Our research at IRL leads us to offer a new view, in which learning is inseparable from engagement in the world, and intellect is inseparable from experience. An important part of what makes adult professionals successful and productive is their ability to integrate their work with their social lives. They forge their identities and connections around their work, their knowledge and their contributions to the community in which they work. 2 Knowledge is integrated in the life of communities Knowledge, activity and social relations are closely intertwined, whether in families, scientific communities, jump rope groups, jazz bands or design teams. We call such informal aggregations communities of practice because they are defined not only by their membership, but by shared ways of doing things.
Every individual belongs to, and seeks membership in, many communities of practice.
In communities of practice, social relations form around activities, activities take shape through relationships, and particular kinds of knowledge and expertise become part of individuals' identities and places in the community. Because shared knowledge underlies this activity, learning is the means by which people gain membership, and participate in community activity. 3 Learning is an act of membership Learning is not just the activity of the sole individual, but the primary vehicle for engagement with others. It is what enables people to enter and participate in new communities of practice, and is what enables them continually to modify their places in and contribution to the community. The key to enhancement and motivation in learning lies in the intimate connection between the desire for participation and the role of new knowledge in enabling that participation.