Community Contribution #3 – Diversity and Inclusion in PLNs

I had thought of a Personal Learning Network (PLN) before this week as a collection of resources and individuals who could support professional growth. Diversity in a PLN equals value, as those in the network are able to challenge the individual’s prior assumptions and bring information that the individual would typically not gain from their typical set of contacts.

The concept of Two-Eyed Seeing by Bartlett, Marshall, and Marshall helped me to realize that there are different ways of knowing and that the strengths of each way can be brought together to form a rich learning environment. Two-Eyed Seeing has several lessons to share with learning, and the first is that we need each other and we can learn together, as a co-learning journey. A PLN is also a learning environment, and therefore Two-Eyed Seeing is highly relevant in this context, because collecting information from experts is not all there is to learning. Learning also occurs when we learn with people who are different from us.

For a musician, a primary PLN would consist of other musicians, most likely professionals who specialize in the instrument. Beyond that, however, there are many others in the broader world of music who would be of value to learn from. A diverse PLN for a musician could include conductors, composers, teachers and educators, early music specialists, and musicians from different parts of the world with different musical cultures. Similarly, learning from students in other disciplines could be very valuable.

However, the diversity in a PLN does not mean that all perspectives can be included. A network can have many different views but does not necessarily allow for meaningful participation of all parties involved. An inclusive PLN therefore implies listening to others, contributing, and changing one’s point of view regularly.

This leads me to a final question for today. Would a PLN that reinforces how we currently think be of greater value than one which frequently challenges our perceptions?