Social learning: another concept-illuminating visualization (aka 'doodle')

Due to the tremendous success of my previous post (a smashing response rate of 1 reply) I have decided to add another doodle from a while ago, about social learning and other interesting theories.

I wrote some deep things about this in a reflection paper for a course on the exact same topic during my study at the Wageningen University ( an awesome university, if I might add!). I'm basically repeating those deep contemplations here, in a somewhat more condensed version.

Social learning* is: “a collaborative, emergent learning process that hinges on the simultaneous cultivation of ‘difference’ and social cohesion in order to create joint ownership, unleash creativity and the kind of dynamic and energy needed to break with existing patterns, routines or systems”


But first, the doodle, then the boring theory behind it. 


Doodle

Explanatory notes

Important terms and words for Social Learning are in italics and underlined

Social learning is an expedition, a quest

The image shows how Sole (after Social learner) embarks on an expedition - a ‘quest’- for knowledge and insights. With the help of several other stakeholders (ribbons on her arm), Sole tackles a wicked problem (the evil clouds), in order to come to valuable insights, in the castle up the hill.

Some ‘isolated aspects’ of the image, which are not part of ‘social learning’ as a broader framework, but are illustrated nonetheless: 

• Sole’s belt – called ‘help-belt F1’ stands for facilitation and its many diverse tools. Facilitation can help hold a team of social learners together, or in Sole’s case, the belt helps hold her pants together. Moreover, facilitators can carry with them many tools to facilitate social learning, as this belt carries many tools that help Sole in her quest. The term F1 is two-fold: 1) it refers to the F1-button on a computer’s dashboard, the general button for when you want the help-function of a program to kick in and assist you. (one of the buttons on my dashboard that shows wear-and-tear signs), and 2) F1 stands for Formula one, which I hardly need explain is a race of some speedy vehicles driven by maniacs. This connotation is relevant for the help-belt, because facilitation can often speed up the processes within a team.
• The little pick nick basket between Sole’s feet gives her provision, because her quest, a social learning process can take a long time and a lot of energy. But she is not just bringing any random foodstuff with her. She has the ingredients with her for ‘integrative cakes’. She is not planning to just distribute her provision to her fellow-stakeholders, she plans to create together with them an (integrated) diner, that will help all of them survive on the long process towards the end goal.

Weapons of social learning

Remember the definition of social learning? 

“a collaborative, emergent learning process that hinges on the simultaneous cultivation of ‘difference’ and social cohesion in order to create joint ownership, unleash creativity and the kind of dynamic and energy needed to break with existing patterns, routines or systems”

• The cultivation of difference is represented by the agricultural field (bottom right), where all kinds of diverse plants are growing. The sign reads “cultivated difference”, which basically says it all. 
• Social cohesion is illustrated by the social glue tube hanging from the belt of Sole. Social cohesion, in my mind, is the ‘stuff that brings and holds people together’, and glue has a similar effect, hence the analogy. 
• Joint ownership, furthermore, is represented by the contract, also on Sole’s help-belt. Since ownership is nowadays nearly always written down in contracts, I thought it applicable to illustrate this joint ownership also with a contract. Because this is not just any old contract, but a ‘joint’ one, the contract is wrapped around a ‘joint’. 

In social learning a distinction can be made between individual and group perspectives. Four aspects of particular importance from the group perspective are:

• (Re)framing: the shield that Sole is carrying is a frame, and within it, there is a reframe. The framing-reframing is represented by a shield because a shield is meant to block some things, though not able to block everything – since it is limited in size. A frame can have similar effects, blocking some, but not other ways in which reality can be perceived. 
• Trust: trust is of vital importance for a group that is trying to socially learn. In order to guarantee everyone trusts one another, Sole has the ‘thrust 2000 trust-spear’. Let’s just assume that it will not pierce the heart of opponents, but rather ‘touch upon’ (‘aanstippen’ in Dutch) their trust. 
• Commitment: group members should be committed to process, content and each other. The ring on Sole’s shield-hand represents this commitment; it is an ‘engagement’ ring. In other words, she is committed to the social learning process, team and content. 
• Communication with the constituency: Sole has the latest high-tech equipment at her disposal. The can and rope hanging over her shoulder is connected to the can that is dragging behind her, and with it she can communicate with her ‘achterban’ or ‘grass-roots’ constituency.

