ANewCultureofLearning- CultivatingtheImaginationforaWorldofConstantChange

ByDouglasThomasandJohnSeely Brown

SannaEulenberger2017

TheNewCultureofLearning

Twomainelements• Massiveinformationnetworkthatprovidesalmostunlimitedaccessandresourcestolearnaboutanything• Boundedandstructuredenvironmentthatallowsforunlimitedagencytobuildandexperimentwiththingswithinthoseboundaries

ØNeitheronealonemakesforeffectivelearning,onlythecombinationandtheinterplaybetweenthem=cultivation

LearningIsPersonalandCollective

• Learningistakingplaceinday-to-daylifethroughthefusionofvastinformationalresourceswithverypersonal,specificneedsandactions

• Peoplesharetheirinterestsviamultipleplatforms(softwareprogram,university,searchengine,game,websiteetc.),developtheirpassionsandengageinplay(f.eg.globalonlinegames),thuslearningtoparticipateandexperiment

• Insharingpeoplebridgealargelypublicandinformation-based(seeabove)andintenselypersonalandstructured(colleagues,classroom,family,chronicdisease)andcreatesomethingpersonallymeaningful

Ø Fusingavastinformationalresourcewithadeeplypersonalmotivationledtoanunexpected,unplannedorinnovative,leadingpeopletocultivatetheirimaginationandrecreatethespaceinanewway.Peopleusevariousnetworkstobuildlearningcommunitiesthatfillthegapsinandaroundinformation

TwoLearningCultures

TheOldWay

• Mechanistic,teaching-basedapproach:learningistreatedasaseriesofstepstobemastered

• Aperspectiveofefficiency:thegoalistolearnasmuchasyoucan,asfastasyoucan.Valuesonlytheresult,nottheprocess

TheNewWay

• Learningisviewedasenvironments:combinedwithrichresourcesprovidedbythedigitalinformationnetwork- wherethecontextoflearninghappens,theboundariesthatdefineitandthestudents,teachersandinformationwithinallcoexistandshapeeachotherinamutuallyreinforcingway.

• Boundariesarecatalystsforinnovation,notconstraints.Theyareasetofpressuresthatnudgeandguidechangethatmoveatvaryingratesofspeed

ASpecialTypeofCulture

Oldthinking(teaching-basedapproach)• Individualsbecomepartofanewculture,theyaregenerallytheoneswhoaretransformed.• Cultureis theenvironment• Focusesonteachingabout theworld

Newthinking(learning-basedapproach)• Emergingculturerespondstoitssurroundingsorganicallyandthrivesonchange.• Cultureemerges fromtheenvironmentandgrowsalongwithit• Focusesonlearningthroughengagementwithin theworld

LearningtoEmbraceChange

• Education’smajorpitfall:beliefthatmostofwhatweknowwillremainrelativelyunchangedforalongenoughperiodoftimetobeworththeeffortoftransferringit

• Techprovidesapowerfulplatformforlearning:informationtechnologyhasbecomeaparticipatorymedium,givingrisetoanenvironmentthatisconstantlybeingchangedandreshapedbytheparticipatoryitself

• Changeforcestolearndifferently:embracingchangemeanslookingforwardtowhatwillcomenext,viewingthefutureasasetofnewpossibilitiesanditmeansmakingthemostoflivinginaworldofmotion

Ø Wecan’tcountonbeingtaughtortrainedtohandleeachnewchangeinourtools,themediaorthewayswecommunicateonacase-by-casebasis.Makingknowledgestableinachangingworldisanunwinnablegame(f.eg.EncyclopediaBritannicavs.Wikipedia)

NewFormulaforLearning:Games

• Childrenuseplayandimaginationastheprimarymechanismsformakingsenseoftheworld:newplaces,people,things,ideasandmassiveinfluxofinformationiscopedwithbyplay.Growingup,theplaydiminishes• Today,childrenandadultsalikemustdealwithever-changing,expandingworld– whatdoIdonow?HowdoIhandlethissituationorprocessthisnewinformation,makesenseofitall?

