About This Topic
Whether people are trying to learn about business operations or pitch a new idea, learning circles provide a supportive environment to share ideas or ask questions. This topic guide contains resources to support learners new to business management, marketing, and entrepreneurship.
Practices:
- At the beginning of your learning circle, ask participants to share their personal learning goals. Use reflection exercises at the end of each session to help participants connect the curriculum to their explicit goals.
- Learning circles are an opportunity for participants to establish lasting networks with like-minded entrepreneurs. Create spaces in your sessions for participants to cultivate authentic relationships with one another. Find ideas for engaging activities in our Knowledge Base.
- Collaborate with learners to find articles relevant to the ideas you encounter in your course. Their online search process mirrors the market research process, and choosing reading materials collectively gives learners a sense of shared ownership.
- Celebrate new ideas as they arise. Entrepreneurship is an exercise in unearthing unexpected solutions, and facilitators can support learners by highlighting surprising and innovative ideas.
- Tap into your community’s existing resources to combine theory and practice. In this example, the Meru Public Library held a learning circle on ‘Essentials of Entrepreneurship: Thinking and Action’ and used the library’s existing farm to give learners real-life opportunities to apply new skills.
