diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index a4883c0..7bfa7a5 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -1,3 +1,3 @@ # void -Zettlelkasten \ No newline at end of file +Zettelkasten \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/notes/khdraft.pdf b/notes/khdraft.pdf new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9cab9fc Binary files /dev/null and b/notes/khdraft.pdf differ diff --git a/notes/knoledge-hydrant.md b/notes/knoledge-hydrant.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..53413f1 --- /dev/null +++ b/notes/knoledge-hydrant.md @@ -0,0 +1,610 @@ +# Knowledge Hydrant + + +* [Knowledge Hydrant](#knowledge-hydrant) + * [Introduction](#introduction) + * [Concepts](#concepts) + * [Summary](#summary) + * [1. SPIRIT](#1-spirit) + * [2. ATMOSPHERE](#2-atmosphere) + * [3. ROLES](#3-roles) + * [4. CUSTOMS](#4-customs) + * [1. Spirit](#1-spirit-1) + * [1.1 Knowledge Hydrant](#11-knowledge-hydrant) + * [1.2 Pool of Insight](#12-pool-of-insight) + * [1.3 SAFE PLACE](#13-safe-place) + * [1.4 ENDURING ENERGY](#14-enduring-energy) + * [Frequent Meetings](#frequent-meetings) + * [Hour Meetings](#hour-meetings) + * [Short Breaks](#short-breaks) + * [1.5 KINDRED COLLABORATORS](#15-kindred-collaborators) + * [2. ATMOSPHERE](#2-atmosphere-1) + * [2.1 COMMON GROUND](#21-common-ground) + * [2.2 PUBLIC LIVING ROOM](#22-public-living-room) + * [2.3 INTIMATE CIRCLE](#23-intimate-circle) + * [2.4 VIRTUAL SPACE](#24-virtual-space) + * [3. ROLES](#3-roles-1) + * [3.1 ENTHUSIASTIC LEADER](#31-enthusiastic-leader) + * [3.2 MOTIVATED MODERATOR](#32-motivated-moderator) + * [Prepare thoroughly](#prepare-thoroughly) + * [Ask the opening question](#ask-the-opening-question) + * [Resuscitate deteriorating dialogues](#resuscitate-deteriorating-dialogues) + * [Handle side conversations](#handle-side-conversations) + * [Refocus by reading](#refocus-by-reading) + * [Let people speak](#let-people-speak) + * [Challenge groundless criticism](#challenge-groundless-criticism) + * [Rotate Moderators](#rotate-moderators) + * [Background Requirements](#background-requirements) + * [Elucidation Statement or Questions](#elucidation-statement-or-questions) + * [Politeness & Patience](#politeness--patience) + * [3.3 ACTIVE PARTICIPANT](#33-active-participant) + * [3.4 PREPARED PARTICIPANT](#34-prepared-participant) + * [3.5 DISTINGUISHED PARTICIPANT](#35-distinguished-participant) + * [4. CUSTOMS](#4-customs-1) + * [4.1 OPENING QUESTION](#41-opening-question) + * [4.2 SEQUENTIAL STUDY](#42-sequential-study) + * [4.3 AGENDA](#43-agenda) + * [4.4 SUBGROUP](#44-subgroup) + * [4.5 STUDY CYCLE](#45-study-cycle) + * [4.6 DISTRIBUTED DIARY](#46-distributed-diary) + * [4.7 AFTER HOURS](#47-after-hours) + + +## Introduction + +A study group can make a difficult book easier to understand, it can succeed +where an unsatisfying class fails, and it can support you if your environment +doesn't support your ongoing learning and growth. + +A study group is a collection of individuals who meet regularly to improve +their understanding of some non-trivial subject, like a body of great literature, +by participating in dialogue. + +The authors and architects of the original pattern language understood that +individuals vary in how they obtain knowledge. Some don’t have a lot of time +and want to gain knowledge as fast as possible. Others prefer to extract as +much knowledge as they can by pondering a work’s every paragraph and +page. Still others prefer to study a work’s visual elements–its photographs +and sketches–before diving into the words. + +There are 21 patterns in this pattern language. They are grouped into four +sections called Spirit, Atmosphere, Roles, and Customs. As you study the +patterns from each section, consider the structure of this language: **the +patterns from the Spirit section, at the beginning of the language, help to +define the study group's core, its spirit of learning. The patterns that follow +this section, in Atmosphere, Roles and Customs, are all intimately tied to the +earliest core patterns and serve to re-enforce them**. + +## Concepts + +| Concept | Meaning | +|--------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------| +| [Great] Literature | Piece of information in it's original form, un-destiled, no summarized, etc. | + + +## Summary + +### 1. SPIRIT + +_After identifying a great source of knowledge in a subject, work to create a +rewarding, intellectually safe environment for the study of that subject._ + +1. KNOWLEDGE HYDRANT +2. POOL OF INSIGHT +3. SAFE PLACE +4. ENDURING ENERGY +5. KINDRED COLLABORATORS + +### 2. ATMOSPHERE + +_Establish a home for the study group that is centrally located, comfortable, +aesthetically pleasing, and conducive to dialogue._ + +1. COMMON GROUND +2. PUBLIC LIVING ROOM +3. INTIMATE CIRCLE +4. VIRTUAL SPACE + +### 3. ROLES + +_Lead and energize the group, come prepared, and help guide dialogues so +that they are insightful and productive._ + +1. ENTHUSIASTIC LEADER +2. MOTIVATED MODERATOR +3. ACTIVE PARTICIPANT +4. PREPARED PARTICIPANT +5. DISTINGUISHED PARTICIPANT + +### 4. CUSTOMS + +_Follow customs that will re-enforce the spirit of the group, piquing +participant's interest in dialogues, accommodating different learning levels, +making the study of literature easier, recording group experiences, and +drawing people closer together._ + +1. OPENING QUESTION +2. SEQUENTIAL STUDY +3. AGENDA +4. SUBGROUP +5. STUDY CYCLE +6. DISTRIBUTED DIARY +7. AFTER HOURS + +## 1. Spirit + +### 1.1 Knowledge Hydrant + +> . . . where can one obtain knowledge in its fullest, unfiltered, unsimplified, form? + +This ignorance about great literature is widespread. It exists today primarily +because several important ideas about great literature have been forgotten. +These include some of the following facts: + +- The hard work put into the study of great literature is worthwhile because +it ensures that people retain the knowledge they wish to obtain +- Great literature is much easier to understand when it is studied in an +intelligent sequence ([4.2 SEQUENTIAL STUDY](#42-sequential-study)) +- It is easier and more rewarding to study great literature with other people ([1.2 POOL OF INSIGHT)](#12-pool-of-insight)) + +**Discover the great literature in your profession or area of +interest—the finest books, articles, and speeches ever +written—and then begin an earnest study of these works.** + +So how do you find the great literature worthy of study? Ask people. Ask +knowledgeable people which authors they like, what are their favorite books, +what profoundly influenced them? + +After identifying the works, form or join a study group ([1.2 POOL OF INSIGHT](#12-pool-of-insight)), order the works +to be studied ([4.2 SEQUENTIAL STUDY](#42-sequential-study)), and compose an [4.3 AGENDA](#43-agenda). + +### 1.2 Pool of Insight + +> . . . once you've discovered your [KNOWLEDGE HYDRANT](#11-knowledge-hydrant), it can be overwhelming to drink from it. This pattern suggests how to make the study +> of great literature easier and more rewarding. + +**To obtain the fullest understanding of great literature--to penetrate its +meaning – it is tremendously helpful to read and study a work on one's own +and then engage in meaningful dialogue on the work with others.** + +In dialogue, people get the chance to learn from themselves and from their +colleagues. In communicating how they understand something, people may: + +- clarify what confused others +- expose their own misunderstandings +- reveal new ideas +- articulate that which they didn't know they knew + +There is a spirit present in dialogues that one doesn't +find in many other learning environments. Frequent meetings help sustain this +spirit. **When a group doesn't meet frequently, it can struggle to keep its +momentum and enthusiasm**; lively subjects and debates can fade between +meetings, and if people miss just one meeting, they will be absent for a very +long period. **Many groups sustain a group's spirit by meeting weekly or +biweekly**. + +Group study also helps motivate people to learn, especially when they are no +longer officially "in school." A reading assignment every week or every other +week can help individuals continue to learn while balancing work and family +life. + +**Read and study literature on one's own, but discuss it with +others in a regular study group. Aim to ask questions about +what you don't know and explain what you do know. Your +exchanges with colleagues will enrich your understanding +immensely.** + +The best study groups are those in which individuals feel comfortable +learning with others ([1.3 SAFE PLACE](#13-safe-place)). + +Atmosphere plays an important role in a dialogue. Some environments +promote dialogues ([2.1 COMMON GROUND](#21-common-ground), [2.2 PUBLIC LIVING ROOM](#22-public-living-room)) +and some don't. + +The most enriching study happens when a group has a [MOTIVATED +MODERATOR](#32-motivated-moderator) and [PREPARED PARTICIPANTS](#34-prepared-participant)... + +### 1.3 SAFE PLACE + +It is so important that a place of learning be a safe place. People need to feel +that they can experiment, or be wrong, for almost everyone becomes +uncomfortable if they fear that anything they say will