ØTheNewFormula:inaworldofnear-constantflux,playbecomesastrategyforembracingchange,ratherthanawayforgrowingoutofit–alsoforadults

LearninginTheCollective…

Newcultureoflearningisbasedonthreeprinciples:

1. Theoldwaysareunabletokeepupwithourrapidlychangingworld2. Newmediaformsaremakingpeer-to-peerlearningeasierandmore

natural3. Peer-to-peerlearningisamplifiedbyemergingtechnologiesthat

shapethecollectivenatureofparticipationwiththosenewmedia

…LearninginTheCollective

• Peoplelearnthroughtheirinteractionandparticipationwithoneanotherinfluidrelationshipsthataretheresultofsharedinterestsandopportunity

• Notraditionalroleofteacherorstudent.Instead,anyonewhohasparticularknowledgeoforexperiencewithagivensubjectmaytakeontheroleofmentoratanytime

• Studentsthemselvestakeactiveroleinhelpingtocreateandmoldthelatestup-to-dateinformation,particularlyinareasofsocialinformation

Ø=ACollective.Acollectionofpeople,skillsandtalentthatproducesaresultgreaterthanthesumofitsparts.Acollectiveisdefinedbyanactiveengagement withtheprocessoflearning(eachandeverymember)

ØIncommunities,peoplelearninordertobelong.Inacollective,peoplebelonginordertolearn

PrinciplesofLearninginTheCollective

• Thereisnosenseofcoreorcentre• Peoplearefreetomoveinandoutofthegroupatvarioustimesforvariousreasons

• Theirparticipationmayvarybasedontopic,interest,experienceorneed

• Virtualcollectivesaren’tboundbyphysicalorgeographicalconstraints,theyaregenerallyavailabletoanyonewhowishestoparticipate

• Anyefforttodefineordirectcollectiveswoulddestroytheverythingthatisuniqueandinnovativeaboutthem

Giveamanafishandfeedhimforaday.Teachamantofish,andfeedhimaslongasthefishsupplyholdsout.Butcreateacollective,andeverymanwilllearnhowtofeedhimselffor

alifetime.

ThePersonalwithTheCollective

• Newintertwiningandremixingframeworkinsteadofonline’s traditionaldivideintopublicvs.private:thepersonalcombinedwiththecollective

• Thepersonalisthebasisforanindividual’snotionsofwhosheis(identity)andwhatshecando(agency)

• Thecollectiveismadeupofpeoplewithgenerallysharedvaluesandbeliefsabouttheworldandtheirplaceinit,theyaremorenarrow,pluralandmultiple,theyformanddisappearandarebothcontextualandsituated(unlikepublic)

ØSharingsomethingpersonalwithacollective,therefore,isverydifferentfromtakingsomethingprivateandputtingitintothepublicdomain

TheNewCollective

• Classrooms:thegoalistotransmitinformationinapublicwaytotheprivatemindsofthestudents

• Onlinesitecateringpersonalinterests:notargetedgoalorlearningobjective,thesitecanbeusedandshapedinwaysthatmeettheneedsofthecollective.Identityandagencywithinthesitearebothfluid,butdefinedbyhowthepersonalmesheswiththecollective

ØThecollectiveis,inthemostbasicsense,agroupconstantlyplayingwithandreimaginingitsownidentity

ØCollectivesarecreationsofplayandimaginationinaneraofdigitalmedia

ØEvaluationsarebasedonhowindividual’spersonalsenseofidentityandagencymatcheswiththevariouscollectivesthatconstitutedifferentspaces

WhyDigital?

