Would you like to join like-minded people in exploring systems, practice, ideas, feelings and difficulties? If yes to both, then Active Learning Circles (prev. ELC, the Enhanced Learning Club) are for you!
Active Learning Circles
Are you learning and practicing Systems Thinking?
Why have Active Learning Circles (ALCs) and what do they do?
The goal of an ALC is to explore a common area of interest and for its participants to emerge with more knowledge, understanding and confidence, to practice in that area of interest. An ALC is also a safe space to explore the affective side of practice - bewilderment, cognitive dissonance, confusion, clarity, etc. (emotional states), which are not often addressed in formal learning - the whole system of learning, of a person.
We recognize that sometimes systems thinking approaches aren’t accessible, so in an ALC we actively encourage ‘silly’ questions, as well as deep ones.
The key principles of ALC’s are accessibility and inclusion - a space to explore systems, no matter your current ‘level’. They take a semi-structured approach, building on a traditional ‘book club’ model, but with space to practice, challenge, fail and emerge, together and safely. ALC’s are self-facilitated (with support), and topics of interest are self-selected by the group. ALCs are enhanced with the Feynman technique, advocacy and enquiry, and convergence and divergence to add structure to the conversation.
Why should you join an ALC?
ALCs:
- Are a safe and accessible space to learn about systems and connected topics,
- Are an active experiment in how to learn, helping us to sort signal from noise,
- Somewhere to test ideas (eg workshops), learn from others, and help others learn,
- Help you to explore the affective states associated with practice, both in you and in the people you work with.
Previous cohorts report:
- working though topics of shared interest, learning from perspectives and experiences of others, asking ’silly’ questions (’the journey’)
- the breakthroughs in understanding and confidence ('the destination’)
- valuing the safe, accessible, inclusive atmosphere, the adaptable framework and facilitative approach (’the playing field’)
We have some rules: there are no experts, and no novices, we are there to make learning accessible and support our fellow human beings, but also to prepare for an emergent and dissonant journey as we build understanding.
Cohort 1
A shared understanding of emergence. We worked through a ‘concept map’ of the preceding concepts and ideas, adding resources and links along the way. Our thinking was – you can understand emergence standalone, but to engineer it you needed to know the things it’s build upon.
Cohort 2
A bond was formed and we created a large whiteboard which documented our exploration of the concept. Whilst we held differing views on what culture was and how it’s created, the space was instrumental in helping us to each explore the concept, bouncing off each other’s ideas and interpretation.
Both groups
- Valued the safe space, coining the phrase “In ELC, there are no experts and no novices”
- Used the space to air their confusion discuss things they didn’t quite get, and to ask questions of each other
- To independently research and develop ideas for sharing with the group
- Emerged with a greater sense of understanding and confidence around the topics discussed.