IfL supports members' learning through communities of practice

23 May 2011

The Institute for Learning (IfL) is encouraging members to get involved in its online communities of practice to share ideas, resources and information with each other. IfL's communities of practice provide a forum for teachers and trainers to share their experiences, tips and resources; find other members with similar interests in teaching and specialist subject or vocational areas; discuss issues of importance to their teaching and training practice; and share their continuing professional development (CPD).

IfL's deputy chief executive, Lee Davies, said, “To mark Adult Learners' Week and the Race Online 2012 challenge, we have been promoting participation in our online communities of practice, which we created to support members' ongoing learning through access to shared resources and the facility for teachers and trainers to interact with fellow IfL members around the country.

“Members can personalise their profiles, and decide how much information about them should be visible to other users. They can add tags identifying their specific teaching interests, which will come up in searches so that other members with similar interests can connect with them. They can join specific groups, and set up new forum topic discussions.

“We would like to encourage all our members to participate in IfL's online communities of practice, contributing to their development and helping them thrive as a professional forum for ongoing development and mutual support.”

IfL member Geoff Rebbeck, e-learning coordinator at Thanet College in Kent, said, “Introducing e-portfolios in our college and developing a community of reflective practitioners has been hugely influential in improving staff development activity and the effectiveness of staff. The greatest resource any teacher has is the collective wisdom of other colleagues, and IfL's online communities of practice complement our teachers' e-portfolios, allowing them to extend their network of professional contacts, so that they can help, share with and learn from colleagues of all ages across the whole country. This is a marvellous online facility for teachers and trainers, and I urge all IfL members to make good use of it to support their ongoing learning.”

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