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Knowledge Hydrant - A Pattern Language for Study Groups

Source: http://www.industriallogic.com.papers.khdraft.pdf

  • Summary notes: ##Knowledge Hydrants We tend to overlook older texts and works as defunct and past usefulness - but they can often be hydrants of knowledge.

*## Discover the great literature in your profession or area of interest and then beging an earnest study of these works.

  • Ask people

  • What authors do they like? What are their favourite books? What has profoundly influenced them?

    • Join/form a study group
    • Order the works to be studied
    • Compose an agenda

Pool of Insight

=individual study pales in comparison with the study of literature in a group dialogue.=

Study on one's own and then engage in meaningful dialogue.

  • clarify waht confused others
  • expose your own misunderstandings
  • reveal new ideas
  • articulate that which you didn't know you knew

*## [ ] Book: On Dialogue by David Bohm In a dialogue everyone wins.

*## Read and study but discuss with others in a regular study group.

  • Safe place
  • Common ground
  • Public living room
  • Motivated moderator
  • Prepared participants

*_ Safe place =Loud-mouths, show-offs, know-it-alls and people who areoverly competitive, adversarial or confrontational, can makeothers uncomfortable or insecure, and create an environment that is not conducive to learning, sharing or the building of ideas.= _building of ideas*

*## [ ] The Learning Organization - Peter M. Senge

**

  • Dialogue brings vulnerability - seeing each other as colleagues working toward a common goal can help friendship develop even if there is little in common beforehand. Mutual risk and sense of safety in the face of it.

    Saying no to =hostility= =disrespect= =bullying= =showing off=

Enduring energy

Starting is easy - keeping going another matter.

  • Weekly or fortnightly
  • 1-2hr max
  • Short break in the middle

Kindred Collaborators

Forget networking - learning and growing together inevitably leads to collaboration and growth for all.

Common Ground

Easy for people to get to but not too close to their offices or homes.

*## [?] What does this mean for a remote study group? I imagine any study group I'd form/join would be remote (even before Covid!!).

Public Living Room

Again, I wonder which of these characteristics are relevant to a remote environment - refreshments, warm lighting, different chairs, rearrangable furniture.

Intimate Circle

  • 2-8 people

Virtual Space

  • For distributed diary
  • Agendas
  • [?] Should this be Discord?

Enthusiastic leader

Inform and invite people <- -> Create and stimulate the group Stimulating events, virtual dialogues, listen to people's ideas!

Motivated Moderator

  • Need to stop conversations wander aimlessly, arguments erupying and people talking on top of each other.

*## [?] How can you become a great moderator? Besides being knowledgeable about the literature over which you moderate.

  • Prepare throughly
  • Ask the opening question (challenging, penetrating to establish engaging and enlightening discussion)
  • Resuscitate deteriorating dialogues
  • Handle side conversations
  • Refocus by reading
  • Let people speak
  • Challenge groundless criticism
  • Rotate moderators
  • Politeness and patience

Active participant

  • Each participant is empowered by use the study group as their tool for growth.
  • Form subgroups
  • Inform when something is or isn't working
  • Moderate
  • Never stop learning

Prepared Participant

  • Without studying individuals generally add to little or too much.
  • Read and note:
    • What you did and did not understand
    • What they thoought the key points were
    • What they did not agree with
    • What ideas related to other writings
    • How the work could be improved

Distinguished Participant

Bringing someone who is well-known to raise the status of the group and the importance of the interactrions. Recognising that 1-2-1 and small group is a better form of learning and knowledge transfer than lectures.

Opening Question

Thinking deeply about the opening question that can set up the conversation and the time together is a key skill.

Sequential Study

  • Study literature chronologically for maximum comprehension.

Agenda

  • Create and publish an agenda with at least 3-6 weeks worth of planned meetings.

Subgroup

Why?

  • Too many people show up
  • People want to study different literature
  • Someone may want to study something relevant that no one else is studying
  • A study group needs new members

Study Cycles

Package readings into collections, which a group of individuals may undertake to study. Combine the study cycle with a SUBGROUP, which will repeat the cycle over and over as long as there is interest.

This feels like the trail group concept that Joel was talkign about.

Distributed Diary

  • Everyone write 2-3 senstences which they think capture the most important ideas
  • Someone compiles them and writes a 'diary' based on the notes.

Afterhours

  • Head to the pub afterwards.