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Greeno, J., Eckert, P., Stucky, S., Sachs, P., Wenger, E. (1999,
September). Learning in and for Participation in Work and
Society. Retrieved November 26, 2001 from
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/HowAdultsLearn/Greeno.html
An analysis of adult learning as a process of becoming, not just of
learning to do. Learning in this sense is deeply about being an
individualized member of a community. This article discusses the
learning implications of communities of practice in the workplace.
Because learning is a process of becoming the standard workplace
method of segmenting functions and tasks leads to a limited
understanding of the community because learning is most effective when
the most context is available. Effective adult learning is
characterized by multiple perspectives and open access to information.
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I found this article while searching for information about learning,
categories, communities of practice, guilds and craftsmanship. A
community of practice is effectively an informal guild. Learning to
become is concept adaptation.
I like this quote:
Studies of learning at work show over and over again that the
formal organization of workplaces can stymie workers' attempts to make
their work meaningful. Much work today is still based on the
segmentation of functions and tasks and as a result inhibits a broader
understanding of the overall organization and how one fits into it.
People can contribute to the success of an organization in different
ways, and an important aspect of an individual's sense of meaning and
significance comes from being able to recognize and appreciate the way
that her or his activity contributes to the larger system of activity
in the organization.
In 501 today, we discussed the highly political aspect of knowledge
management. It's something a of a revolution: let people know stuff,
it's good for them. The old school quakes.
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