Education
All around the world, education is both touted as the foundation for civil society and seen as an on-going challenge. Too many children are failing, teachers are challenged with packed classrooms, and many parents wonder what their children are learning that will help them navigate and learn in a world of ever growing complexity.
Art of Hosting practitioners are taking the practices into the classroom with great results. Using Circle to help children prepare for day’s lesson, World Café as a way for groups to share what they already know and identify what they need to study, Open Space as a way to share knowledge and inquire into topics together are some of the ways that participatory practice helps students to take responsibility for their own learning and gain skills in working well in groups. This approach recognizes that students need to be active learners and encourages teachers to host the learning, rather than being solely responsible for content. The result is a field of learning where everyone is engaged.
As Laura Weisel, Ph.D. says: “Using Art of Hosting methodologies in education shifts educators from ‘teaching’ to ‘hosting learning’ leading to a confidence in each learner’s rightful capacity to learn. This paradigm shift has opened up a new world for all levels of education. Engaging learners in meaningful conversations drives deeper learning, builds social capital skills needed for success in life’s adventures, and develops a fearless curiosity. Curiosity is developed when a person feels free to be themselves in a safe environment. Most importantly, fearless curiosity is the soul of all learning.”
Download Dr Laura Weisel’s academic papers on participatory learning:
A crisis in structured education is the perfect opportunity to introduce Art of Hosting methodologies in face-to-face and online learning. Realigning education services using these methodologies shifts the focus from teaching to learning.