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Learning Set Process

Diversity

When people take responsibility for their own learning they are, in part, saying that they want to come up with their own ideas - to examine their experience and discover their own truths. In learning sets, participants learn to listen to each other's ideas, not as points to debate, but as different experiences of reality. They may not agree, but they learn to accept that - just like blind men feeling different parts of the elephant - each person may be limited by his or her own perspective.

In a well functioning learning set, each participant is empowered to think for themselves. Anxiety about appearing foolish is lost. Since there is no one "right" answer, all are free to say what they think, to sit back and relax, and enjoy learning and thinking. Participants are encouraged to speak their minds freely and to engage in friendly disagreement.

Equality

Unlike the traditional classroom - where inequality affects not only the student/teacher relationship, but the relationships between students - in a learning set, a person with a doctorate has no more status than a person with a high school diploma. Value is placed not on having mastered someone else's ideas, but on generating and communicating your own understanding.

Most often, there is an adviser or facilitator whose job is not to have mastery over the subject the group is discussing, but to keep the discussion going. Facilitators need be "expert" only in managing the group so that all are heard and the conversation stays lively and on topic.

By managing the process themselves, participants practice a system of shared power, a system in which individuals feel they can affect the outcome of decisions. In the learning set, people come to conclusions or make decisions through talking, listening, and understanding.

Connection

Participants seldom take part in learning sets just to learn objective facts. The importance of what they learn lies in its connection to their lives, their work, their own experiences, and the real problems and issues they face. A learning set is 'education for life', not to pass exams.

And, of course, the participants themselves are connected. When people talk about their lives, share their feelings, and listen to each other with respect, there is connection and a sense of community. When there is no need to compete or wear a mask, people begin to discover and present their authentic selves.