The "It" Factor

Community building has been on my mind this week. As one of the few outside guests in another institution's  online seminar for faculty learning to teach online, I've been grateful to be included. During this week's module, we've been discussing what the "it" is that can draw a group of strangers together into true community.

Is there something essential about face-to-face connections for building a community of learners? My experiences with another online group focused on learning teaching confirm for me that face-to-face meetings aren't essential to building community. (However, I learned in that group and again in this summer's seminar that building community in an online-only environment can bring extra challenges.)

If being face to face isn't "it," what is? Is it time? Can a community be built in 6 short weeks? Well, yes--or at least the start of a community. As I can testify from experience, the National Writing Project's Summer Institutes have an amazing track record for developing communities of writing teachers. Long after their initial summer experiences together, these teachers continue to support one another and work collaboratively in their growth as writers and writing teachers.

If location and duration aren't the key, it must be something else. I keep coming back to shared commitments, practices, and language. And I can't stop thinking about Wenger's work on communities of practice--communities that emerge through mutual engagement, joint enterprise, and shared repertoire. I suspect that a thoughtful review of Wenger could help me a great deal as I think about designing significant learning experiences that inspire learners to commit whole-heartedly to building something meaningful together.....whether those experiences happen online or elsewhere. I hope to re-read soon!

I've relied on a quick nod to Wenger to help me define community. I appreciate the way that his ideas and language resonate with scholarship in my field as well as with my work in the context of a faith-based college where we are intentional about helping students to live and learn together in Christian community.

But I'm always interested to hear other perspectives. Who/what do you read, watch, or listen to when you want help thinking more deeply about community?