In a global economy and a world of increasing polarisation and unsustainable development, learning is critical to change. With most of the world's population in cities and the region increasingly the focus of measures to improve prospects, the learning region concept integrates the conflicting, diverse and complex issues of development. This thesis examines learning in networks and further develops the theory of the learning region through a case study in Melbourne, Australia. It begins with a case study of an industry network which was part of a research project - City Regions, Intelligent Territories, Innovation Competitiveness and Learning (CRITICAL). The CRITICAL research project examined learning processes in five cities and developed theory and tools to support learning regions. In this thesis the study of the industry network became the first step in a case study of the northern metropolitan regional economic development project. The study of the region demonstrated that there existed a strategic regional approach supporting local learning and action developed through projects based on local research and collaboration. The theories of 'communities of practice and 'architectures of learning' (Wenger 1998) provided the conceptual framework for the case study and proved to be a novel way to discern how learning was supported. A key finding in this thesis was how learning in networks was supported and that this led to organisational change, innovation and learning across differ ent sectors and organisations. Data was analysed using a typology of the learning region developed in the CRITICAL project and the region was found to have characteristics of a learning region although without wider connectivity across the city could only be considered a sub region. The study contributes to the body of work which demonstrates that the university can play a significant role in supporting the learning region and local engagement of key organisations, enterprises and government, and in the understanding of policy and programs to develop learning regions. The findings also contribute to innovation theory particularly with regard to networks and small to medium enterprises in manufacturing. Findings support the development of frameworks for urban regional development with the partnering of different levels of government to create new ways of operating and learning in the emerging mode of local governance partnerships and highlight the need to develop ways of measuring and understanding success or failure which capture the social, economic, cultural and environmental priorities of society.

