For its 2008 Peer Learning Event, which will take place in Brussels 10-12 September, WINGS is introducing a methodology known as Emergent Learning. Developed by Signet Research & Consulting, ‘Emergent Learning helps a network or team improve the quality of its thinking about the key challenges it faces, and build a strong link between what it is thinking and what it is doing in practice.’

At the core of this is the EL Map™, a tool that helps the team articulate what will make it successful, develop a plan to test this view, track results, and produce a body of valuable knowledge for the organization. The EL Map provides a visual way of framing a challenge in the form of a question and thinking through to a solution. The tool’s simple structure makes it very adaptable and equally useful to individual organizations and networks.

The September Peer Learning Event will address two main questions: What are three things that challenge your work in relation to peer learning? What are the common challenges that cut across your constituencies or stakeholders? WINGS will be using Emergent Learning and the EL Map to provide a common structure and language for sharing insights and looking for patterns across programmes and geographies. ‘The reason we wanted to adapt the emergent learning framework for the WINGS peer learning events is that we want to make the sharing of best practices more useful for network participants in terms of improving their performance or achieving their goals,’ says Marissa Camacho-Reyes. ‘We also want to consciously “build knowledge” around the challenges network participants face.’

Through this technology, WINGS is looking forward to working with its network participants to transform neglected lessons learned into robust and useful knowledge. Furthermore, Emergent Learning will help build the capacity of network participants to achieve better results by continually testing and improving the thinking behind their strategies and programmes.

WINGS (Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support)
Director: Marissa Camacho-Reyes
T + 63 2 926 9446
info@wingsweb.org
http://www.wingsweb.org