As we are nearing the FutureLab 2016 and the reviving of our Learning Circles, the Participatory Learning group shares how they executed the Learning Circles process throughout these years. Learning Circles go through four stages repetitively, more information can be found here.
Reflection – The group started due to the observation by oikos members that their management education was not beneficial and did not reflect our present and future needs.
Learning – The LC started drawing a landscape of what is already occurring to improve management education. They did so by collecting data communicated at conferences or found in literature and media. Whilst doing so they reflected on their education at their different universities. All members filled out a survey that enabled them to reflect within their LC and share their experience with other oikos members. In this stage they also started networking and meeting with people who had the same interest either by attending conferences or holding calls.
Planning – At the oikos FutureLab 2014, the LC started to frame their initiative for action: writing an open letter on changing management education. They invited several experts to aid them in the reflection and discussion of their ideas and processes. After the FutureLab the team met again to reflect on their workshops and define future steps. Their initiative was named COMMIT.
Action – In March 2015, this LC is at this stage. The development of the vision and networking is almost finalized but keeps on being developed. The plan is to, in April 2015, focus on the marketing and campaigning of their initiative and continue the reflections with a variety of experts.
After the FutureLab 2014 we started to thinkg about campaigning and collected best practices through interviews with faculty members and students. In january 2015, we named our initiative COMMIT (Change Of Management-education and Methods In Teaching). Then we met up at the oikos Spring Meeting and had there a workshop with Chris Taylor who became after that our mentor. In June 2015, we were part of the GRLI meeting and UN PRiME meeting where we facilited our first workshop on the dream university as well as on participatory learning methods. After that we decided that the COMMIT team should organise more workshops because everyone loved it and we really can change how people see education and the role of students and professors in it. Since then we facilitated around 5 workshops to collect new ideas on methods and content how the university should look like and how people learn best. Finally, we created 3 different workshops types on different topics with which we want to go in the future to universities and propose them to facilitate a workshop on one of these topics.
Written by the oikos Learning Circle on Participatory Learning