be harshly criticized. +When places of learning have highly critical or judgmental natures, an +individual's ability to learn can easily be compromised. + +In dialogue, participants must be comfortable to ask questions, even illogical, +overly simple, or silly questions. **It is the group's task to handle such +questions in such a way that individuals aren't stifled, or embarrassed, but +encouraged to continue learning**. + +All participants within a dialogue need to help establish the safe place. +Usually, it is up to the [MOTIVATED MODERATOR](#32-motivated-moderator) to be especially +vigilant. With great diversity in a group-- people who are provocative or +reserved, skeptical or generous, newcomers or veterans --it is very easy for +study group sessions to become unsafe. + +Maintaining a safe place is easier if a group establishes customs. Such +customs can help participants and moderators know what to do when different +types of discord arise + +> Establish a warm, tolerant, polite and focused environment +> in which individuals help each other and where everyone is +> comfortable to ask questions and make mistakes. + +### 1.4 ENDURING ENERGY + +> It's fairly easy to start a study group. But keeping it going, +> so that members are active, dialogues are insightful, and the +> group is long-lived, is another matter altogether. + +A study group's energy initially comes from its founder. If the founder is +genuinely interested in creating a thriving, long-lasting [POOL OF INSIGHT](#12-pool-of-insight), +to improve himself and his community, the group will start life with a +powerful energy. But if the founder is merely interested in short-term gains, +or personal recognition, the group will be short-lived. + +#### Frequent Meetings + +It is difficult to maintain any sort of flow, or continuous energy, if a +group doesn't meet very often. When a group is studying a body of +knowledge, a month between meetings is usually far too long for people +to maintain focus and enthusiasm. Therefore, have the group meet +weekly or bi-weekly. **These frequent meetings will allow a group to +study effectively, and may lead some members to become [KINDRED +COLLABORATORS](#15-kindred-collaborators)**. + +#### Hour Meetings + +A one-hour meeting is typically not enough time for a group to have an +insightful dialogue on a piece of literature. But three hours is too much +time, since most participants can't actively engage in dialogue for that +long. Therefore, **limit dialogues to a maximum of 2 hours, and if energy +has waned significantly before that time, finish the meeting early**. + +#### Short Breaks + +At a certain time in a dialogue, a group's intensity, focus and +effectiveness will begin to diminish. If the group doesn't take a break at +this time, the quality of the dialogue may begin to deteriorate, and people +will become uncomfortable. Therefore, **allow for a short (ten or fifteen +minute) break in the middle of a study group session**, to let members +reflect, chat, use the restrooms, and prepare for the next half of the +dialogue. + +Equally important, is a group's meeting quarters, since the location and space +will play a huge role in sustaining a group's energy. People need to be excited +about attending a group. + +> Create study groups out of genuine enthusiasm to study a +> subject in-depth. Meet weekly or bi-weekly for two hours, +> and have a short break in the middle. Choose a meeting +> location where people will enjoy passing time, and study only +> those writings which are worthy of the group's attention. + +### 1.5 KINDRED COLLABORATORS + +Join or form a small group that meets regularly and studies ideas that are +important to you. As you get to know people, valuable, career-enhancing +collaborations will develop. + +## 2. ATMOSPHERE + +### 2.1 COMMON GROUND + +People want to connect with others but aren't willing +to do so in settings that make them feel uncomfortable. Location plays a vital role in the life of a group. + +> Oldenburg's thesis is that people need informal public places +> where they can gather, put aside the concerns of work and +> home, relax, and talk. Germany's beer gardens, England's +> pubs, and French and Viennese cafes created this outlet in +> people's lives, providing a neutral ground where all are equal +> and conversation is the main activity. + +> Hold public study groups where diverse individuals will all +> be on common ground. The best locations are easy for +> people to get to, but not too close to their offices or homes. + +### 2.2 PUBLIC LIVING ROOM + +Great locations for study groups resemble large, comfortable living