Peer Learning with Pattern Languages

Takashi Iba

Abstract In this paper, we study the way of peer learning by dialogue with using
pattern languages. Pattern languages is a collection of patterns to describe design
knowledge that exists in particular areas of a profession. For past 7 years, we havebeen holding workshops for dialogue with using a pattern language in order torealize peer learning. In this paper, we introduce the dialogue workshop with using
the Learning Patterns, a pattern language for creative learning, and analyse the dataof our survey. The results of 710 valid responses show 92.4% of participants got
findings about the way of learning, when they read the book of the Learning
Patterns; 91.5% reflected that the dialogue was important to get findings; 95.7% ofparticipants considered this activity to listen to others as significant, in various
reasons; 90.3 % thought the pattern language was helpful to share their experience
with peers; with the workshop, 88.3 % was able to imagine how they can actuallytake actions of patterns they chose; and 96.5% of participants thought to read thepattern language and to participate in the dialogue workshop were enjoyable.

1 Introduction
Pattern languages can uncover design knowledge that exists in particular areasof a profession. Design knowledge refers to both the intelligence to notice problems
and the clue to solve them. In other words, pattern languages describe expertise inproblem solving under certain conditions and in particular contexts.
The originator of pattern language was the architect, Christopher Alexander who
proposed it to develop design knowledge of building and town (Alexander, 1979).
His intention was to have people who lived in a community get involved in theprocess of designing their own towns and houses. In the late 1970s, he wrote a bookwith his colleagues that contained 253 patterns on practical architectural design(Alexander et al., 1977). Ten years after the book was published, Alexander’s idea
of pattern language was adopted in the field of software design (Beck &Cunningham, 1987; Gamma, et al., 1995). Since the 1990s, an increasing numberof fields have adopted the methods of pattern language (Coplien & Harrison, 2004;
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Corresponding author: xxxxxxx

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Manns & Rising, 2005; Manns & Rising, 2015; Hoover & Oshineye, 2009;
Pedagogical Patterns Editorial Board, 2012). On the basis of this background, I havebeen creating pattern languages in a new area of knowledge concerning humanactions such as learning, presentation, collaboration, education, business, social
innovation, policy-making, and even beauty in daily life.
Third generation pattern languages for human actions are used not only for selfstudy by reading patterns, but also as media for narrative and dialog. For different
purposes, I invented some specific types of workshops: the creative dialog
workshop, a collaborative improvement workshop, and an idea generation
workshop.
In this paper, we demonstrate the dialogue workshop with using a patternlanguage, and examine the feedbacks from the workshop participants.

2 Dialogue Workshop
Pattern languages are used in workshops that provides participants anopportunity to reflect on their experiences, talk about them with others, and make aplan for future actions using the pattern language (Iba, 2011a, 2011b; Iba et al.,2012). In this paper, we show the example of the dialogue workshop with using the
Learning Patterns.
The Learning Patterns consists of 40 patterns (Fig. 1). At the centre of the patternlanguage is pattern No.0: Creative Learning, and the three main patterns for suchlearning: Opportunity for Learning (1), Learning by Creating (2), and Open
Learning (3) surround the Creative Learning. The subsequent patterns are grouped
into three categories. The first group, patterns Nos. 4 – 15, relates to Opportunity
for Learning (1). The second group of patterns, Nos.16 – 27 shows patterns related
to Learning by Creating (2). The third group, pattern Nos.28 – No.39 relates to Open
Learning (3). These patterns help learner achieve a Creative Learning through theirinteractions.
In the workshop we held in our university, first, participants are asked to recall
their experiences in terms of the Learning Patterns. They are asked to choose fivepatterns they wish to master in the near future. Then, participants are free to mingle
and to find and talk with other participants. When they find someone who has
experienced a pattern they want to master, they listen to the other participant’s story.
Dialog workshops using the Learning Patterns have been held at the Faculty of
Policy Management and Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio
University, since 2011. All freshmen at the two faculties, approximately 900
students, have participated in these workshops and talked about their experiences oflearning in light of the patterns (Fig. 2). About 6,500 students have participated in
the workshops over the past 7 years.
First, participants can talk to people to whom they have never talked before. By
setting a rule that participants must talk only to people they do not know, theworkshop becomes an extraordinary and interesting event and is still feasible even3

if participants are shy and do not like talking to new people. This is because theatmosphere and rules of the workshop make it more comfortable for people to talk.
Moreover, the workshop is fun and interesting and the participants even make newfriends, although the theme is learning.

