Curio Cycle FAQs

Below you'll find a set of common questions about the Curio Cycle with our answers. If there is anything else you'd like to know, you can get in touch here.

What is the Curio Cycle

A Curio Cycle is a sequence of four sessions that you complete with your cohort. The purpose of each Curio Cycle is to develop and store a deep understanding of a learning topic, which gets you closer to achieving your overall learning goal.

How long is it?

The length of each of your Curio Cycles should be as short as possible, taking into account the time your cohort can dedicate to learning. For full-time learners, we prefer shorter cycles, with a two-and-a-half-day Curio Cycle being the shortest possible. For part-time learners, longer cycles are usually better suited, with a maximum length of four weeks. If you’re doing a four-week Curio Cycle, you’ll need to dedicate four hours every week over the whole four-week period; two hours as a cohort and another two hours as a cohort or as individuals.

How is it structured?

Each Curio Cycle has four sessions. Together, these sessions will take you through the phases of effective learning according to research.

• SESSION 1 - Planning

• SESSION 2 - Research and Analysis

• SESSION 3 - Strengthening

• SESSION 4 - Review, Reflect, Plant

Each session should be allowed a minimum of two hours of dedicated time with a break at least every hour. If the purpose is achieved sooner than two hours, the session can be ended early.

In between sessions, there needs to be a gap. During this gap, preparations will be made, knowledge will be gathered, and competencies put into practice.

Can I do this on my own?

It's important to note that this process is designed to be used as part of a group or cohort, rather than on your own, and so most of the activities require a group.

Learning is a social process, and research shows that working with others can help to deepen your understanding and provide different perspectives.

Learning with others will also keep you motivated. A common worry for anyone wanting to learn more is that they won’t have enough time due to competing work or personal commitments. The best way to counteract this is by learning as part of a group where you feel accountable to your fellow learners to not cancel or move the sessions.

Who should become a cohort?

We encourage you to find a cohort of individuals who share the same learning goal. This could be a group of colleagues, friends, or classmates, and you could all be in similar roles at work or share the same hobby. Simply put you want to improve the same knowledge or skills. By learning together, you'll be able to make the most of this guide and achieve your learning goals more effectively.

A learning goal can be a specific target, like a qualification or achievement from a professional or educational perspective. For specific goals, we advise choosing one that is sought after for your long-term plan. This process is not to help cram, pass the exam, and then forget - it is to boost the storage of knowledge and experience over time.

It’s worth noting that just because it’s best for you to form a cohort with others in similar roles or with similar interests, that’s not to say you should all be alike. Ideally, you’ll form your cohort with a diverse group of people with a range of backgrounds and experiences, who can provide lots of different perspectives during the activities.

As well as all sharing the same learning goal, it is important to also be empowered to make decisions for yourselves. The purpose of the process we’ve created is to gain knowledge, competence, and confidence in a chosen topic. This will be achieved by setting and completing learning objectives. Learning objectives are short-term and contribute toward your learning goal. The cohort must create these learning objectives themselves, and no one from outside the cohort can dictate what each learning objective must be.

What size should my cohort be?

We would recommend that your cohort be no larger than eight people, with five to six being the sweet spot. This number provides good interaction and discussion whilst making it easy to reach a consensus and allowing everyone to participate. Any smaller than four or larger than eight, and activities will become challenging to facilitate.

How much do I need to commit?

To reap the benefits of social learning, it is vital that you match each other in levels of dedication and show your fellow cohort members respect on this shared journey. Everyone will need to give time and energy to the process consistently so be mindful of the commitment to each other as you form your cohort. It is essential that everyone must be physically and mentally present. Keep each other honest and respectful by reminding everyone to ditch the distractions and put the phones down.

How much time does it take?

This process is for both part-time learners and full-time learners. The minimum recommended amount to be focusing on your learning through this guide is four hours per week. For full-time learners, this guide can be applied to both single-curricular education for example a PhD, or multi-curricular education for example school, college, or university.

Do we need any tools or resources?

You will need a physical or virtual space which everyone can contribute to and access. In person you could use a whiteboard with sticky notes and pens. If you are remote a virtual whiteboard, for instance Miro or Mural, would be recommended but a shared document like a spreadsheet would also suffice. When choosing a virtual tool, ensure everyone in the cohort is given time to familiarise themselves with the controls and that you work to prevent one person becoming the sole administrator. This will boost the collaboration of the whole cohort.