rooms. There are various types of chairs that may be rearranged, perhaps a sofa and rugs, some lamps or other warm lighting, and windows. When people feel comfortable they forget about themselves and may freely engage in dialogue. + +_Some of the best locations are quiet, aesthetic places that invite reflection_: a centrally located cafe, a spacious gallery or bookstore, a room with a magnificent view, or some nook or corner of a hotel or lodge. + +> Place each sitting space in a position which is protected, not +> cut by paths or movements, roughly circular, made so that +> the room itself helps suggest the circle - not too strongly - +> with paths and activities around it, so that people naturally +> gravitate toward the chairs when they get into the mood to +> sit. Place the chairs and cushions loosely in the circle, and +> have a few too many. + +> Choose a warm, spacious establishment where people will +> enjoy mingling before and after study sessions, where there +> is comfortable, rearrangeable furniture, plenty of warm lighting, and a variety of foods and drinks. + +### 2.3 INTIMATE CIRCLE + +> Awkward seating arrangements alienate people and thwart a +> group's ability to work together. The best configurations +> allow participants to easily see and hear each other. Yet +> many establishments don't provide either the furniture or +> space to make this happen, or don't let groups rearrange the +> furniture. + +> ...**people will feel oppressed, both when they are either +working in an undifferentiated mass of workers and when +they are forced to work in isolation**. The small group +> achieves a nice balance between the one extreme in which +> there are so many people, that there is no opportunity for an +> intimate social structure to develop, and the other extreme in +> which there are so few, that the possibility of social groups +> does not occur at all. +> ... +> In our own survey of attitudes towards workspace -- taken +> among workers at the Berkeley City Hall -- **we found that +people prefer to be part of a group that ranges from two to +eight.** When there are more than eight, people lose touch +> with the group as a human gathering. + +> Choose a location with ample room, many tables and chairs, +> and the freedom to rearrange the spaces to form rough +> circles or ovals that may dynamically expand or contract. + +### 2.4 VIRTUAL SPACE + +> Without an online presence, a study group will lack a cost-effective way of advertising its existence, organizing +> events, +> staying connected and attracting new members. + +The trick to building a good site, is to avoid loading the site with too much +content that will regularly change, and to enlist the group's participants to +maintain the content that will need routine updating. + +If the study group keeps a [DISTRIBUTED DIARY](#46-distributed-diary) or provides feedback +to authors, it is a good idea to post this material to the site, for the edification +of group members, and to foster online dialogue. For conducting such +dialogues, a simple, group email server or service (such as eGroups) is useful. +[AGENDA](#43-agenda) are particularly helpful for members and non-members of a +group and are therefore best placed on the site. A good agenda will span +several months, giving people the chance to plan their schedules and study +readings prior to group meetings ([3.4 PREPARED PARTICIPANT](#34-prepared-participant)). + +> Establish an online presence where the study group's +> mission, activities, and [DISTRIBUTED DIARIES](#46-distributed-diary) are posted, where members may continue +> dialogues, or chat, and where prospective members may learn more about the +> group. + +## 3. ROLES + +### 3.1 ENTHUSIASTIC LEADER + +> When a group doesn't have a leader who is passionate about +> the subject and determined to nourish and maintain its +> energy and culture, a group can languish, and possibly not +> survive. + +The best leaders are those who are genuinely enthusiastic about a group's +mission. Such individuals will lead by example and seek to make the group +thrive, through continuous improvement. + +- Leaders will help ensure that [AGENDAS](#43-agenda) are kept up to date, and that the + readings being selected are worthy of the group's attention. + +- To inspire a group, a leader may plan special events at which authors or + leading scholars visit and participate in dialogues ([DISTINGUISHED + PARTICIPANT](#35-distinguished-participant)). + +- To help keep a group informed and to attract new faces, a leader will help + produce an informative Website ([VIRTUAL SPACE](#24-virtual-space)) and will encourage + others to invite new members to the group. + +- Should other groups attempt to subsume the group, the leader will step in to + either prevent a take-over or to explore the idea with the group. + +- If a group's meeting location is no longer working for a group, the leader will + work with others to help find a more suitable location. + +> Lead study groups by example and with enthusiasm. Make +> them places where people want to be, and invite the greater +> community to participate. Energize members with +> stimulating events, virtual dialogues, and seek to +> continuously improve the group by listening closely to +> member's ideas. + +### 3.2 MOTIVATED MODERATOR + +> Without a moderator, dialogues may wander aimlessly, +> arguments may erupt, people may talk on top of each +> another, and a group may fail to ever explore an author's +> deeper meanings. + +The following practices define what good study group moderators do: + +#### Prepare thoroughly + +When a moderator doesn't prepare thoroughly for a session, when he or +she doesn't read thoroughly, or discover important questions about a +reading, or understand a moderator's responsibilities, the quality of a +dialogue may be compromised. **Therefore, moderators must prepare +thoroughly before sessions and understand how to effectively moderate**. + +#### Ask the opening question + +Asking challenging, penetrating questions about a reading is essential to +establishing engaging, enlightening dialogue. **Therefore, moderators +must discover important questions, and ask and re-ask these questions at +the beginning and throughout a session [OPENING QUESTION](#41-opening-question)**. + +#### Resuscitate deteriorating dialogues + +Dialogues can deteriorate easily: they can slow to a crawl, fail to be +engaging, get way off track or become too argumentative. Therefore, +**moderators must promptly diagnose problems and resuscitate dialogues +accordingly**. + +#### Handle side conversations + +A group may effectively participate in only one discussion at a time. +Therefore, **side conversations must promptly be quieted or politely +postponed**. + +#### Refocus by reading + +Inattention to an author's words can produce lengthy, unproductive, off-topic conversations or can lead to wayward +arguments that would cease to exist if a group merely studied a relevant passage. Therefore, **to refocus a group on an +author's content, moderators may read significant passages out loud**. + +#### Let people speak + +Active participants (i.e. people who talk a lot) or veteran members of a +group, can sometimes make it hard for less active, or newer members of a +group to effectively participant in a discussion. Therefore, **when +participants struggle to join a dialogue or get a word in edgewise, +moderators must step in and give these individuals opportunities to be +heard**. + +#### Challenge groundless criticism + +Non-specific or detail-free criticism, like "I just didn't like it", fails to +enlighten anyone and isn't helpful to a dialogue. Therefore, **moderators +must challenge groundless criticism**, often by asking individuals what +exactly they disliked. + +#### Rotate Moderators + +**A moderator who really knows a particular piece of literature and also +knows how to moderate, is a lot better than a moderator who only knows +how to moderate but doesn't know the literature.** Therefore, rotate +moderators, particularly when individuals are expert in various readings, +but also to give others a chance at playing the role. + +#### Background Requirements + +It's great if everyone participates in a dialogue, provided that everyone is +on the same page: if an individual is clearly way over his or her head, it +may mean that the individual needs to catch up to the group by studying +some previous papers or books. Therefore, **moderators must gage +whether participants are dragging a group down with unrelated or +unnecessary questions, and if they are, the moderator needs to politely +tell the participant to do some homework or form or join a [SUBGROUP](#44-subgroup)**. + +#### Elucidation Statement or Questions + +If a part of a group simply isn't understanding something, and it is +holding back the rest of the group, or the misunderstanding is leading to +more confusion, something needs to be done to clarify the confusion. +Therefore, **moderators must be aware of what is confusing people and +either ask questions that will help clarify the point or clearly explain the +point**. + +#### Politeness & Patience + +Rude behavior within a study group must never be allowed. Therefore, +**the moderator must make the peace, and get