Trots en ökad efterfrågan i samhället på insatser för att stötta nyanlända i språkutveckling, och därmed även att ta sig in på arbetsmarknaden, finns i Sverige begränsad forskning kring handledning av nyanlända inom industrisektorn. Syftet med denna studie är att bringa kunskap i förutsättningar för arbetsplatslärande hos nyanlända inom industrisektorn, med fokus på språkinlärning. Detta görs genom att undersöka följande frågeställningar; Hur föreskrivs yrkesintroduktion gå till? Hur förhåller sig handledare till processer för nyanländas språkinlärning? Hur förhåller sig handledare till processer för inkludering av nyanlända? Vilka förutsättningar ger yrkesintroduktioner för nyanländas arbetsplatslärande inom företagen?Metoderna för att undersöka fenomenet är dels kvalitativa intervjuer av sex handledare för nyanlända på yrkesintroduktioner på tre olika företag inom industrisektorn, samt en text- och dokumentanalys av fyra stöddokument som har tagits fram av Delegationen för arbetsplatslärande vid yrkesintroduktionsanställningar (YA-delegationen) kring handledning av nyanlända.   Genom ett teoretiskt ramverk baserat på Etienne Wengers teori om gränsland och mäklarskap inom ”Communities of Practices” (2000) tolkas resultaten från undersökningarna. Några av de slutsatser som dras är att handledarna på företagen främst arbetar med praktisk upplärning av arbetsuppgifter och språkinlärning som fokuserar på inlärning av enskilda yrkesbegrepp. Djupare diskussioner kring normer och värderingar samt ”mjuka värden” hindras på grund av bristande språkkunskaper hos de nyanlända. Bristande kunskap i hur gemensamma aktiviteter för kunskapsutbyten kan ske utmärker även handledarskapet, och förslag på sådana aktiviteter saknas även i stöddokumenten. En sista slutsats är att om varken staten eller företagen själva kan stötta handledare i hur olika människors kunskaper kan tas tillvara på och hur mångfald ska utnyttjas så blir språket inom industrier inte bara en säkerhetsfråga, utan en samhällsfråga. / Despite an increased demand in society for effortsto support newly arrived immigrants in language development, and getting a way in to the labor market, there is a limited research in Sweden on mentorship of immigrants in the industrial sector. The aim of this study is to bring knowledge into the prerequisites for workplace learning among immigrants in the industrial sector, with a focus on language learning. This is done by examining the following questions;How are professional introductions precribed to be implemented? How do supervisors relate to processes for language learning of the immigrants? How do supervisors relate to processes for inclusion of immigrants? What are the prerequisites for professional introductions for immigrant´s workplace learning within the companies?The methods for examining this phenomenon are partly qualitative interviews of six mentors of immigrants at professional introductions at three different companies in the industrial sector, as well as a document analysis on four steering documents that have been provided by the YA-delegation.   The results of the study are interpreted through a theoretical framework based on Etienne Wenger's (2000) theory of boarders and broakers within the theory of ”Communities of Practice”. Some of the conclusions that are drawn are that the mentors at the companies mostly work with practical training of tasks, and language learning that focuses on separate technical terms. Deeper discussions on norms and values​ ​​are hindered by the lack of broader language skills of the immigrants. Lack of knowledge in how joint activities for knowledge sharing can be taken place characterizes the mentorships, and this aspect is also lacking in the state’s governance documents. One final conclusion is that if neither the state nor the companies themselves can support mentors in how different people's knowledge can be utilized and how diversity should be utilized, the language within industries will not only be a security issue, but a social issue.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka om det finns ett behov för konst och media lärare och lärarstudenter att delta, dela utbildningsmaterial och utveckla sin kompetens inom sin praxis i en social gemenskap på internet. Ett annat syfte var att identifiera vilka dessa behov och krav skulle vara, och hur en sådan webbplats bör vara utformad utifrån dessa krav. Jag har baserat studien på en teori om socialt lärande ”Communities of Practice” av Etienne Wenger. Kärnan i teorin tar upp hur vi som aktiva deltagare, kan lära tillsammans och utveckla våra identiteter och våra kunskaper i ett samhälle genom praktik i en meningsfull miljö. Resultaten av den första delen av studien bygger på kvantitativa och kvalitativa data från enkäter och intervjuer med lärare och blivande lärare. Vidare utvärderade en fokusgrupp bestående av lärare ett antal webbplats-prototyper baserade på resultat från frågeformulär och intervjuer. Prototyperna utgick ifrån principerna inom interaktionsdesign, med tillhörande personligheter och scenarier. I resultaten framträdde tydligast följande områden, vikten av sociala forum, delade resurser, kompetensutveckling och att kunna registrera sig med personlig profil. Dessa  områden identifierades och diskuterades i fokusgruppen som i den andra delen av studien konstruerade två nya prototyper, en inlologgningssida och en startsida baserade på tidigare resultat. Slutgiltigt finns ett stort behov av en social gemenskap av delad praxis och delaktighet på en gemensam webbplats och gruppen hade också tydliga åsikter om hur en sådan webbplats bör utformas. Lärarna i studien uttryckte också nödvändigheten av att utveckla sin kompetens inom digitala lärresurser, enligt de nya kursplaner i grund-och gymnasieskolan. Således svarar resultaten bra på de viktigaste begreppen i teorin "Communities of Practice" och det bör finnas en god potential för att starta en sådan gemenskap av praxis för denna grupp och kanske även för andra grupper av lärare. / The aim of this study was to investigate if there is a need for art and media teachers andteacher students to be able to participate, share educational materials and develop theircompetence within their practice in a social community on the internet. Another aim was toidentify which these needs and requirements would be, and how such a website should bedesigned, considering these requirements.I have based the study on the social learning theory Communities of practice by EtienneWenger, the core of the theory being how we, as active participants, learn together anddevelop our identities in a community through practice in a meaningful environment.The results of the first part of the study are based on quantitative and qualitative data fromquestionnaires and interviews with teachers and teacher students. Further a focus group ofteachers evaluated a number of website-prototypes based on the results from thequestionnaire and the interviews. The prototypes were built on principles of interactiondesign, with related personas and scenarios.In the results the patterns social forum, shared resources, competence developing andregistration with personal profile emerged the most. This was also identified and discussedby the focus group who in the second part of the study constructed two new prototypes, alogin page and a start page based on the previous results.Conclusively there is a great need for a social community of shared practice and participationon a mutual website and the group also had clear opinions about how such a website shouldbe designed. Also teachers expressed the necessity to developing competence in digitallearning resources, according to new curriculums in elementary and secondary schools.Thus the results respond well to the main concepts of the theory “communities of Practice”and there should be a good potential for starting such a community of practice for this groupand perhaps other groups of teachers.

