How We Learn

Our Theory of Learning

Folks usually come to P2PU in search of the skills to do something. Maybe it’s how to program using Twitter. Or how to curate content on the web.

New learners soon discover that P2PU is a different kind of learning experience–knowledge isn’t transmitted, broadcast, or transferred. Instead, learning evolves by working together on projects, sharing with each other, giving each other feedback, and iterating to improve. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P2PU Won’t Tell You What to Do: a Culture of Freedom and Curiosity

With 30,000 individual learners, we have 30,000 different learning styles. And that’s the way we like it. In fact, we have a touch of the rebel in us–so we won’t try to pigeonhole you as a learner or your learning experience.

We know that learning happens when you want to do it. Our approach asks peers to discover their own paths, project ideas, and content.

So that’s why we see our diversity as a strength–because we all learn from each other, and we’re *really into* sharing what we know. And we all try to help each other do more stuff.

Can I Help You?

Help at P2PU is community-driven–your peers help when you’re stuck on a javascript array, or if you’re looking for comments about your cross-stitched sampler. This help can come as a live conversation, a posted comment, or a badge.

If you’re helping someone out, you’ve diagnosed what’s going on in their project–and that’s a kind of assessment. If fact, you’ll hear “help” and “feedback” quite a bit at P2PU, because we see peer assessment as a core value.

The spirit of feedback is to help a peer improve, or get to the next step. That might involve solving a problem. Or improving the design. Or tightening the editing. Are all examples of integrating feedback.

What Would the Aliens Say?

A hundred of years from now, should Aliens visit Earth and find P2PU, what will it look like if we’ve succeeded? Our goals are to facilitate a more curious culture, build habits that are vital to 21st century citizens, and dissolve barriers to learning stuff. We’ll have succeeded if the Aliens want to learn with us.