all members to understand +that all members need to respect each other, regardless of whether or not +they agree**. + +> Moderate dialogues by asking penetrating questions, keeping +> dialogues focused, balancing diverse personalities, and +> helping group's increase their understanding. Give all +> members a chance to moderate, but let them choose when +> they want to play the role. + +### 3.3 ACTIVE PARTICIPANT + +> Anyone who is a member of a study group, or wants to join +> one, can find something lacking in an existing group: the +> meeting location, the number of people who attend, the +> literature being studied. Few of these things are incapable of +> change. However, too many people fail to realize that they +> can actively change a group, helping mold it to meet their +> needs + +Each group is really shaped and managed by both its [ENTHUSIASTIC +LEADER](#31-enthusiastic-leader) and its regular participants. If the leader and the participants +work together, they can make the group a powerful educational center for +every participant. + +Being an active participant doesn't just mean getting your needs met. It also +means helping others to get theirs needs met - and this can have a tremendous +effect on the group's lifespan. + +> Actively and patiently shape a study group by seeing to it +> that the group meets your needs. Work with the group's +> leader to introduce change, and create customs, like +[SUBGROUPS](#44-subgroup), to make it easier for the group to +> accommodate diverse needs. Actively help others, particularly +> newer members of a group, so that the group meets their +> needs and so that they become valuable participants in the +> larger group. + +### 3.4 PREPARED PARTICIPANT + +> When individuals don't study prior to a dialogue, they either +> add nothing to the dialogue, or add too much. The +> unprepared participant may ask questions that are off-track +> or elementary or may contribute ideas that misguide rather +> than further a productive inquiry. + +If a group chooses to study some piece of literature, a participant who +thoroughly prepares will actively read and note: + +- what they did and did not understand +- what they thought were key points +- what they did not agree with +- what ideas related to other writings +- how the work could be improved + +Now it is not common for all participants within a dialogue to prepare +thoroughly. So what does a group do when an unprepared participant is +thwarting a dialogue? Since dialogues can handle only so many superfluous +contributions before they begin to sour, prepared participants need to be +vigilant and assist a dialogue's [MOTIVATED MODERATORs ](#32-motivated-moderator) in +assertively keeping things focused, civil, and productive. + +Another technique, which is far from optimal but sometimes necessary for +groups with busy professionals, gives people time to read and discuss +passages when the group meets. This does not usually give a group a chance +to get a deep understanding of a reading, but it can be a way to launch a +dialogue if few have had time to prepare. + +> Study literature thoroughly prior to each study session. +> Select great literature for study since people will be more +> motivated to study it over lesser works. Make each reading +> assignment manageable -- not too small or too large, but +> commensurate with a group's abilities and the density of +> each reading. + +### 3.5 DISTINGUISHED PARTICIPANT + +> Individuals who are distinguished in their fields often lecture +> to large audiences. These lectures tend to be far less +> educational–for the lecturer and the listeners–than a good +> dialogue. + +> Veteran educators Dani and Jerry Weinberg are fond of a quote from a friend +> who once described the lecture method as "a way of getting material from the +> teacher's notes into the student's notes--without passing through the brain of +> either one." ([Weinberg1999], p. 1) + +For study groups, it is optimal if a distinguished individual comes to +participate in the group's dialogue as an equal member. + +> Invite distinguished people to attend a study group and +> participate in dialogue. Such individuals will energize the +> group, and help foster great dialogues. Let everyone in a +> group have an opportunity to participant in dialogue with +> such an individual, either by forming larger-than-normal +> circles, or by scheduling multiple study sessions over the +> course of weeks or months. + +## 4. CUSTOMS + +### 4.1 OPENING QUESTION +### 4.2 SEQUENTIAL STUDY +### 4.3 AGENDA +### 4.4 SUBGROUP +### 4.5 STUDY CYCLE +### 4.6 DISTRIBUTED DIARY +### 4.7 AFTER HOURS