible for pupils – only a password is needed and access to internet and thereafter work can be accessed at anytime
• Some pupils may find it difficult to access e- learning platforms due to lack of internet access

These are only a few implications from online communities in primary schools and overall. They are a powerful tool that can only be improved and developed and can only become more important in primary schools. As Ernest Boyer’s (1995) research suggested, a successful school is that of connection, where pupils and teachers can communicate with one other. After discussing these benefits, I would definitely integrate a platform for my e-learning resource where teachers and pupils can communicate.