process of learning in communities of practice

PROCESS OF LEARNING IN COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

The paradigm of situated cognition is one of the most representative trends of sociocultural theory and activity, and takes as its reference point the writings of Lev Vygotsky (1986, 1988) and authors such as Leontiev (1978) and Luria (1987 ) and more recently, the work of Rogoff (1993), Lave (1997), Bereiter (1997), Engeström and Cole (1997) Wenger (2001), the latter being the best known in this field.

As we've seen, the Vygotskian sociocultural approach argues that knowledge is situated, that is, part and product of the activity, context and culture, emphasizing the importance of mediation, the joint construction of meanings and mechanisms Adjusted help.

Community of practice, Lave and Weger (1981) approached us to support defining the concept from which the activity takes on meaning and knowledge.

Vygotsky (1978, 1981) was one of the first to point out that mental functions "above" those that make us human, are not biologically given but are constructed gradually through the appropriation of the historically developed tools and practices that are highlighted for children and "Scaffolding" in the significant actions and words of co-participants in joint activity.

So when people do a joint activity, their actions, gestures and speech, not only mediate the coordination of participation, but made public mental activities involved and are thus available for appropriation by novice participants.

The characteristic human involvement in joint activities, mediated by artifacts is therefore crucial for the development of human culture throughout its history.

Learning involves the understanding and internalization of the symbols and signs of culture and social stratum. Learners appropriate the practices and cultural artifacts through interaction with more experienced members. Hence the importance of the processes of scaffolding of the teacher and peers, mutual negotiation of meaning and the joint construction of knowledge.

Drawing on the family context in which I grew up, and therefore no formal framework (no school) and my mother, as a first attachment figure and source identification transmitter behaviors, norms, values, attitudes .. . transmitted and taught me a model of womanhood: what is a woman.

I got a "training" from gender relationships, the games, the values I passed, beliefs, attitudes, norms, I learned to be a perfect housewife "my house", ie to develop and grasp the role is assumed, is a woman, related to the domestic and parenting, learning cooking, washing, ironing, sewing, home address, care of sons and daughters, etc ...

In this context non-formal, then, as a freshman I was being introduced by more experienced members (my mother) in these tasks, making the home in the medium by which all this activity and acquiring knowledge transmitted was meant for me.

In this way, guide the development practices of people in their context, while providing a way by which children become involved in culture and this is reproduced or transformed.

Different cultures structured differently the way in which children will participate in it. It is not the same to introduce a child to live in the U.S. that one belonging to a village of the Amazon, where the values, norms, goals, etc. are completely different.

Thus, no formal framework in which I found myself immersed, participants were essentially my mother (expert) and me (novice). Their goal: Teach me to be "woman", in line with expectations marked for females, in turn repeat that she was taught and passed down through his mother. Mediating artifacts: everything you need for the perfect role performance, tools and signs, both material tools and concepts, symbols and mental models (scripts, schemas, etc).

While the external devices are internalized, internal representations are externalized through speech, gesture, material handling environment, etc.

And all this in the context of the family home, the community of practice, which has gained respect as through observation of how my mother made this or that domestic work and, subsequently, daily practice shared has been internalized and has gained significance for me the whole: the care of my younger brothers (6 and 14 years younger than I, respectively), cooking, cleaning, laundry and ironing, etc.. As learning was progressing and that already had a vivid personal experiences based on any of the shared tasks, participating in progress, could solve new situations for myself, learning from and internalized.

Therefore I did not accede to the world instantly, but my knowledge has been mediated by all devices used in different contexts of activity in which I have developed, acquiring my identity in a way not to separate such devices, because development is precisely the ownership of these artifacts. And, insofar as they are a human creation, it is evident that they have a history that can not be ignored and plays in the constitution of psychological processes. And, if the activity is through the use of artifacts with history is essential to study the psychological processes from the historically specific forms of practical activities in which people are involved.

Therefore, and recovering at Cole, while the cultural psychology of the recognition of the individual's ability to modify their environment through the creation of artifacts to mediate and transmit the accumulated changes to subsequent generations, the concept of cultural artifact is conceptual core reflection where are immediately apparent mediation, historicity and the link with practice.

Moreover, the role of my mother was not a standard paper but was varied and dependent on the different functional systems of activity. Taking into account the type of activity, the child is demanding and regulating adult assistance is needed. And it's own social organization of the activity guide which will offer a space that the child do creative analysis. This means that the adult does not provide a theology for the child's development, but creates and supports various levels of participation of the child. In communities such practices, there is no predetermined sequence of actions or fixed roles for participants.

Recognizing Vygotsky, Luria and Leontiev and base of support, but the nature of human psychological processes are mediated is that culturally, historically have been developed and emerge from practical activity (Cole).

