In the context of the ‘classroom’ or the ‘school’ it is accepted that there is a teacher and there are the pupils. However,  it is possible to gain knowledge through a network of exchanges between anyone: everyone is an master of something.

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Knowledge cycles and knowledge exchange as a basis for learning allows you to not only learn something from someone but also allows you to then teach someone else. This exchange of knowledge, instead of the schoolmaster explicating knowledge, means that both parties in the exchange are learning throughout the process. If you simply told a friend that ‘it’s a school day tomorrow’ on Sunday then walked away you would fail to gain the knowledge that they had. In this case, the friend knew that there was no school in fact because it was a Bank Holiday.

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In this simple instance, the ignorance of assuming that ‘the friend’ was unable to teach you anything means you were left misinformed. If you would have to exchanged knowledge and appreciated what ‘the friend’ had to say you would have gained the correct information. This may have then led to you informing ‘the friend’ that there is a show playing on the Bank Holiday Monday that you could both go and watch.

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Although simplified this is the basis of the knowledge cycle and knowledge exchange. It is non hierarchical meaning that no one is considered to have more knowledge than anyone else. There will be people who are experts in certain fields such as engineering, law and economics but they may know very little of how to bake a crème brûlée, sow a field or draw with Indian ink. The best way for knowledge to be shared between people is by understanding that everyone has something to teach and something to learn.

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This knowledge sharing is evident in the Sawing timber master:CLASS.