Very cool. I’ve thought about trying to set up groups like this before. Two things seem difficult:
People have different skill levels. If Alice, Bob and Carol want to get together to study painting, I’d think it’d be a lot better if they are similarly skilled. If Alice has a skill of 9⁄10 whereas Bob and Carol have a skill of 2⁄10, Alice wouldn’t benefit all that much from the group. If these groups met online, I think that makes it an easier problem to solve because the prospective userbase is much larger, but the study circles discussed in this essay met in person, which means the prospective users are people in the local town or whatever, which seems tough.
Motivation comes and goes. Suppose Alice, Bob and Carol form that group to study painting. What if Alice gets bored after two months and quits? I guess the group can continue without her and that new people can replace her. It just seems risky for small groups. Especially if it’s a nights-and-weekends thing. Similarly, there’s the issue of logistics. What if Alice can’t meet on Thursday nights anymore?
Very cool. I’ve thought about trying to set up groups like this before. Two things seem difficult:
People have different skill levels. If Alice, Bob and Carol want to get together to study painting, I’d think it’d be a lot better if they are similarly skilled. If Alice has a skill of 9⁄10 whereas Bob and Carol have a skill of 2⁄10, Alice wouldn’t benefit all that much from the group. If these groups met online, I think that makes it an easier problem to solve because the prospective userbase is much larger, but the study circles discussed in this essay met in person, which means the prospective users are people in the local town or whatever, which seems tough.
Motivation comes and goes. Suppose Alice, Bob and Carol form that group to study painting. What if Alice gets bored after two months and quits? I guess the group can continue without her and that new people can replace her. It just seems risky for small groups. Especially if it’s a nights-and-weekends thing. Similarly, there’s the issue of logistics. What if Alice can’t meet on Thursday nights anymore?
Any thoughts on those?