Creating Learning Communities in the Classroom

There are many ways to construct classroom-based learning communities. Nevertheless, the emphasis is always on cooperative learning. In this article, the authors focus on three teaching methods--interteaching, team-based learning, and cooperative learning in large, lecture-based courses--that they have used successfully to create classroom-based learning communities in their psychology classes at James Madison University. Interteaching creates a total-classroom learning community. Team-based learning, in contrast, creates within-classroom communities but also provides the opportunity to create a total-classroom community. Finally, cooperative learning in lecture-based courses creates within-classroom learning communities. Although each of these methods is unique on the surface and in terms of its philosophical underpinnings, each capitalizes on the benefits of cooperative learning and provides a way for instructors to create learning communities in their classrooms.