Peter and Jenny ...
I would like to hear more about what you mean by saying that emergent learning needs a plan (or design), Peter. We are trying to describe what we need to put in place to encourage and enable emergent learning, which as Jenny has said above, is almost a contradiction in terms. (If emergence is unpredictable, how can we design for it?)
Looking forward to exploring this (and other paradoxes) in the coming days ...
Roy,
I believe emergent learning can (and does) happen with or without planning and design. I believe it can be facilitated through open space type approaches... therefore, there is "room" for planning and design. Creating the space to allow for emergence of learning is where the planning and design comes in. I believe the plan and design can create the trajectory of the learning, just as MOOCs have created the trajectory for many emerging pedagogies, etc... and it is the MOOC that brings things back to alignment with the trajectory. Emergent learning often strays, it is the plan and design that brings it back.
I come at this from a agile software development perspective and a M.Ed IT perspective. I see emergent design can also be applied to emergent learning; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergent_Design I hope this helps with the contradiction...
A big part of my work as an autodidact / heutagogue is in encouraging my own emergence... I think solo learning is a big part of learning... a large number of people are not social and I believe this cohort learns well on thier own. And should be able to "manage" their own emergent learning... I have techniques for this.
Be Well...
Peter, thanks, you articulate it so well:
I believe the plan and design can create the trajectory of the learning, just as MOOCs have created the trajectory for many emerging pedagogies, etc... and it is the MOOC that brings things back to alignment with the trajectory. Emergent learning often strays, it is the plan and design that brings it back..
We came across a lovely metaphor in Rose Luckin's work, on 'lines of desire' ...
which seems to capture some of the interaction between design, alignment and emergent trajectories. See more here ...
Next paradox ... arising from what you write ... Agreed, "a number of people are not social", but ... they too use social media, like this, to forage for nuggets that they can take away and 'think on' and 'think with', no? I do.
I am not a great fan of the term 'heutagogy' (although I support the concept, like you do) but I must admit that I do like playing with the mashed up term 'heutaculture', which is the best (obscure, unfortunately) term I have for designing for emergence.