Are you ready for the Learning Circles?
In order to have a great experience as part of the learning circle, we will provide you some basic information on your readiness to use technology, vocational interest and learning style. You will have the resources, the place and the means – but most important of all, keep in mind that you need that crazy curiosity to discover the amazing things happening on this tiny blue planet, its people and places. Find the circle that fits you and good luck in this endeavor.
What are the Learning Circles?
The Learning Circles are highly interactive, participatory structures for organizing group activities that lead to learning and increased competencies. People get together at the public library to share, and express knowledge through a process of open dialogue and deep reflection around issues or problems with a focus on a shared outcome (Riel, 2014, see details here).
Learning Circles in Public Libraries – The Project
As part of the Learning Circle project, we have mapped the types of courses libraries can offer to their community for personal and professional development. In this way, libraries show they can contribute directly not only to a better way to spend time, but to allow members of the community live a productive life and increase their welfare.
The Learning Circles in Libraries project is a collaboration of 6 institutions: Information Society Development Foundation (Poland), Stadtbibliothek Koeln (Germany), Suomen eOppimiskesku ry (Finland), Biblioteca Lúcio Craveiro da Silva (Portugal), Fundatia Progress (Romania) and Peer 2 Peer University (USA). It is implemented as part of the Erasmus+ program, administered by the European Commission. It is in this context that we would like to present the intellectual products of the project Learning Circles in Public Libraries.
Before we start…
Prior to moving on, please take a pen and a paper, because we will ask you some questions and you will need to write down the answers.
By the end of this process, you will know more things about your skills and preferences and it will allow you to have an amazing learning circle experience.
How to use this course?
Here are a few tools to help you evaluate your level of preparedness:
- your technology use readiness,
- vocational interest,
- learning style.
In each step of the course of them you will find a short (several or several minutes long) movie and a test to be carried out while watching the movie. You can also do the test separately. Instructions to the test are available in the videos and in the attached documents. We recommend that you complete the course in the following order: from step 1 to step 3.
