Tomorrow's Learning Communities
TOMORROW’S LEARNING COMMUNITIES
We already know that learning is a cognitive process that takes place in a social context:
learning from, with and because of others [teachers, friends, parents, authors]
sharing, applying, reacting and socializing our learnings
unconsciously conforming to societal influences [language, culture, institutions]
Yet, in our frenetic response to a remote, digital world and organizational needs to create scale and commoditize the learning experience, have we over-prioritized consistency and on-demand access over social/ personal sharing of experiences and meaningful conversations?
When we think about necessary disruption in the learning and development space, are we truly understanding what it is that actually needs disruption?
Communities have and always will be our primary ‘sense-making’ entities. We rely on them to uncover new insights, test out concepts, validate new ways to apply past learning and in general, to make meaning for ourselves in a most ambiguous and complex world.
When we think about learning holistically, consider the art of dialogue; shared meaningful conversation through intentional human interaction, and how it runs parallel to the science of learning; critical reflection, building neural networks, memory storage and retrieval. The very concept of neuroplasticity seems to validate that we grow and change cognitively, individually and collectively.
Yet, creating, belonging to. and leveraging diverse learning communities today may not come as naturally to us as we would like to think:
similarity bias pushes us to collaborate and socialize with others who are mor familiar and similar to us, simply reinforcing current thinking
we perceive the acts of building trust, psychological safety and ultimately relationship as requiring more time than we care to prioritize in a busy world
people dynamics are messy, uncomfortable and consume emotional ‘energy’ as we juggle between in-the-moment personal/ professional needs and truly engaging with curiosity and authenticity.
So how do we harness the power of learning communities and the value of ‘Social First’ learning?
We must return to the essence of what it actually means to learn:
inquiry based interaction, driven by personal curiosity and critical reflection
prioritizing time and space to slow down… to ‘just think’ and simply ‘be’
purposely introducing and surrounding ourselves with new, different and strange
actively seeking out opportunities to partner with others who have opposite skills, experiences and different stories
creating the conditions for experimentation, failing fast and failing forward.
At a time when so many of us are burned out and struggling to sustain a ‘new normal’, how can you unleash your own power of community to sustain the important work of unlearning?