• Digitalplatformsprovideameansfortrulyharnessingthecollective,theyarealsoanamplifier

• Theyintensifyandheightentheprocessoflearningbycontinuouslyrelatingitbacktothepersonal

• Digitalmediaisbasedonaninfrastructurethatisdesignedtoscale

• Peoplearen’tjustlearningfrom oneanother,theyarelearningwith oneanother

• Theyareacollaborativeproblem-solvingtool:evenifaproblemisnotyour problem,youcanlearnbywatchinghowotherproblemsareworkedoutcollectively

• Expertiseandauthorityaredispersedratherthancentralised(concertedcultivationbyAnnetteLareau)– valuespeer-to-peerinteractionandthefluidnatureandimpermanenceofcollectives

• Eachcollectivehasthepotentialtomakelearningfunandeasyandtoallowpeopletofollowtheirdesiresandpassions

WeKnowMoreThanWeCanSay

• Oldwayfocusesonstableinformationandthusexplicitknowledge,suchasthespeedoflight

• Newwayfocusesontacitlearning:inthedigitalworld,welearnbydoing,watchingandexperiencing

• Inaworldofconstantchange,focusingexclusivelyontheexplicitdimensionsisnolongerviablemodelforeducation

ØTacitknowledgegrowsthroughpersonalexperienceandexperimentationandisNOTtransferrable- tacitknowledgehappensnotonlyinthebrainbutalsointhebody,throughallsensesandisanexperientialprocessaswellasacognitiveone

LearningInquiry…

• Peoplelearnindifferentwaysanddifferentpeoplelearndifferentthings!

• Studentslearnbestwhentheyareabletofollowtheirpassionandoperatewithintheconstraintsofaboundedenvironment

• Whenstudentsfeelpassionforatopic,theywillseekoutthetoughproblems,ratherthantheeasyonesandworkhardertosolvethem– andhavingfunatthesametime

ØInthenewcultureoflearningquestionsbecomemoreimportantthananswers.Whatifthekeytolearningweren’ttheapplicationoftechniquesbuttheirinvention?Whatifstudentswereaskingquestionsaboutthingsthatreallymatteredtothem?

…LearningInquiry

• Learninginquiryistheprocessbywhichwedon’task“Whatisitthatweknow?”but“Whatarethethingswedon’tknowandwhatquestionscanweaskaboutthem?• Theprocessofinquiryresultsinusefulinformationregardlessoftheoutcome• Whenyoufocusoncontinuallyaskingbetterquestions,yourelyonthetacitanduseyourimaginationtodelvedeeperanddeeperintotheprocessofinquiry

Indwelling

• Indwellingisafamiliaritywithideas,practicesandprocessesthataresoengrainedtheybecomesecondnature• It’sanadaptiveprocessandflexible– responsestochangesinenvironmentandsituation• It’sasetofpracticesweuseanddeveloptofindandmakeconnectionsamongthetacitdimensionsofthings.It’sthesetofexperiencesfromwhichwe’reabletodevelopourhunchesandsenseofintuition• Dispositionsareconnectedtoindwelling:indicateshowastudentmakesconnectionsatthetacitlevel(howtheyarelikelytolearn)• Thenewcultureoflearningnurturescollectiveindwelling

DispositionExample:HowGamersLearn

Throughexperimentationandwithfivecommoncharactertraitsofdisposition

1. Keepaneyeonthebottomline:gameworldsaremeritocraciesandafter-actionreviewsaremeaningfulonlyaswaysonenhancingperformance(individualorgroup)

2. Understandthepowerofdiversity:gamesaredesignedtorequireteamwork.Diversityisessentialandthestrongestteamsarearichmixofdiversetalentsandabilities.Thequestionis:“HowmuchhaveIhelpedthegroup?”

