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10 reasons to take a Community-Powered Learning approach as a learner or instructor

Published over 1 year agoΒ β€’Β 6 min read

I wrote this tweet when I was preparing to give my recent 1-hour workshop for Circle's Chart Your Course Bootcamp.

I was blown away by the experiences and perspectives people shared.

Their reflections have informed how I facilitated the workshop, and got me even more curious about what community-powered learning is, the forms it can take, and its characteristics.

What is Community-Powered Learning (CPL)?

CPL is when learners learn together, with or without an instructor, through practice, experience, conversation and reflection.

CPL is fostered in a safe space, with shared values, and a shared understanding of engagement.

CPL exists on a spectrum.

Light CPL

Examples of 'light' community-powered learning in action:

Commenting on a Twitter thread.

One-hour workshop where the instructor creates space for group reflection and connection.

Being inspired by each other's ideas and creating our own things.

Medium CPL

Medium CPL shifts from spontaneous, ad-hoc, transient 'light CPL' to more organised and intentional learning with others.

Self-directed learning is supported in a forum, or with a hybrid or cohort-based live learning in one-off sessions, or a series of sessions.

Learners connect with or without an instructor to learn together.

Shared values, and a shared understanding of engagement, is present.

High CPL

High CPL is all of the above characteristics with a 'home' to:

Practice and share conversations, reflections, experiences.

House all past and upcoming activities with documentation that is structured and accessible.

Enable learners to discover and connect with each other through a directory and introductions.

Self-Paced Video or Cohort-Based Courses β‰  CPL

"Too many people cram tons of students into a cohort expecting a community to "magically" blossom.
​
But you have to foster community through shared values & rules of engagement ex. how to give feedback)."
​
​@AlexandraAllen_​

With clarity on what CPL is (and isn't) β€” here is a summary of the group brainstorm below. Big thanks to everyone who contributed!

10 co-created reasons to take a Community-Powered Learning approach as a learner or instructor

1. Static vs Alive

In a course with only videos there's nothing pulling me back if I get off track or distracted.
​
A Community-Powered Course is a living thing.
​
Live events, discussions, notifications, new content, other people.
​
​@jordangodbey​

2. Single Mind vs Hive Mind

Access to a hive mind.
​
I love seeing students responding to each other's questions, sharing their experiences, and taking inspiration from one another.
​
Powerful!
​
​@geecyr​

3. Reflect Alone vs Reflect With Others

Peer experiences have more resonance than general information.
​
The best teacher is not an expert, but someone just ahead of you.
​
Reflection is a critical and under-appreciated aspect of learning.
​
​@rhappe​

4. Slower Learning vs Accelerated Learning

Not hearing what others are thinking and experimenting with, means we're all starting from scratch and reinventing the wheel.
​
It takes longer to grasp where to focus your time and attention to make the most progress.
​
​@CharlotCrowther​

5. LOW Start + Finish Rate vs HIGH Start + Finish Rate

Does your course make your students feel they're apart of an exciting energetic movement?
​
Or are they bored to tears watching a wall of videos in solitary confinement?
​
​@jordangodbey​
I'm undecided on which is a bigger rollercoaster. Because self-paced courses feel low stakes.
​
Community-powered feels like a joy ride within a safe space.
have more fun and get better results in community-powered ones.
​
​@AlexandraAllen_​

6. No Feedback vs Give & Receive Feedback

I was on the swim team high school.
​
Between individual races v. relays I did with 3 friends, I performed best in the relays.
​
Asking them for tips and feedback, and providing it in return propels everyone forward.
​
​@AlexandraAllen_​

7. Silo vs Connection, Collaboration & Network

The energetic pull of wanting to be a part of something exciting and special.
​
There's no more enjoyable way to learn.
​
​@AlexandraAllen_​
Community brings:
​
Different perspectives on learning objectives and utility.
​
Interdisciplinary cross-pollination.
​
The ability to implement knowledge by sharing insights.
​
More fun.
​
​@SKNWilkinson​

