We had a great session today, discussing the Peeragogy project and welcoming it as something our Metacaugs group wants to work on. Peeragogy is an example of peer-to-peer learning and at the same time - how very meta - they produce the Peeragogy Handbook. The group works on version 4 of the Handbook and looks for concrete examples of people using the handbook in order to get peer-to-peer learning projects up and running. Or examples of how people do not use the Handbook even though they read it.
In discussing the project we used the Lean Canvas methodology. This method allows people to have a structured discussion about a project - can be a start-up, a non-profit project, writing a book or organizing a course - and it only takes about 20 minutes on average.
The canvas asks traditional questions such as “what is the problem you want to solve”, “what are the metrics”, “what is your solution”, “what is the unique advantage you have” etc, turning the questions and answers in a single sheet.
We got some great insights applying this method. We realized we lack metrics about the Handbook project, but we also got inspired: how about restructuring the book into smaller booklets, using interactive gaming concepts? Making it far more visual?
I once used the Lean Canvas method during a conference, where it was used in small teams sitting physically together filling in the canvas on sheets of paper. In this case we used the interactive online tool Canvanizer to do the same: it makes it easy to fill in the canvas collaboratively by writing and attaching virtual post-it notes.
Our little exercise made me believe even more firmly that Metacaugs can act as a kind of accelerator for ideas and projects. We’re proud to use our peer-to-peer learning methods for projects such as Peeragogy, Metamaps and QIARK while also being a “salon” where we have slow and in-depth discussions of books about the accelerating changes impacting our societies.