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Pedagogiska insatser för främjande av elevers relationsskapande i fritidshemmet är ett utvecklingsinriktat arbete som utfördes under våren 2017 i ett fritidshem på en mindre ort. Under en VFU (Verksamhetsförlagd utbildning) uppmärksammades ett utvecklingsområde. Barnen i verksamheten grupperade sig i mindre isolerade grupper, där medlemmarna sällan gick ur sina grupper och mötte andra barn i verksamheten. Utvecklingsarbetets syfte var att genom pedagogiska insatser främja varierade gruppkonstellationer. Arbetet har använt Lewins action research spiral som modell, samt inspirerats av Wengers sociala inlärningsteori, och har resulterat i två temaarbeten som skulle främja de varierande gruppkonstellationerna projektet sökte. Dessa temaarbeten följdes upp och utvärderades tillsammans med den befintliga personalen i verksamheten. För att skapa en nulägesanalys samt generera en god didaktisk bas för projektet har systematiska observationer gjorts i barngruppen. I dessa observationer har värdefull information framkommit som har varit betydande för såväl projektets uppstart som resultat. Genom arbetet har det visat sig vara svårt att påverka gruppkonstellationer och luckra upp inrutade mönster. Barnen i projektet påverkades i många fall utifrån olika gränsmarkeringar, så som kön, miljö, likheter och olikheter. Projektet kan därför visa vikten av ett aktivt genusarbete i skola/fritidshem samt pedagogens egen roll för att varierat möte ska ske för eleverna. De pedagogiska insatser detta projekt syftar till är att försöka skapa gemensamma intressen för barnen, som de sedan själva kan mötas i. Under arbetets gång har det visat sig att det inrymmer flera olika typer av handlingar i de pedagogiska insatserna för att främja varierande gruppkonstellationer.

Virtual communities of practice have been used to improve teachers' instructional practice; yet, many of these communities do not take into account the effect of teachers' personal learning and collegial collaboration beliefs on engagement within this model. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine if teaching was enhanced through participation in virtual communities of practice and determine if teachers' personal beliefs prior to entering these communities influenced their engagement. Wenger's social learning theory served as the conceptual framework. The research questions asked how teachers' beliefs on personal learning and their beliefs on collaboration influenced their engagement in virtual communities of practice and how personal learning networks facilitated extended technology-based learning in the classroom. Data were collected through 2 semi structured interviews with 9 teacher participants and analysis of digital records from the Classroom 2.0 and Flat Connections Nings. Manual, open-coding of the data revealed themes which explained the use of personalized learning networks for instructional growth and social networking for collaborative practice. Findings indicated that while teachers' previously held ideas were not significantly altered, the social, supportive environments created through virtual learning communities made a suitable setting for professional development. These findings may effect positive social change as virtual communities of practice for teachers evolve into professional development environments that challenge teacher beliefs, use progressive technologies, and engage teachers in collaborative activities.

Times of transition can provoke informal learning that is both potentially transformative and often unacknowledged. New mothers living in a new country are in effect undergoing a double transition, and thus are in a position to possibly undertake a great deal of informal learning. This research focuses on migrant mothers living in Sweden and aims to understand their perceptions of their own learning at open preschools (öppna förskolor), or drop-in centers for young children and their caretakers. Through a small-scale qualitative study using semi-structured interviews, eight migrant mothers living in Solna municipality shared their memories and opinions about open preschools. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis and examined in light of Wenger’s (1998) social theory of learning and community of practice framework. The mothers overwhelmingly identified open preschools as places of support, with some also perceiving them as places of learning. Nonetheless, the findings show a great deal of informal learning related to mothering and mothering in a new country. There was a complicated relationship between supports and barriers to learning, reflecting the nuanced nature of communities of practice. In short, open preschools gave the participants a place to engage on their own terms with the intellectual work involved with forming their identities as migrant mothers. They also, however, encouraged the development of mothering identities that are in line with dominant Swedish discourses about gender and childrearing. This study proposes nevertheless that open preschools play a vital role in supporting parental learning and easing the transition to life in Sweden for migrant mothers.

