Community Based Learning
What is Community Based Learning ?
Community-based learning (CBL) is an educational approach that merges individual learning paths into a unified pursuit of shared objectives. It offers distinctive learning dynamics that surpass the advantages of individual-based learning over time.
CBL prioritises a collaborative atmosphere where individuals unite to achieve shared goals and hold each other responsible. It rejects the notion of superiority among individuals, fostering opportunities for group-based learning activities to refine each individual’s learning perspective.
Alone, we can do so little; Together we can do so much.
Helen Keller
Fostering an environment of motivation between individuals to reach a common goal. This particular aspect drives people within the community to stay on task and hold each other accountable. Social interactions within these learning communities provide avenues for feedback and constructive criticism. Through discussions, peer reviews, and group reflections, participants have the opportunity to evaluate each other’s contributions and offer insights for improvement. This feedback loop promotes accountability by highlighting areas where individuals may need to adjust their efforts or strategies to better support the group’s progress.
Additionally, community-based learning often involves regular check-ins or milestones where individuals report on their progress and contributions. These checkpoints serve as accountability measures, requiring participants to demonstrate their commitment to the collective effort and ensuring that everyone remains on track toward achieving shared goals.
Purpose of CBL
The purpose of community-based learning (CBL) is to integrate academic knowledge with real-world experiences in a group setting. It seeks to foster connections between classroom learning and practical application, preparing students to address complex challenges as well as experience a professional environment of day to day developers. Overall, the purpose of community-based learning is to enrich education by bridging the gap between theory, practice & application, giving students a more nuanced approached to learning to become developers.
Pros vs Cons
| CBL | Individual |
|---|---|
| Promotes collaboration, teamwork, and a professional environment. | Self-direction |
| Plenty of feedback designed to grow each from team members | Self-discipline |
| Work on bigger sized group projects and delivery in an agile manner. Allow teams to ship quickly | Timeframe for projects can be skewed as you’re working solo |
| Enjoyable learning through team based competitions. | Can cause tunnel visioned learning one method alone |
| Working with others provides motivation creating accountability partners | Can lose motivation |
How CodersIO is using CBL
At CodersIO we tailor our learning paths to each individual within the group, enabling them to showcase their strengths and capabilities effectively. Through personalised pathways, we facilitate the development of real-world group projects that integrate the skills acquired throughout the entire learning program. This approach fosters a more professional environment, allowing participants to gain practical experience and evolve into seasoned developers.
Recognising the pivotal role professionalism plays in the workplace, we prioritise instilling this vital trait in our students. Through Community-Based Learning (CBL), we employ an agile delivery model, cultivating teamwork and sprint-based project work. This distinctive learning approach not only gives confidence in coding capabilities but also equips individuals with essential soft skills crucial for excelling in a professional work environment.
CodersIO’s Focus
We focus on delivering environments that foster inspiration and guidance through our community learning programme. We aim to redesign how traditional bootcamps are setup for individual learning and flip it on its head. This creates a more enjoyable & focused environment, no one is left behind and each individual will have the support and guidance to meet their goal as they share that with the rest of group.