The mental processes (their "higher psychological functions) acquire a structure necessarily tied to the meanings and socio-historically formed methods that have been handed down from generation to generation in collaborative work processes and social interaction. It is not possible to convey the meaning and methods necessary for a process other than as social-in the form of an external action or speech.

Lave and Wenger (1991) introduce us to the concept of legitimate peripheral participation when speaking of relations between newcomers and more experienced, and identities, artifacts, tasks and communities of practice and knowledge. The authors refer to the process by which newcomers become part of the community of practice.

Peripheral participation is a positive concept and suggests an opening, a way to access sources of knowledge and understanding through the introduction of a growing learning process within the community. Learning does not always requires explicit instruction, but through observation, active listening, etc.. will also acquire different skills and abilities. Peripheral Participation is defined as legitimate, because the trainees are members fully recognized as such by the other members of this social group. Special emphasis on practice, critical to learn what is to be learned.

To the extent that my mother felt able to join certain tasks and practices, my position in this community of practice was gradually changing and, little by little, the knowledge and skills acquired enabled my participation as "relatively autonomous production unit" . For example, if at first I just gather the ingredients for a meal and watching my mother about how manipulating these ingredients, a little later, proceeded to make the preparation of ingredients for processing, until finally I was delegated the task of preparing the meal.

Learning is not therefore an independent activity, but an intrinsic aspect of legitimate peripheral participation in the activities of a community.

Moreover, learning is in the perspective of situated cognition and changes in the way of understanding and participation of individuals in the activity shared in a multidimensional process of cultural appropriation, which involves the emotion, action and thinking, giving and development of cognitive processes located, so we can not speak of the learning process outside such proceedings. Picking up the words of Cole, in his metaphor of distributed processing: the human mind is developed on the basis of the specific activity exercised in particular contexts. Depending on the type of practical activity and task at hand, will be launched in certain cognitive processes and not others, or to a greater or lesser extent, taking into account what makes a particular community on a regular basis and what is the cognitive dimension of this performance.

The social context affects the cognitive activity from two perspectives: socio-cultural history provides tools and practices that facilitate achieving solutions to social problems and immediate interaction structure individual cognitive activity. In this sense, the social, culture and history go to channel, change shape and cognitive development.

The process of guided participation (Rogoff) given in the community, through the interaction between novices and experts on them, is where children acquire knowledge and skills, setting in motion the cognitive processes that are requedido, and that are determined by the socio-cultural context in which it is immersed in the community. The changes in human life are inseparable from social and cultural practices in which the smallest are made by more experienced members of the community.

Thus, the model of learning in communities of practice is based on the concept of situated meaning, repeated practice and interaction with others, collaboration and social importance of the group as a context for learning and implementation of higher mental processes.
"Those who have become dependent on the company we've had and what we have done together" (Wells)

Television and a critical literacy

Everyday technology, including technology and information communication is a reality in our society and, among others, as one of the greatest players: the television. Now, what influences and affects our lives? What is the relationship between daily use and the socialization processes at individual and collective?

In the movie Robots Rodney Copperbottom live in a wonderful imaginary world populated by mechanical beings, and is considered a genius inventor. He has two dreams: to make the world a better place to live and meet his idol, master inventor Bigweld. On his journey, he meets Rodnew Cappy, a beautiful executive robot with whom Rodney instantly sympathetic, the nefarious corporate tyrant Ratchet, and a group of misfits known as the Rusties (oxidized), led by Fender and Piper Pinwheel.

The conflict that arises in the film is: the clash of values between the teacher Bigweld, the great Welder: "... one can shine no matter what is done ..." and the importance of creativity, learn how to search yourself solutions to requirements address this, the evil Ratchet, who defends the importance of money compared to traditional values: "... old does not give money ..." with its slogan: "... Why be you, if you can be new and encouraging ?...", closed to all creativity.

Contemplation of films may constitute half idónero to know or recognize situations and social roles of different types, different ways of acting, thinking or feeling, in the narratives of fiction and reality. Do not live in a media society in which we have at our disposal a number of easily accessible media (television, video games, internet, cinema, etc..) To learn about other worlds and cultures. All these means are widely present in children's lives. However, we must take into account the impact that will mean for them, not always have the critical resources necessary to cope with them.

It is necessary to question what kind of ideas, values are transmitted to them, how to reach children, what they feel, how we internalize as related fiction with reality, what is the influence that is causing all this material. These media discourses and their impact are key, so it may go unnoticed.

Various scholars (Greimas, Borrego, Coll, Selva and Solà, Ferres, Zuckerman, etc) have demonstrated the skillful and subtle transmission of a certain type of values, stereotypes, emotions, moral norms, how they induce thought, traditional roles, etc. that are channeled through these means.

