Bob Jeffery here.

Some of the comments the list has provided about learning communities
have stimulated me over the last month or so to do more reading,
thinking but not much chatting yet with others.  Thanks for that
stimulation and encouragement.

The questions that Peter O'Donnell posed with respect to this list
serve and whether or not we are a learning community has taken me a
little further into applying the reading and thinking and now with
some comments about all the people out there who are reading with
only a few commenting I thought I would like to let others know that
us "shy" people may be getting useful information, contacts and new
ideas.

The development of learning communities or organizations, as I understand it,
 is the process where we take the facts, so to speak, and through a process
 gain new behavious/ outcome etc. The steps in between are varied and
for me I figure that once I understand how people feel about the
facts we can then begin to  interpret them and gain a group
understanding that allows action.  I see the list serve at this point
touching mostly on the sharing of facts.  By the way facts can be
people's world view as this is their reality.  Only occasionally do I
see some sharing of emotional contenct and I alway suspect that these
people know or know of each other and there is a comfort level that
makes it easier for people to share.

The other thing is that with any relationship it take time and list
this list serve has been excellent at giving data. At this time that
is the time I have for this.

Thanks for the stimulus to comment.  Learning communities are a
concept I have been very interested in so get that people keep
bringing it up.

bob jeffery
health planner
Northwestern Health Unit