Learning 3.0, a revolution in learning
Published by Richard Aspinall at https://www.happymelly.com/learning-3-0-a-revolution-in-learning/
On the road
On the 15hour journey, starting at 2am (London time), I had more than enough time to imagine what a Learning Camp could entail. AleXandre Magno had tried to explain it to me on more than one occasion and in theory, I knew more or less what to expect but in truth, it exceeded any expectations that my alcohol-fuelled, jet-lagged mind could possibly imagine.
A day later, I was on a coach with about 20 or so Brazilians, each one of them wondering who I was and why I couldn’t speak a word of Portuguese (Cerveja being the obvious exception!) Who was this strange man? A secret, undercover agent…?!
Once at the camp, a beautiful setting just outside the city of Sao Paulo, I watched AleXandre Magno get into gear. It may be true that I didn’t understand much of his introduction but it didn’t seem to matter at all. Every single activity was self-explanatory, each attendee was entirely captivated and Caio Cestari Silva’s energiser was simply hilarious! There we all were, pretending to be animals; squawking, bleating, screeching and trying to arrange ourselves in order of size. I thought to myself, this is pretty unconventional, pretty leftfield… but that was only the beginning!
There’s delegation and there’s delegation but after a few sessions, something very interesting started to appear: there was no hierarchy whatsoever. The students had all taken it upon themselves to facilitate key parts of the camp and I noticed that each person in the room naturally began to take responsibility for each activity. This became patently obvious when Antonio Luiz, a special guest, arranged the chairs into a circle and started to share his experiences of facilitation. Again, not able to understand a word he said, I was somewhat lost in the concept but simply by observing Antonio, I could see that his audience were like putty in his hands. By simply maintaining eye contact, the most intense I have ever seen, the audience was gripped. Once the session had reached a natural conclusion, the students were keen to explain exactly what Antonio had told them. This process of sharing what they had learned with me was a constant theme of the weekend and now I think about it, was an incredible way for the sharers to consolidate their own learning.
Quack, Quack
4 cans of Brahma, a nice dinner, some fun icebreakers and a much-needed sleep later, it was time for the first full day to begin. This is where the campers really got to find out what Learning 3.0 was really all about. To me, the most intriguing aspect of the session was to understand the underlying theory of Learning 3.0 and how we had reached this point. In just half an hour, AleXandre Magno had managed to condense his book into a fascinating slideshow of inspiration and revelation. Most importantly perhaps were the tools that allow Learning 3.0 to be put into practice most effectively. It was almost artistic in a way because as each activity was completed, the walls of the conference room started to look more and more like the Tate Modern Gallery. The now-famous Learning Canvas demonstrated this most distinctively and became a key component of the group’s learning.
The end of day one came around at about 8.30pm but what amazed me was that nobody was tired. In fact, the students seemed to want more and more and I noticed how each one of them approached me to explain (what they thought) I had lost through the language barrier. I really appreciated the concern they had and their enthusiasm to share their newfound knowledge and skills. Like I said before, ‘sharing is caring.’
One of the highlights was undoubtedly Lego Serious Play. Wow! If ever there was a way to demonstrate emergent learning, then this was it. Facilitated by two enthusiastic practitioners (Paquisa Mazzola and Mirian Favaro), the groups were set the task of constructing 6 basic bricks to create a duck.
Next, we each shared a story about our duck and so went the theme. Create, share and discuss was very much the order of the day, with each model getting a little more innovative each time. After sharing individual constructions, it was time for the group to build a collaborative model. The question posed to us was, “How can you create a model that reflects learning?” We each took our individual models and reconstructed them to create one model for our group of 5. Once complete, each group explained the model to the whole class. What next? Of course, the whole group (of about 20 people) produced one, all-encompassing model.
What did it mean? That we all benefit from sharing our ideas and that ultimately, we all bring value to tasks. The penny not only dropped but it smashed a huge hole in the ground. This was groundbreaking and revolutionary. This was the essence of Learning and Sharing. Quack quack!
Reflection
So, by the end of the camp, I think that my role there had become clear. Sadly, I was not a secret agent, working undercover to serve Queen and country. In fact, by simply being there, I had forced the students to speak to me in English. In doing so, I was able to provide real world learning. Yes, I corrected mistakes but much more apparent was the real world learning that had been going on since the very first minute of the camp. To be honest, I think it shook me up a little bit too. The way I teach could be so much more interesting and effective if I can take on board some (if not all) of the Learning 3.0 ideas. Where is my Learning Canvas? How do students see evidence of their learning and how can learning happen in the real world? These are questions that I personally will endeavour to answer as my own adventure into Learning 3.0 goes on…
AleXandre Magno’s idea is absolutely Darwinian. No two camps will be alike. In fact, by their very nature, the camps will evolve over time. The point is that each attendee brings something new to the table. New tools are always being created and new ideas are not only welcomed but actively encouraged. There is no right or wrong, no idea too outrageous and most importantly, there is no individual considered more important than another.
Without wanting to sound too grandiose, I felt incredibly fortunate to be part of a revolution in learning. I know I am not alone in that view and now I truly know that This is Learning, Learning 3.0
