creative operationalism in Networked Learning Communities

It is clear that there is a growing number of individuals who are attracted to working smarter together rather than harder alone because of a shared conviction that problems in schools are solved more effectively through collaboration. Among educational reformers and policy makers, there is an increased understanding that problems in education cannot easily be divided into pieces and addressed in isolation from each other. There may in fact be problems that are too large for any one school to solve on its own. Further to this, a belief in the power of joint problemsolving is the common feature of many different kinds of network. Educators are increasingly reaching beyond their school and district boundaries and seeking support through networks. Networks appear to be everywhere on the USA educational landscape as well as around the globe. Some networks are organised around a common goal, whereas others unite schools with a common organisational structure, such as small schools, charter schools or alternative schools. There are networks for teachers, principals, schools and even districts which share commo