3. Thriveonchange:gamersdon’tsimplymanagechange.Theycreateit,seekitoutandfeedonit

4. Seelearningasfun:formostgamers,thefunliesinlearninghowtoovercomeobstacles.Therewardisconvertingknowledgeintoactionandrecognisingthatcurrentsuccessesaswellasfailuresareresourcesforsolvingfutureproblems

5. Liveontheedge:gamersoftenexploreradicalalternativesandinnovativestrategiesforcompletingtasks,questsandchallenges.Theyhaveadesiretopushtheboundariesoftheenvironmentinordertodiscoversomenewinsightorusefulinformationthatdeepensone’sunderstandingofthegame

Knowing,MakingandPlaying…

• Learninghasthreedimensions:knowing,makingandplaying

Knowing

• Oldwayisaquestionof“whatistheinformation”– easilytestable,regardsknowledgeasstatic,easilytransmittedofwhatmadesense

• Newwayisaquestionof“whereistheinformation”– informationhasmeaningissubjecttochange,reconstructionandappropriation

ØOnlybyunderstandingthe“where”ofapieceofinformationcanweunderstanditsmeaning.Thisalsoreshapesthenotionofexpertise->it’smoreabouthowtofindandevaluateinformationonatopicthanhavingastockpileofinformation

…Knowing,MakingandPlaying

Making

• Whenwebuild,wealsocreatecontextbybuildingwithinaparticularenvironment,providinglinksandcreatingconnections.Thuslearninggoesbeyondasimpletransferofinformationandbecomesinextricablyboundwiththecontextthatisbeingcreated

• Throughtheprocessofmakingwealsolearnhowtocraftcontextsothatitcarriesmoreofthemessagewhichhelpssolvemanyoftheissuesofinformationoverload(f.eg.expandingthenotionofliteracytoincludeimages,colour,soundandhowinformationistransmitted)

ØMeaningarisesnotfrominterpretation(what somethingmeans)butfromcontextualisation(wheresomethinghasmeaning)

Ø Learningcontentthroughmaking(what) isverydifferentfromlearningthroughshapingcontext(where).Theprocessofmakingandremakingcontextisandactofimaginativeplay(the“how”ofinformation).

Ø Byparticipatinginthemakingofmeaning,wealsolearnhowtojudgeandevaluateit,givingspecialsensitivitytothewaysinformationcanbeshaped,positivelyaswellasnegatively

…Knowing,MakingandPlaying

Playing

• JohanHuizinga:culturedoesn’tcreateplay;playcreatesculture

• Allsystemsofplayare,atbase,learningsystems.Theyarewaysofengagingincomplicatednegotiationsofmeaning,interactionandcompetition,notonlyforentertainment,butalsoforcreatingmeaning

• Playprovidestheopportunitytoleap,experiment,failandcontinuetoplaywithdifferentoutcomes– inotherwordstoriddleone’swaythroughmystery

Ø Thesolutionarisesthroughapproachingtheproblemfrommanyanglesandultimatelyseeingitslogiconlyattheend,notbylinearprogressioninwhicheachstepconfirmsthatyou’reontherightpath

Ø Inplay,learningisn’tdrivenbyalogicalcalculusbutbyamorelateral,imaginativewayofthinkingandfeelinginstead

Example:Mizuko Ito’sSocialMediaResearch…

• Youngpeopleparticipatewithnewmediainthreestages:hangingout,messingaroundandgeeking out

Hangingout

• =Learningtobe,i.e.certainsocialpracticesandshapingone’sownsocialidentity

• Firststepintheprocessofindwelling,“beingwith”– learninghowtobewithothersinspacesthataremediatedbydigitaltechnology

• Buildingafoundationforlearning:hangingoutisasocial,notmerelytechnologicalactivity.It’saboutdevelopingasocialidentity

• Centralquestion:“Whatismyrelationshiptoothers?”

…Example:Mizuko Ito’sSocialMediaResearch

Messingaround• Begintotakeinterestandandfocusontheworkingsandcontentofthetechnologyandthemediathemselves

• Beginstobringconceptsofknowingandmakingintocontactwithoneanother.Thefunctionofplayistounpackandexperimentwiththefamiliar

• Theprocessofknowingstopsbeingaboutone’srelationshiptoothersandbecomesaboutone’srelationshiptotheenvironment.It’saboutacquiringasenseofsosial agency

• Personalinvestmentintechnologyanddigitalmediachangesthefocusfromsocialagencytopersonalagency

• Centralquestion:“WhatamIabletoexplore?”

