People Based Learning
People based learning roots learning in human connection.
Think back to your favorite teacher as a child. I am going to predict at least one, if not all, of the following three things were true.
They made learning come alive, sharing their own experiences, stories and examples that struck emotions and stuck in your memory.
They connected with you. They personalized your experience with high standards and warm encouragement.
They were your champion.
These qualities facilitate the learning in any setting. They are not qualities that come from a text book or a project or a video activity. These are people qualities.
Psychologist Abraham Maslow developed the the famous ‘hierarchy of needs‘, which places our need to connect with others as secondary only to our survival needs. Attachment theory suggests that a child needs a trusting connection with a caregiver to do well as an adult. Connection to people does not just help us learn, it is a necessary part of learning.
Welcome to School of Thought, a bi-monthly newsletter featuring big evidence based ideas and how to make them usable, with visuals and inspiring links. I’m glad you’re here!
The Big Idea
Polina Pompliano is the author of a blog The Profile, and she articulates the essence of People Based Learning:
If I want to learn something new, whether it’s about making better decisions or the French Revolution, I’ll pick a person that best embodies the idea I want to learn about. I find that it’s easier to have an emotional connection to a person, which then triggers my memory, and I actually learn and remember.
Innovative schools use engaging and relevant models, many abbreviated as PBL- Place Based Learning/ Project Based Learning/ Problem Based Learning. At Revolution School, we have added a new P to PBL- people.
Humans are social beings, and we learn with and from those around us all the time. When students engage in People Based Learning they
grow more empathetic. (People connecting with people grows empathy.)
experience clarity in their direction. (They see examples, and get feedback.)
share, iterate upon and get to realize their ideas more often and more easily.
grow a larger network of champions and mentors.
see things in systems, and make connections. (Their worlds gain detail.)
allow divergent ideas to bloom. (They can disagree and see things anew.)
navigate the academic, personal and professional world with more confidence.
evolve and iterate upon both their ideas and themselves.
People Based Learning engages individuals actively in meaningful connections with others for the purpose of inclusive, durable, emotionally threaded learning.
Making Big Ideas Usable
How might you make this practical and usable? Click here for ideas and resources.
