The Photography Teacher's Handbook

Chapter 4 Developing a Learning Community of Photo Learners

Designing a course that promotes a sustained sense of community and collaboration establishes a cohesive culture of visual artists. It also benefits a photography curriculum in many ways. The Global Development Research Center lists forty-four benefits of creating community and among them are:

1. Promotes student–faculty interaction and familiarity.
2. Increases student retention.
3. Encourages student responsibility for learning.
4. Promotes a positive attitude toward subject matter.
5. Creates an environment of active, involved, exploratory learning.
6. Stimulates critical thinking and helps students clarify ideas through discussion and debate (Panitz, 3/1/15).

Other valid reasons are to establish and ...