Using peer to peer learning to sustain community

HOW have you learned from your colleagues or mentor? How might you make use of Peer to Peer, PLN, or COP in the future? 

One of the things I have learned from Adult Learning and Leadership program is the opportunity to learn from peers as much as one learns from the readings and professor. The collaborative nature of how new knowledge is created, shared and extended has been deep and enriching. It confirmed George Siemens assertion in one of the videos for this week, that learning happens in a socially connected way and that knowledge is produced in a networked way. This process of collaborative knowledge creation taps into, what Clay Shirky mentioned in his TED Talk, into human generosity and digital technology.

The example of USHAHIDI - the online bulletin board created in 2008 as a response to the political violence on the streets of Kenya after the elections, reminded me of the use of WhatsAPP groups during the Nigeria presidential elections of 2023. Of note, it is the reporting from the various groups on election day that showed the widespread voter intimidation, violence at polling stations and ballot box stuffing. I found the up to date reporting by citizen journalists to be essential in keeping us informed.

How might you support these concepts in the capacity of a teacher or facilitator?

I have used peer to peer learning in workshops where we use Padlet to enable interaction before, during and after the sessions. I found the informal interaction to be fun while encouraging sharing of ideas and building better connections. I can use the tools to facilitate learning - share assignments, invite input and keep a continuing log of learner participation. 

One of the challenges I see is how do I keep the community connection long after the work session is done. I learned from the reading that creating an environment where people feel safe to share and tell their story of how they apply the learning will be one way of keeping the alive.