Next I will give attention to individual perspectives to social learning. Many things seem to influence a person in his or her interpretation of things, and in order to represent this multitude of factors, I have dumped all of them  - culture, peers, worldviews, goals, norms values beliefs, prior knowledge et cetera – in one single bag, and called it ‘back-ground bag’. Notice that this is hanging on Sole’s back, this back-ground bag. It contains all individual background that can influence her perspectives.

Other aspects of social learning: 

• Diversity: different actors – ribbons on Sole’s arm – but also different perspectives of these actors – diverse glasses on the aviator-cap
• Conflicting interests: conflicting interests of actors are the loose ends of the ribbons, biting each other
• Common ground: the arrow on the road-sign that Sole faces points to the ground she walks upon, which is already ‘common’ now that she is walking on it
• Transparency: represented by the transparent mesh /gauze that is installed onto the frame-shield, showing that within the limits of the frame, one can see through clearly
• A space for interaction: represented by Sole’s sword, called ‘space maker’, a term susceptible to multiple interpretations, but at least a tool to make room for communication between actors. 

Not captured in this doodle, but of equal importance, by the way, are mutual dependency and the fact that there are no solutions to the problem to which everyone agrees.

Onwards to the enemy!

Sole is fighting a ‘wicked problem’ – hence the vicious smile of the clouds. Typically, wicked problems have an emergent character (represented by the ‘cloud-like’ appearance of the wicked problem); are complex and hyper-connected (represented by the complex network of nodes and connections inside the wicked problem), and are multi-faceted in nature (represented by the two facet-eyes of the second cloud), or rather, there are multiple perspectives on it (Sole’s aviator cap with various glasses for seeing all these different perspectives). As is also shown in the image, such problems are often rooted in society and cultures.

Wicked problems are described by Funtowicz and Ravetz as issues where: “facts are uncertain, values in dispute, stakes high and decisions urgent”(see also my previous post on Post-normal science). 

• Uncertainty is shown further along the road, when roads split up and more than one route to the castle emerges. 
• Illustrating disputed values, Sole carries with her a wide range of other actors, represented by ribbons around her arm. These ribbons have loose ends ‘of value’, whom are in conflict (see Sole’s right arm). 
• Moreover, that the stakes are high can be seen near the castle. Surrounding it are stakes in the ground, and these are quite high. Each stake, of course, is held tightly by a ‘stake-holder’. 
• Finally, the urgency of decisions is represented by Sole’s clock, hanging from her belt. It specifically notes 5-to-12, which is a Dutch way of saying that time is running out.

Concerning transition management, the sign that Sole is about to pass is referring to ‘at least’ two pathways towards her goal, which may lead to transitions. In the background, we can see two parachutists taking at least a third pathway. Moreover, the cableway is yet another pathway. Further down the road Sole will encounter even more pathways, which all amounts to the uncertainty of the social learning process.

What it is all about: the meaning of life?

Finally, a word or two about the end goal: the insights in the castle. They are hidden in the ‘box of insights’ which is a diorama or ‘view-box’ as it were. The instruction reads: “see ‘inside’ for insights”. This message has a double meaning: 1)  literally it means that in order to see what is inside the box, one ought to look inside it. Pure logic, no one can argue with that (except Schrodinger´s cat, but that is another matter). 2), a ‘deeper meaning’ of the instruction ‘seeing inside’ refers to a process of introspection, or self-reflection. In order to do this on her way over to the castle, Sole carries a mirror on her belt, with which she can self-reflect from time to time. Her mirror helps in ‘monitoring’, which is done along the way to the goal. But this box represents the more definitive ‘evaluation’, which takes place after a process has come to completion. Final insights can be obtained in hindsight, and a new ‘cycle’ of social learning can ensue. But how that second adventure ends, is for students of the next year to find out! 

*For a better/more sciency-sounding explanation of the idea behind Social Learning (from the perspective of the course's awesome teachers PJ Beers and Arjen Wals), see their paper called "The acoustics of social learning".