CSCL for schools that learn

Learning communities and organizations are being recognized both as a mechanism for bringing learning about and as an explanation of what learning takes place. Systems that support learning in context and collaborative learning are increasingly being used to support performance and learning for school reform and business productivity. Similarly, many of the performance and learning outcomes that we care the most about, e.g., higher order thinking, problem solving, communication competencies, are understood as developing in the authentic activity of a community, such as a profession, a trade, or an academic discipline. Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) is a method for bringing the power of technology to support collaborative and contextual learning. This article argues that CSCL can be a framework for school reform, not just as a method of curriculum implementation, but also as a framework for enterprise-wide, process change. The article will also illustrate how cscl-type systems can facilitate schools becoming learning organizations, not just organizations that support learning.