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Bramblewood Learning Community is a project‐​based homeschool co‐​op that incorporates independent learning, Socratic discussions, and real world activities.

More than one hundred years ago, John Dewey espoused an aligned belief that classrooms should be a model of the family, a complete community where students would be nurtured and grow through the learning culture. His profound belief in democracy and progressive education focused his pedagogical philosophy around creating civically engaged citizens. This ideal is one that is critically needed in 2020—the year where racial and social justice and a global pandemic have unearthed and tested individual and systemic rights and responsibilities, requiring civically engaged citizens to move us through this unprecedented time. This article is an article of stories to encourage and anchor the reader in the mission and vision of two purpose-filled organizations (Tribes Learning Community and Peace Learning Center) that have taken Dewey's beliefs and philosophy in a civically engaged, democratic classroom to the level of restorative action to build safe and courageous learning communities of trust and care for our students and the future of our world beyond the year 2020.

The aim in this study was to identify how college students' experience of the online learning community influences their community identification and learning engagement. We used an online survey and the participants were 568 college students in the New Oriental English School's online
learning community in China. The results indicated that three dimensions of community experience, namely, information experience, entertainment experience, and interactive experience, each exhibit significant positive associations with community identity, which, in turn contributes to students'
learning engagement. Moreover, the finding confirmed the significant mediating effect of community identity between the three dimensions of community experience and learning engagement. The results give a deeper understanding of the role of community experience in influencing students' attitudes
and behaviors in the context of an online learning community.

Recently, higher education has focused on "learning communities." This
study examines a process in which students create expectations for their community of learners. The expectations provide the basis for assessment of students and the
program. Across three cohorts, common themes arise. The major themes from students' expectations of faculty are that faculty should be organized, use a variety of
teaching methods, and provide mentoring. Students primarily want their peers to
participate actively and constructively in class, have academic honesty, and contribute to class in a civil, respectful manner . Study findings indicate that students are
empowered in finding their collective voice and holding each other accountable for
classroom community. Using the transformative power of a learning community to
improve both student classroom behaviors and faculty teaching appears to be a
promising practice.

The author argues that the current conjuncture is a kairotic moment for their own learning community program as well as the national movement to support the development of learning communities in universities and colleges and the array of pedagogical approaches associated with them. With Barbara Leigh Smith (2013), they recognize a link between the social justice movements of the 1960s and the learning community movement both in their commitments to democracy and their organizing strategies. Through relating the story of their own experience as co-directors of the LIU Brooklyn Learning Community program, specifying different inventions, audiences, and purposes driving that initiative, they further suggest that learning communities have the potential not only to reinvigorate teaching and learning but also to contribute to struggles for a more democratic, compassionate society.

AbstractIn pedagogical practice, gratitude is recognised not as an emotion, but as an approach to learning. This study introduced gratitude messages into the academic online communication of university students and specifically examined the community in which students shared their messages with gratitude. This study examined the tendency of message connections and how gratitude messages prompted replies. To elucidate their connections, exponential random graph models (ERGMs) were used. A post-event questionnaire to evaluate gratitude experiences was also administered. Results revealed that 77.3% of the 172 connected messages from 123 students involved gratitude. When the post-event questionnaire results were examined using an ERGM, the score effects on increasing message connections were found not to be significant. The most prominent indication was a higher level of significant propensities to make mutual connections. The homophily of the message content was found to have a significant propensity to increase connections. The ERGM results and a review of messages revealed that students expressed gratitude for being both benefactors and beneficiaries of gratitude messages, which confirmed their prosocial behaviour.

This paper examines how a microblogging tool (i.e., Twitter) can be effectively used to strengthen a virtual learning community (VLC) in the two sections of a fully online graduate course. Students in this course were consisted of K-12 teachers, school technology specialists, corporate trainers, and military personnel. The microblogging activities were designed to allow quick peer interaction to build the momentum of social learning in the VLC. In this study, we collected quantitative data on sense of community through a Likert scale survey, and rich qualitative data on students' perception about microblogging activities. It was found that students' sense of community was generally high and students were positive about their microblogging experiences. In addition, microblogging was found to be useful and valuable in sustaining students' learning by doing such as sharing real-world design examples, critiquing design examples with technical knowledge learned in class, and quick and short commenting with peer support in a VLC. Based on the findings, the authors aim to provide design suggestions for educators and instructional designers to incorporate this social web tool in strengthening virtual learning communities in a meaningful and engaging way.