Front cover image for Communities of practice : learning, meaning, and identity

Communities of practice : learning, meaning, and identity

"Communities of Practice presents a theory of learning that starts with this assumption: engagement in social practice is the fundamental process by which we learn and so become who we are. The primary unit of analysis of this process is neither the individual nor social institutions but rather the informal "communities of practice" that people form as they pursue shared enterprises over time. In order to give a social account of learning, the theory explores in a systematic way the intersection of issues of community, social practice, meaning, and identity. The result is a broad conceptual framework for thinking about learning as a process of social participation."--Jacket
Print Book, English, ©1998, 2003 printing
1st pbk. ed View all formats and editions
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, ©1998, 2003 printing
xv, 318 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.
9780521663632, 9780521430173, 0521663636, 0521430178
318233662
Prologue: Contexts. Introduction: A social theory of learning
Vignette I: Welcome to claims processing!
Vignette II: The "C, F, and J" thing
Coda 0: Understanding
Practice. The concept of practice
Meaning
Community
Learning
Boundary
Locality
Coda I: Knowing in practice
Identity. A focus on identity
Identity in practice
Participation and non-participation
Modes of belonging
Identification and negotiability
Coda II: Learning communities
Epilogue: Design. Synopsis: Design for learning
Learning architectures
Organizations
Education