The term Community of Practice (CoP) is often used rather loosely to describe many types of instructional settings that support more constructivist or social learning settings. This study differentiates CoP from other learning communities with greater discipline in defining CoP, as characterized by sustained self-organization for example. Such a CoP sits quite apart from the typical intent of instructional settings. The literature on intentional CoP suggests that the greatest challenges are a sense of interdependence among CoP members, the authenticity of the practice or purpose, and a trajectory for the CoP's future. The purpose of this case study was to attend to these issues with an online initiative to nurture CoP among practicing teachers in a reading-specialist, graduate program. For the course under study, learners engaged only in cooperative projects with the support of a community worksite (Sakai). Throughout the term, the worksite was promoted as a community place independent of the course and program, a place where they could continue to share indefinitely; and they were encouraged to think of what formal and informal activities the system could support, and how. The study explored how participants responded verbally and behaviorally to the community worksite and the other technologies employed to better support their group work and sharing of knowledge in general. The group's technical skills, competing cultures and practices, and the level of authenticity were all significant challenges. The study's findings challenge the application of this learning theory at the course level of academics, and they inform future design of online support for intentional CoP. / Ph. D.

Thesis (MPhil (Information Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / This thesis explores the notion of communities of practice, and in particular how they make sense of their environment in order to create knowledge and enable learning. Traditionally communities of practice are viewed as stewards of expert knowledge, but this thesis argues that they are better understood as sensemaking phenomena. Chapter one introduces the theory of sensemaking as developed by Karl Weick. This chapter introduces the seven properties of sensemaking. It also explores organisational sensemaking by taking the intersubjective and generic subjective levels of sensemaking into account. Chapter two focuses on the literature on communities of practice as self-organising knowledge structures. Three structural aspects of communities of this kind are introduced, namely domain, community and practice. Following Etienne Wenger two additional aspects of communities of practice—namely meaning and identity—are analyzed as these provide the basis for a link to sensemaking theory. In the final part of this chapter the downside of communities of practice is reviewed as they do not only present opportunities but also unique challenges for organisations. Chapter three combines the conclusions from the previous two chapters by interpreting communities of practice from a sensemaking perspective. The seven properties of sensemaking are applied to communities of practice and the role of meaning in communities of practice is viewed through the lens of sensemaking. Furthermore the role communities of practice might play in enhancing the phases of organisational sensemaking is indicated. Chapter four concludes that communities of practice indeed function as sensemaking phenomena in their environments. It is argued that nurturing communities of practice as centres of sensemaking could be advantageous to organisations and recommendations are made on how to best achieve this.

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / Communities of practice have been described as supportive environments where knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, learning and problem resolution takes place (Hildreth and Kimble, 2002; Wenger, 1998a; Zhang and Watts, 2008). The literature points to the use of community of practice in organisations to leverage knowledge held by individuals for competitive advantage. Wenger (1998b) developed the Practice and Identity’ framework as a measure of whether a group could be called a community of practice. The ‘Developing information technology capacity in higher education’ (DITCHE) project rolled out the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) service management programme as part of the brief to provide interventions beneficial to South African higher education institutions. Staff from the information technology departments attended the training over the period 2007 to 2009. This study examined the actions and outputs of the group which attended the ITIL service management training against the Wengerian ‘Practice and Identity’ framework to determine whether this group could be considered a community of practice. Research questions arising from the stated problem are: • Do the DITCHE ITIL groups meet the definition of community of practice as defined by Wenger’s ‘Practice and Identity’ framework? • What factors are required for the formation and sustaining of a community of practice? • What value is to be found in successful DITCHE ITIL communities of practice? The research design consisted of phases which included a survey of the literature to determine the most recent theories on this subject matter and definitions of key concepts. The concept of communities of practice is not singular. Cox (2001) pointed to four works which he considered seminal to the discussion about the concept of community of practice. He suggested that these be used as markers in the discussion on the conceptualization of community of practice. Each of these works could be used as frameworks for determining the existence of communities of practice as he noted the lack of overlap of elements in the different frameworks. The physical separation of participants of the study across South Africa necessitating the use of information and communication technologies made the Wenger ‘Practice and Identity’ framework the most suitable choice against which to frame the study as the elements of collocation and situated learning are not absolute requirements. Data were collected from participants of this study using questionnaires and interviews and the output was viewed against the components of the Wengerian framework viz. mutual engagement, shared repertoire and joint enterprise. The study found that while evidence existed for a match to these elements, it was insufficient to deem the DITCHE ITIL group a community of practice in the discourse of the 1998 framework. This group meets the description of an online community of practice where infrequent but intense discourse takes place when a problem needs to be resolved. Factors contributing to the arrival of this conclusion were identified. Motivations and barriers to the formation of communities of practice were identified. Further recommendations for continued community building such as further active leadership and the use of social networking tools are included. The study concluded that the potential existed for South African public higher education institutions to derive benefit from communities of practice and the DITCHE programme.