…Example:Mizuko Ito’sSocialMediaResearch

Geeking out

• Themostcomplicatedstagewithtwoaspects:thetechnologicalinfrastructurethatmakesgeeking outpossibleandthemannerinwhichit’sdone– boththesocialagencyofhangingoutandthepersonalagencyofmessingaround

• Providesandexperiential,embodiedsenseoflearningwithinarichsocialcontextofpeerinteraction,feedbackandknowledgeconstructionenabledbytechnologicalinfrastructurethatpromotes“intense,autonomous,interestdriven”learning

• Thiskindoflearninghighlightstheimportanceofunderstandingthepowerofcollaboration.Itgainsalmostallitspowerandbenefitsfromthesharedexperiencesofcollectiveindwelling

• Centralquestion:“HowcanIutilisetheavailableresources,bothsocialandtechnological,fordeepexploration?”

TheNewCultureofLearningforaWorldofConstantChange• Newresearchshowsthatgamescanaidandenhancelearning.MMOs(MassivelyMultiplayerOnlinegames)arealmostperfectillustrationsofanewlearningenvironment

• Withinthenewcultureoflearning,networkedinformationprovidesnutrientsallowingexploration,playandexperimentationtocontinuallycultivatenewquestions– successdependsonhowwellgroupmemberscansynctheireffortstosolveproblems

• Gameswhichallowlearnerstoplay,exploreandexperience,alsoallowthemtodiscoverwhat’simportanttothem,whatitistheyactuallywanttolearn– andkeepsthemplaying.Ifthegameisgood,youneverplayitthesamewaytwice

• Asenseofcollectiveindwelling– thefeelingthatgroupmembersshareatacitunderstandingofoneanother,theirenvironmentandthepracticesnecessarytocompletetheirtask– resultsinsuccess

• Individualperformanceisvital– eachgroupmembermustexecutetheirjobsflawlesslyortheteamdoesn’tsucceed– butit’sinherentlytiedtothegroup.There’snowayforasinglemembertosucceedalone

SharedImagination

• Theabilitytoplaymaybethesinglemostimportantskilltodevelopforthe21st century

• Aquestingdisposition:theworldprovidesmultipleresourcesandavenuesforsolvingproblemsandthatsolutionsareinventedasmuchastheyareimplemented.Theykeytoquestingisnottypicalproblemsolving,butinnovation

• Thistypeofinnovationisafusionoftwoelementsoflearning:pullingtogetherofresourcesandexperimentingwiththemtoseewhatfits(tacitknowledgeaboutsomethingregardlessofsuccessorfailure)

• Onceplayersstarttointeract,theyalsodevelopasharedsenseofimagination– whatmakesthegameworldparticularlyinterestingandchallengingisbothconstantchangeandthefactthattheactionsofplayersintheworld,asacollective,aredrivingthatchange

Summary

• Playismorethansomethingwedo,it’swhoweare

• Playprecedesculture

• Thecriticalideaisthatthetwoelements– informationandexperimentation– arebeingbroughttogetherinawaythattransformsthemboth

• Playisthecentraltoolforinvertingthetraditionalhierarchyoflearningandknowing

• Useanswerstofindincreasinglybetterquestions

• Theresultisanewformofcultureinwhichknowledgeisseenasfluid andevolving,thepersonalisbothenhancedandrefinedinrelationtothecollectiveandtheabilitytomanage,negotiateandparticipateintheworldisgovernedbytheplayofimagination

Ø Connectingplayandimaginationmaybethesinglemostimportantstepinunleashingthenewcultureoflearning.Whereimaginationsplay,learninghappens.