Good luck with the first learning circle in Brazil - we look forward to hearing about it.
Thanks Megan,
I look forward to hearing from you.
Hey again! My name is Jess Elias and I am the Curriculum Development Coordinator for the Boston Public Library; weāve loved running Learning Circles and am eager to catch up despite the insane busy-ness of this lovely place! I adore bringing together adults to help achieve their goals; whether itās for job/workplace development skills, getting the basics down of learning a computer, or just giving people something to do who have been either out of work, retired, or just visiting. Weāre really focusing on trying to incorporate more civic engagement programming here at the BPL, so Iām going to focus and be on the lookout for Learning Circle topics that would best fit this.
Thanks!
-Jess
PS hereās a picture of me and my dear friend, a raven, I spend some Thursday mornings volunteering with her and several others at a Mass Audubon center outside of Boston. 
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That raven has awesome hair and I bet it also has a really cool attitude. Nice to see you here, Jess!
Hello,
Iām starting a learning circle in Jan in Hernando Countyā¦ based off a brief survey to our patrons; i selected āThe Science of Happinessā. My concern is the pacing of the group and the actual logistics of getting them signed up and on the course.
Hi Jessica,
Have you reached out to any fellow facilitators, library staff or P2PU support staff with your conecerns? Pacing is always difficult with any learning experience because of varied learning styles and abilities. Since the LC is not a formal learning environment, I would definitely include the participants in a discussion about pacing. while they may not initially have any clear solutions, the discussion will make it apparent that you all are working together to make the LC successful. Hope this helps!
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Often people use the first learning circle meeting to sign up on the course and maybe look around a bit at the first week if needed. Itās a good chance to see what peopleās digital literacy is and encouraging the group to support each other. If it is clear that people are not comfortable registering and looking through the course on their own, you might think about alternative ways to support the group like projecting the course site for everyone to look at together.
In terms of pacing, I like what Q from Detroit says to introduce at the start of the learning circle, ask if they want homework or not; and also ask if they want to finish the course or not. The answers to those questions will give you a better idea of how to pace the course and if people expect to cover every part of the course or not.
Finally getting to posting some content on this new platform (really like it)!
My name is Alfonso Oliveras (ā¦you can call me Al). I am a NYS certified public librarian and have been serving public libraries in some capacity for 10+ years. I first became aware of the idea of running MOOCs in the library through a 2013 LJ article entitled, āMoocing in the Libraryā by Dorothy Pawlowski. I then connected with P2PU after becoming aware of their collaboration with Chicago Public Library on a Knight Foundation grant back in 2015.
I think learning circles are a great tool for helping public libraries foster lifelong learning within their communities. Looking for a good MOOC for a learning circle? This is one I used last fall.
https://learningcircles.p2pu.org/en/studygroup/create/?course_id=307
I look forward to learning from all of you!
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Right on Al!
Interesting to hear about Dorothyās post. Have you connected with her before? I would be curious to know if she is still going with it and what she has learned.
I canāt help but pronounce her title āmoosingā in the library 
I did give her a call once after reading the article. I believe she conducted a webinar as well. She is definitely one of the pioneers in using MOOCs in the public library. Not sure if she is even aware of P2PU.
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Hello there,I am Joan Njogu from Kenya.
Looking forward to learning from all of you.
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Hello, I am Lisa from the United States. I am interested in learning more about this community.
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Hi Lisa! Welcome! Where in the US do you find yourself? We might be able to connect you with someone near by.
Hello! My name is Jessie Mae, and I live in Fort Worth, Texas. I am joining P2PU because I am intrigued to participate in a learning circle and be reciprocal in the learning process. If there is a circle for people learning Spanish I am interested to be a part of it. I am also interested in topics such as civic engagement, career pathways, and leadership. I have been teaching myself Spanish and recently took a trip to Nicaragua to immerse myself. It was super challenging and made me realize I have a ways to go in my learning. I look forward to connecting with some of you! - Jessie Mae
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Aloha, and greetings from the currently snowy mountains and icy lakes of New Hampshire! Iām coming back to P2PU after a few years away due to a change in jobs. I am looking forward to seeing how the platform has evolved and what itās intentions are moving forward. As the director of the Dept. of Innovation & Technology for the Inter-Lakes School District, and as a board member for the non-profit organization Open World Cause, I am looking for a fresher alternative to learning and the management systems that support it.
I am also looking to connect with those who have a different perspective on what learning is and can be for those who seek to learn, as well as for those who have something to share.
Slainte,
John Martin
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Hi Jessie, welcome!
We have one connection who has also been using learning circles in Texas (in Austin I believe), but more focused towards supporting native Spanish speakers. @Alexis_Burns used this course (https://www.edx.org/es/course/basic-spanish-1-getting-started) for learning circle.
Are you connected to a local non-profit or library?
Looking forward to staying in touch!
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Hey John, weāre probably āenjoyingā the same icy wind, Iām based a bit north in Kingston, Ontario.
Welcome back! If youāre interested, here is a good summary of how P2PU has changed over time.
In more rural and remote areas, Open World Cause might be interested to learn what is happening in Uganda, Zambia, and Kenya with their library systems. Impact of learning circles in Africa Happy to make connections if you are interested.
Thank you Nico!
I will check out this link and look into if my local library has a Spanish group I can join.
Take Care,
Jessie Mae
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Hello my name is Joan Njogu,I facilitate learning circles at Kenya National library services Meru.
Currently iām facilitating Interview skills and i realised the best way to help the learners interact is through introduction icebreakers especially when you have big number of youths who are shy .
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Hi, my name is Lindsay Southworth. I am a program manager for Language Learning at the Free Library of Philadelphia and am hoping to learn more about how to facilitate peer language learning opportunities through Learning Circles.
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