Fig.1. Pattern Name and its Illustration of the Learning Patterns

Second, to actualize the patterns they want to implement, the participants gain
ideas about specific actions they can take and also learn that the same pattern canhave various applications. In this workshop, participants are often motivated byother people’s attitudes and experiences, of learning in the case of Learning
Patterns, and by seeing the diversity of the experiences of others. Through the4workshop, the participants gain a broader viewpoint of the world and themselves tohelp them share and solve problems they are facing.
Third, the workshops not only allow participants to know something unique
about others, but also to discover new aspects in themselves by using the patternlanguage to talk about themselves. In the dialogs, they also sometimes discover they
have experience with a pattern that they did not realize they had experienced. Someparticipants are already using the pattern names as part of their vocabulary andmaking emphatic comments about what the dialog workshop actualizes in them.
Thus, dialog workshops facilitate not just simple conversation and trading
information, but become places for creative dialog. Iba (2012) presents a patternlanguage for designing thus type of workshop and Iba (2014) introduced the methodof pattern language as media for mining, analysing, and visualizing experiences.
Fig.2. Dialogue workshop using a pattern language (Keio University, 2017)

3 A Survey on Dialogue Workshops with the Learning Patterns
We conducted the survey on dialogue workshops with the Learning Patterns to thestudents who participated in the workshop at Keio University in 2017. The survey
covers about from the experience of reading the pattern booklet to the experienceof the workshop. The number of valid responses of this survey is 710.

5

To grasp the premise to the workshop, we asked to participants about how many
patterns they have already experienced in 40 patterns of the Learning Patterns. The
result is shown in Figure 3.

Q8. How many patterns you have already experienced in 40

Fig.3. Answer for the question "How many patterns you have already experienced in 40 patterns
patternsof[N=710]
the Learning Patterns?
of the Learning
Patterns?"

63

54

46

45
39

44
38
35 34
31
27
23
20

20

20

7
2 6

20
14

13
10

18

10

10
7

9 10

6 7 5 4 3

6 2

1 1

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

Also, we asked whether they have any findings about the way of learning, whenreading the book of the Learning Patterns. The result in Figure 4 shows 92.4% ofparticipants, in total, got findings about the way of learning, when they read thebook of the Learning Patterns.

6
Q1. Did you have any findings about the way of learning, whenFig.4. Answer for the question "Did you have any findings about the way of learning, when you
you read the book of the Learning Patterns?
read the book of the Learning Patterns?" [N=710]

0.7%
6.9%
38.2%

54.2%

Strongly agree
Agree
DisagreeStrongly disagree

On dialogue workshop, we asked about how many people they talked with in the
dialogue workshop for 45 minutes. The result is shown in Figure 5.

Q9. Howmanypeopledidmany
you talk
withdidin youthe dialogue
Fig.5. Answer
for thequestion"How
peopletalk with in the dialogue
workshop?
workshop?" [N=710]
133

111

91

67

52
44

54
48

23
2

0

0

0

4

13
5 11

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

11
8

15
3

5

3

4

1

0

1

0

2

0

3

2

0

1

0

0

0

0

1

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37

As we shown above, participants got findings when reading the book of the
Learning Patterns. On the other hand, they also got findings in dialogue workshop.
Figure 6 shows the result of the answer to the question "After reading the book, youjoined the Dialogue Workshop. When did you get the most findings about the wayof learning?". This result shows that 91.5% of participants in total said the dialogue
was important for them to get findings.

7
reading
thereading
book, youthe Dialogue
Fig.6. Answer forQ2.
the Afterquestion"Afterthe joined
book, youjoined theWorkshop.
Dialogue Workshop. When
When
did you
get thefindings
about[N=710]
the way of learning?
did you get the mostfindings
about
the most
way oflearning?"

1.7%

6.9%

29.2%

62.3%
When I read the book alone
In the Dialogue Workshop
I got findings from reading thebook, as much as the workshop
I did not get any finding fromthose activities

And, figure 7 shows answer for the question, whether they think it was significant
that they listened to the learning experiences from the others, for they to think about
their own way of learning. This result shows that 95.7% of participants in total
consider this kind of activity to listen to others as significant.
Q3. Do you think it was significant that you listened to theFig.7. Answer for the question "Do you think it was significant that you listened to the learninglearning experiences from the others, for you to think about yourexperiences from the others, for you to think about your own way of learning?" [N=710]
own way of learning?

0.6%
3.8%

35.1%
60.6%

Strongly agree
Agree
DisagreeStrongly disagree

Related to this answer, we asked the question, what was good about the dialogue
workshop with using the Learning Patterns, to the participants who considered thisactivity to listen to others as significant in the previous question. Multiple replies
are allowed. The result is shown in Figure 8, and you can find there are various
reason why they consider this workshop as significant.

8

Q4. If you chose "Strongly agree" or "Agree" in Q3, please answer

Fig.8. Answer
for the question"Ifwasyou chose
agree"or "Agree"in the previous
this question.
What
good"Strongly
about this
dialogueworkshopthat question,please answer
this question.
was good
about experiences,
this dialogue workshopthat Learning
we have shared ourwe haveshared What
our own
learning
using theown learning experiences, using the Learning Patterns? Please check all that apply."

Patterns? Please check all that apply.
0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

I COULD LEARN ABOUT THE NEW WAYS OF LEARNING.
38.3

I COULD UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT WHAT I HAVE DONE SO FAR, BY
EXPLAINING MY EXPERIENCES TO OTHER PEOPLE.

