Just preparing a new blog entry on the local dimension of communities of practice. Thanks to Norman for sharing his invaluable expertise with us.

Prof. Norman Longworth in this blog entry presents three case studies of communities of practice, all of which have developed from local and regional initiatives on lifelong learning around the world. In his understanding a community of practice is a group of people which learns how to improve its knowledge, its behaviour and its influence as a result of interaction between each other and with other groups. The case studies make evident that successful communities of practice promote 5 basic ideas: a strong belief that the actions taken will be of benefit to all communities, the participation of many people in their development, clever leadership that persuades rather than directs, a common sense of purpose with a community ethic and a willingness to learn from experience and to keep on learning.

Stay tuned ...