Fractal Learning

by Elmer S Soriano

A fractal is a mathematical set that exhibits a repeating pattern displayed at every scale.^[1] It is also known as expanding symmetry or evolving symmetry. If the replication is exactly the same at every scale, it is called a self-similar pattern.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal

I tried a highly fractal learning curriculum recently, where the patterns kept repeating at larger scales. Here's what I did:

I meet with four learners who were a subset of a bigger cohort of 50 learners in a leadership course. These learners were supposed to learn to be coaches, so I embedded a mini-coaching training within the broader 2-day course.

Day 1
Session 1 1030-12nn - I meet with the coaches and have Coaching Conversation Package A, where we discussed: 1) Life Purpose; 2) Preferred Future for 2017, and 3) get on the Balcony to discuss what and how we learned in 1 and 2. I give them instructions to similarly have Coaching Conversation Package A with a selected coachee over lunch. Since I am coaching them, let's refer to myself as Coach Level 1, and them as Coach Level 2.

Session 2 12nn-130 - Over lunch, the Coach Level 2 have Coaching Conversation Package A with a selected coachee. 

Session 3  1 130pm-230pm - After lunch, I meet with them again do get on the balcony and discuss what and how they learned as Coach Level 2. I show them a short video on Efren Penaflorida on multi-level leadership coaching and show them that we had 3 generations of learners since 1030am.

Day 2
Session 4  1030-12 nn - I show the same team another video by Joy Mateo of how narratives can engage people in repeating stories of empowerment. I instruct Coach Level 2s to organize a lunch conversation, where their coachees (Level 3) conduct Coaching Conversation Package A with a practice coachee.

Session 5 12-nn-1:30  Coach Level 3 conducts Coaching Conversation Package A, while Coach Level 2 is a process observer.

Session 6 - 1:30-230pm We get on the Balcony and analyze our learning methodology over the past 2 days. I point out features of Case-in-point that we did in multiple scales. I challenge them to coach their Level 2 coaches to similarly coach a Parent Leader.