# 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) * [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 ### 2.2 PUBLIC LIVING ROOM ### 2.3 INTIMATE CIRCLE ### 2.4 VIRTUAL SPACE ## 3. ROLES ### 3.1 ENTHUSIASTIC LEADER ### 3.2 MOTIVATED MODERATOR ### 3.3 ACTIVE PARTICIPANT ### 3.4 PREPARED PARTICIPANT ### 3.5 DISTINGUISHED PARTICIPANT ## 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