People-Based Learning
How we learn with and through each other—in schools, at work, & in life.
We’ve learned more about how people learn in the past 20 years than in the previous 200—
but our systems haven’t caught up.
People-Based Learning shows what happens when we act on what we now know about the brain, about belonging, and about what makes learning last.
People-Based Learning is a book (Routledge, 2026) and a movement. It brings together the art and science of connection to reshape how we teach, lead, and live.
Why It Matters.
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What if learning began with people, not programs?
For too long, we’ve tried to improve schools, workplaces, and communities
by focusing on systems instead of relationships.But humans are social learners.
Connection is not a soft skill—it’s the source of curiosity, trust, and growth.When we learn through people,
we remember longer, think deeper, and act together.Learning is not only an individual act. It’s also a shared one.
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The People-Based Learning Framework
At the heart of People-Based Learning are three guiding elements—
Connect, Reflect, and Affect.
Together, they form a cycle of relational learning that sparks both meaning and movement.Alongside them are five concentric circles—
the Circles of Connection Framework—
mapping how people move from first encounters to sustained community. -
More than a book. A movement of connection.
The ideas behind People-Based Learning are alive in classrooms, teams, and communities everywhere.
They show up in conversation circles, community design, and new ways of leading with empathy and evidence.Through School of Thought, you can explore stories, visuals, and experiments in real time—
a growing library of how learning happens between us.
