Networked Learning · Ongoing or long-form (e.g., 4-week modules to multi-year communities of practice)
Rhizomatic Education (Community as Curriculum)
A decentralized learning model where the curriculum is not a fixed set of content but the living community of learners itself. It treats knowledge as a fluid, negotiated process that evolves in real-time based on the needs and contributions of the participants rather than a static canon.
When to use Rhizomatic Education (Community as Curriculum)
Most effective in rapidly evolving fields where information becomes obsolete quickly, such as technology, digital media, or emerging sciences, and where no single 'expert' can claim a monopoly on current truth.
How Rhizomatic Education (Community as Curriculum) works
Facilitators act as curators and connectors rather than lecturers, providing entry points into professional networks and collaborative platforms. Design sessions around open-ended problems where learners must use social tools (wikis, blogs, forums) to co-construct the 'syllabus' and document their findings as they navigate the subject matter.
Phases of Rhizomatic Education (Community as Curriculum)
- Community Formation
- Knowledge Negotiation
- Rhizomatic Mapping
- Contextual Validation
- Network Integration
Key principles
- The Community is the Curriculum
- Knowledge as Social Negotiation
- Non-linear and Decentralized Growth
- Contextual Utility over External Validation
- Mutable and Negotiated Learning Goals
Best for
- Social Learning
- Professional Development in Tech
- Graduate-level Research
- Communities of Practice
Considerations
- Requires high learner autonomy and digital literacy
- Resists traditional standardized assessment and grading
- Can feel chaotic or overwhelming for learners accustomed to expert-led, linear instruction
Attribution & sources
Developed by Dave Cormier (2008), based on the philosophical concepts of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari (1987)
Design a session with Rhizomatic Education (Community as Curriculum)
METODIC builds a complete Rhizomatic Education (Community as Curriculum)-based session — methods, timing, worksheets, and facilitator guides — in minutes.