Special Interest Groups - More information
We are currently running over 30 Special Interest Groups as you will see listed below . We are always happy to receive suggestions for new groups and to hear from people willing to convene. (Scroll down the page to register your interest in a group)
Convenors
Just to clarify – a convenor does NOT have to be a subject expert. A convenor is an organiser, you get people together and everyone works out what the group is going to look like and do a brief reporting back for the newsletter. You may not know a lot about the subject, but want to know – which is great, you can learn along with your other group members.
Size of special interest study groups
Indoor groups will be limited by the size that will comfortably fit into people's homes. Your group may decide to rotate where you meet, or always meet at one home, or somewhere else. Outdoor groups can be as big as you like.
We have set up a form below for you to update your interests or to fill in the form to show what you are interested in. Without a convenor, people will have to go on a waiting list – so please think about convening a group. Remember spaces will fill up quickly, so it’s a matter of first in.
How do Special Interest Groups Work?
Special Interest Study Groups are for the participants to work together to learn about a shared interest or passion. They will all work differently, depending on what the participants want to do.
You choose:
What will you study? (History in total or only one century of history?)
When you meet? (Fortnightly, Monthly?)
How long you will meet for? 6 weeks or ongoing until you are all sick of it! For example a Pottery group led by a skilled potter might be a 6 week course?
How will you find out your information? Google? Ted Talks? Library? Books? DVD's? Online TV documentaries? University Library? specialist resources?
How will you report back to the group? Each group operates a shared learning model where the members share their discoveries and research with each other for group discussion.
There will be many other things that you will decide as a group. How many people, will it cost money (probably not, but a pottery course will for materials, use of a kiln).
The convenor (see article above) does not need to be a specialist in the topic, they are an organiser who gets everyone together to start with and may delegate to others to organise meetings, but reports back to the newsletter writer.
For more information, click the button below to check out the information that Lyndall has put together on how a special interest study group might work. This is just an example and each group is free to develop their own learning protocol.