University of Tasmania, Australia

Learning In and Across Landscapes of Practice: Recent Developments in Social Learning Theory

Learning is often viewed as a process that takes place in the heads of individuals, mostly when they receive instruction in formal settings. This talk will present a different perspective on learning, one that starts with the assumption that learning is an inherent dimension of everyday life and that it is fundamentally a social process. This session will introduce the foundations of this social learning theory, ways it has been used in practice, and more recent developments.

About the speaker

Etienne Wenger is a globally recognised thought leader in the field of social learning theory, communities of practice, and their application to organisations. He has authored and co-authored seminal articles and books on the topic, including Situated Learning, where the term "community of practice" was coined; Communities of Practice: learning, meaning, and identity, where he lays out a theory of learning based on the concept; Cultivating Communities of Practice: a guide to managing knowledge, addressed to practitioners in organisations who want to base their knowledge strategy on communities of practice; and Digital Habitats, which tackles issues related to the use of technology. Etienne’s work is influencing both theory and practice in a wide range of disciplines. Cultivating communities of practice is recognised as a key component of a learning strategy in a rapidly growing number of organisations across private and public sectors, including business, government, international development, healthcare, and education. Etienne helps organisations apply his ideas through consulting, public speaking, and workshops. He is also active in the academic sphere. He regularly speaks at conferences, conducts seminars, and is a visiting professor at the universities of Manchester and Aalborg. He recently received an honorary doctorate from the University of Brighton.

Etienne Wenger will be presenting an intensive workshop during his vist to UTAS.

THIS WORKSHOP HAS SOLD OUT

Workshop: Learning and leading in organisations

Learning efficiently has become an organisational imperative in all sectors. This interactive session will introduce an approach that entrusts learning to practitioners, who are in the best position to manage the knowledge they need to do their work. We will explore the implications for organisational design and leadership, using the challenges of participants as concrete cases.

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Presented by the Faculty of Education and the Institute for Learning and Teaching.