In the film, as we noted above, we see clearly how moral values and ideologies presented regarding the value of people based on their appearance and economic status. "Vouchers as samples and not for who you are at the bottom." We can see how Rodney recalls the words of his father: "... you can shine no matter what is done ...". However, on the other hand, the tyrant Ratchet who, along with his mother, who argues the opposite, relying on the new, the apparent surface, invalidating any other personal value.

A message is very present in today's society where everything is obsolete the next day, so that already shows the importance of receiving this message know to watch and listen critically the discourse of the film.

Even Bigweld, Rodney idol has surrendered to the reality of the new fast-paced society and lack of values, and point is to surrender to it.

Finally, the team fight all the "rusty" with Rodney, and his friends protagonists succeed give primacy to the human value and its authenticity versus everything superficial. And Rodney meets his dream: to improve the status of all robots and be the successor of Bigweld, his idol.

All assigned meanings and relationships in this and other films and media, can support a greater or lesser degree, the setting-conscious or unconscious-linkages with situations of reality itself, in which each girl or boy may be more or less personally involved. Conversely, the models constructed from personal experiences help to organize some specific meanings to the scenes set. It is vital that children learn to control all the speeches which are exposed daily, with the necessary awareness and reflection.

For Paul Gee (1991, 1996), is of enormous relevance to learning to think in terms of literacy, because it requires taking a sociocultural perspective that makes it go beyond the individual mind and the school and places in the world.

The author distinguishes between two processes to control the speech:

The acquisition, on a non-conscious, by design or by process of trial and error, without a formal framework in a natural context with a functional value, for example, within the family.

Learning, knowing, through education, involves some degree of meta-knowledge.

Much of what we master in life is gained through these two processes, so that both can be sources of power.

Literacy is thus an ability to interpret a set of symbols that are part of the speech. In this, we can speak of two types: primary, when speakers communicate face to face, mouth. Early socialization processes are bound to this type of discourse, as to participate in certain experiences, children learn to use language, values, beliefs, etc.; And secondary specific uses is mediated by tools based on situations and that is a learning process. Implicit in social institutions beyond the family. This is where we place the discourse of the media present in the use of new and already established. And Gee defines literacy as a control for secondary uses of discourse.

Thus, relations will only be possible through a meta-discourse, is what will allow criticism, and to observe from outside the primary discourse or other forms of speech.

This means that, through learning, children should be able to reach speeches criticizing the primary and secondary, but the speeches may not always be confluent, ie, that they may have conflicting between what they learn in school and learning beyond.

Film and television are forms through which reinforce the ideological constructs and individuals work together in these constructs, while culture is a "set of practices shared by a group, community or society, through which construct the meaning of the world visual, auditory and textual representations ... "(Sturken and Cartwright, 2001). Each one of us, with our actions, such as limiting ourselves to "see without looking, favor the fact that large elites get to control the distribution of social discourse, that suits them best for them in every time (Van Dijk, 1997 .)

That is why, to deal with that power, it is necessary a critical role of functioning.

As an educational proposal, the objective will be to work in the sense of favoring children in certain thought processes that people become critical approaches to such content. Remembering Gee, teaching and learning must be related to the acquisition of a meta-cognitive level that allows any level of discourse criticizing. They and they are continually exposed to the media, although not always approach them in a critical way. The school should help facilitate these experiences for children meta-discourse to the television discourse. Being aware and control something implies a capacity for analysis.

When analyzing the film in the classroom first thing will take some distance from it, ie to see, but in a more remote. And for this deviation occurs, it is necessary to teach students to escape the fascination. The analysis will require a series of transactions that involve the decomposition and recomposition to identify the best components, the movements, the different messages, etc. It is about recognizing, identifying everything that appears on the screen, such as the description of each character and values that everyone tries to make, later to be able to understand.

It is relatively objective to propose a reconstruction of what happens in it. In describing and interpreting, occurs in children a process of values education, and we can also observe the influences on them in their patterns of socialization, both formal and familiar. Through this interpretation, we can perceive their relationship with the object. One of the practical strategies for this analysis may be encouraging children to take written notes when watching the film and, later shared in the classroom. This simple action required to distance itself from what is being offered on the screen and children, in their interaction in the exchange of notes, may be enriched by the views of their peers, providing an environment of reflection and awareness of critical , which is what it is.

In this "knowledge society", the forms of production and circulation of social discourse becomes more complex and diversified. It is necessary to train people with the skills necessary to participate fully in them. Literacy is no longer just teach reading and writing, but to promote access to different types of codes: artistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, etc., Which raises the need to address new forms of literacy.