8. Willpower vs Accountability, Support, Empowerment

When you're doing it alone, it's all about your willpower: which could be inconsistent, fickle, not a great master.
​
But, if, for whatever reason, you care about others and they care about seeing you succeed, that makes you show up.
​
​@ColeapHQ we like to ask:
​
What are the conditions under which peers want* to co-invest in each other's growth?
​
​@aditipar​
Many of us draw on the emotional support we get from peers as fuel to keep us moving toward our goals.
​
​@AlexandraAllen_​

9. Solo Journey vs Journey With Others On The Same Journey As You

It's nice to know we are not in alone in our journey.
​
​@abel2readaloud​
Feeling empowered to explore and take initiative, and be part of something larger than yourself.
​
​@CoreyWilksPsyD​
For me it's all for the moments where we celebrate wins with each other.
​
I get so happy when I see someone I've supported do well at something they've worked hard on.
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It is also an honour that they reached out to share their success with me.
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Smells like team spirit!
​
​@confuciusme​
Ok after so many awesome comments I only want to add that with
community powered ones, you're really sad to see the course end.
​
​@katherine roan​

10. Story of Self vs Story of Us

The image below, adapted from Public Narrative by Marshall Ganz, Harvard Kennedy School β€” is a beautiful illustration of how Community-Powered Learning shifts the story of self, to the story of us.

​

Shift from AMA (Ask Me Anything) to AUA (Ask Us Anything).
​
​@aditipar​
Knowledge doesn't exist within us, it's in between us, in our conversations.
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​@britz​
Our connection to each other is more important than our connection to leaders.
​
Community is the unit and container for the experience of belonging and transformation.
​
​@Peter_Block​

Recap

10 co-created reasons to take a Community-Powered Learning approach as a Learner or Instructor:

  1. Static / Alive
  2. Single Mind / Hive Mind
  3. Reflect Alone / Reflect With Others
  4. Slower Learning / Accelerated Learning
  5. LOW Start + Finish Rate / HIGH Start + Finish Rate
  6. No Feedback / Give & Receive Feedback
  7. Silo / Connection, Collaboration & Network
  8. Willpower / Accountability, Support, Empowerment
  9. Solo Journey / Journey With Others On The Same Journey As You
  10. Story of Self / Story of Us

What is the Future of Community-Powered Learning?

How can we combine the best of other forms of learning (books, videos, audios, self-directed learning) with community-powered + live learning experiences (forums. memberships, conferences, workshops, CBCs)?

What's your CPL experience, perspective or questions?

The safety net of a community gives you the confidence to try (and fly or fail and try again).
​
If you're not gaining progress alone in an area of learning, it's probably because you need community around it!
​
​@daniellexo​
Everything I’ve learned has been about connecting the dots between people and their thoughts and their outputs.
​
Innovative schools use engaging and relevant models, many abbreviated as PBL - Place Based Learning/ Project Based Learning/ Problem Based Learning .
​
What all of these have in common is that they involve PEOPLE.
​
Humans are social beings, and we learn with and from those around us all the time.
​
We need to add a new P to PBL: People Based Learning.
​
​@rosiesherry​
When a learning community owns the power, it determines πŸ‘‡πŸΌ
​
learning objectives
expertise
direction
pacing
definitions of success
assessment
content
interactions
learning activities
​
Isn'tβ€”where someone/thing already determined any 1+
Rarely exists; mostly informally.
​
​@Joelliechty​

What are your experiences and questions on CPL as a learner or instructor?

We would love to hear your thoughts!

Here's where the conversation is happening on Twitter.

Here are 3 steps I invite you to take:

  1. Like the tweets in this thread that resonate with you.
  2. Add a comment.
  3. Retweet the thread with your biggest takeaway.

Or reply to this email with your thoughts!

Charlotte

​

Meta Learning

Charlotte Crowther

A weekly newsletter on how to scale your teaching, facilitate your customers' success, and grow your business.

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