International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

Communities of practice are groups of people who share similar interests and objectives. In pursuing these interests and objectives, they make use of common practices, work with similar artifacts, and use a common language ( Wenger 1998 ). The concept of community of practice was first coined by Lave and Wenger (1991) , when discussing learning processes within a new framework, that of “situated learning.” In that publication, the authors explored the activities of certain groups, such as of nondrinking alcoholics, butchers, and midwives in Yucutan. These groups were related in their modes of learning, characterized by Lave and Wenger as “apprenticeship.” The authors conceived knowledge as a social process in which individuals participated in mutual learning at different levels, which depended on their authority in the group – whether a person was a newcomer or a long-timer. It was specifically the process through which a newcomer learnt from the more longstanding members that comprised the core notion of community of practice. Lave and Wenger named this process Legitimate Peripherical Participation (LLP). In a later publication, Wenger (1998) systematized and elaborated on the concept. There, the author maintained that communities of practice arose through mutual engagement in a joint enterprise, and that individuals shared repertoires of many kinds (e.g., routines, vocabulary, ... log in or subscribe to read full text