44.4

I COULD REALIZE THE VALUE OF MY EXPERIENCE OF LEARNING FROM THE
COMMENTS FROM THE OTHERS.

40.3

29.1

I COULD FEEL THE DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE.
I COULD SEE MYSELF FROM THE THIRD PERSON'S POINT OF VIEW.
I COULD TALK WITH NEW PEOPLE.

100.0

77.7

I COULD EXPLAIN CLEARLY ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE OF LEARNING TO OTHERPEOPLE.

I COULD REALIZE THAT WE SHOULD LEARN "HOW TO LEARN."

80.0

69.5

29.5

57.7

In our past qualitative study of dialogue workshops (Iba, 2015), participants said
pattern languages are helpful to tell their experience. This time, we asked thequestion "Did you feel that the Learning Patterns was helpful to tell someone yourown stories of learning in the dialogue?" to all participants. Figure 9 shows the resultthat 90.3 % of participants in total think the pattern language was helpful to share
their experience with peers.
Fig.9. Answer for the question "Did you feel that the Learning Patterns was helpful to tell someone
your own stories of learning
thefeeldialogue?"[N=710] Patterns was helpful to tell
Q5. Didinyou
that the Learningsomeone your own stories of learning in the dialogue?

0.6%
9.2%
38.6%

51.7%

Strongly agree
Agree
DisagreeStrongly disagree

One of the purposes to hold dialogue workshop with pattern languages is to be able
to imagine the future states when they will apply the patterns into practice based onwhat they listen to their peers. Figure 10 shows the answer for the question "About
the 5 patters you have chosen; are you now able to imagine clearly, how you can

9actually take action?", and it shows 88.3 % of participants in total think they become
to be able to imagine how they can actually take actions of patterns they chose.
About "About
the 5 patters
you havechosen;are youare
now
able
to able to imagine
Fig.10. Answer for theQ6.
questionthe 5 pattersyouhave chosen;younow
clearly, how you can actuallytake action?"[N=710]imagine clearly,
how you
can actually take action?

0.6%
11.1%

23.2%

65.1%

Strongly agree
Agree
DisagreeStrongly disagree

According to our past qualitative survey (Iba, 2015), some participants said theyrealized, during the workshop, that they already had experience of patterns that theychosen as "no experience" when reading the book of the Learning Patterns. We wereinterested in how many people get such a finding, so asked it this time. Figure 11
shows answer, and it shows 82.0% of participants realized, during the workshop,that they already had experience of patterns that they chosen as "no experience"
when reading the book of the Learning Patterns.
Fig.11. Answer for the question "Were there any patterns you realized, during the workshop, that
Q7. Were there any patterns you realized, during the workshop,
you already had experience of patterns that you chosen as "no experience" when reading the bookthat you already had experience of patterns that you chosen asof the Learning Patterns?" [N=710]"no experience" when reading the book of the Learning Patterns?

18.0%

82.0%

Yes

No

Figure 12 shows answer for the question about the experience of reading the
Learning Patterns book and participating in the dialogue workshop, "All in all, was10

it enjoyable for you to read the Learning Patterns or having the dialogue withothers?". As a result, 96.5% of participants think it was enjoyable. In addition, figure
13 shows the result of the answer to the question, "Do you recommend thisworkshop about the Learning Patterns to the freshmen coming next year?". It shows
95.9% of participants recommend this workshop.
Q10.
All in all,wasenjoyable
for you tofor
read
Learning
Fig.12. Answer for thequestion"Allinitall,
was it enjoyable
youtheto readthe Learning Patterns
Patterns
or having
the dialogue with others?
or having the dialogue
with others?"[N=710]

0.7%
2.8%

37.3%
59.2%

Strongly agree
Agree
DisagreeStrongly disagree

Q11.
Do you"Do
recommend
this classabout
the Learning
Patterns
Fig.13. Answer for thequestionyou recommend
thisworkshop
about theLearning Patterns
tothefreshmencomingnext
year?
to the freshmen coming next year?" [N=710]

4.1%

95.9%

Yes

No

Finally, we asked the past experience to share the practical knowledge and episodes
related to it with others. Figure 14 shows their experience of talking about the wayof learning with friends, teachers, family and so on, before this workshop. 14.8% ofparticipants very often do so, and 36.9% sometimes; Almost half of participants
have very few experience to talking about their way of learning.

11

Q12.
you"Haveever talked
about
the
waytheof waylearningwith friends,
Fig.14. Answer for
the Havequestionyou evertalkedaboutof learningwith friends,
teachers,
familythis
andso on, before
this workshop?
teachers, family andso on, before
workshop?"[N=710]

13.4%

34.9%

14.8%

36.9%

Very often
Sometimes
Not very often
Never

5 Conclusion
In this paper, we introduced the dialogue workshops with pattern languages, andtake a case of dialogue workshop with using the Learning Patterns, and study the
result of survey for workshop participants. We anticipate that you will hold this kindof workshops based on the evidences presented in this paper.

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