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Fractals and Collaborative Learning

Fractals are mysterious images based on equations that alter as they are fed back upon themselves. Each segment of the fractal is an exact copy of the whole, a concept called "self-similarity." In a nutshell, self-similarity says that the part contains in itself all the elements of the whole. Fractals are evident in numerous natural formations; they are a patterning that underlies the seeming chaos of objects and events.

Fractals symbolize many of the concepts underlying collaborative learning. The self-similarity of the fractal, the part containing the whole, is evident in the multilevel approach to collaborative learning (self, group, organization, cross-organization, societal). The iteration of the fractal equation that creates an evolving form relates to the closed-loop processes of the collaborative learning approach. The underlying patterns in surface chaos echo the peer learning approach, where the collaborative learning group aims to make tacit knowledge concrete, and take advantage of practice-based cases and insights to build new knowledge.

For further reading, see Margaret J. Wheatley, Leadership and the New Science, San Francisco, Berrett-Koehler, 1992.