"Increasingly in networks and communities I'm part of," writes Brendon Johnson, "the activity participants see the most value and impact in - and engage with regularity and enthusiasm - is peer learning circles." But peer learning doesn't just happen automatically. "There's a lot of tiny pieces that, when they all come together, allow for many learning circles to thrive," writes Johnson. For example: outlining a clear purpose, establishing shared principles, creating a straightforward process, clarifying commitment, and a number of other typical group-formation mechanisms. All of this works fine if you're in a homogeneous environment or collaboration, but group learning - which is what Johnson is describing - is not the same as peer learning, in my opinion. The best peer learning works when these principles are not in operation. That's when your purpose, principles and assumptions are challenged and you're forced to think beyond the current context.
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