Full Circle Learning: Making Personalized, Self-Directed, and Community-Based Educational Practices Visible Through Educational Ecosystems



Author Information

Mireille Schülpke, Clonlara School, United States

Abstract

This paper presents an exploratory approach to reconstructing and visualizing individual Educational Ecosystems based on qualitative document analysis. The empirical data consist of Full Circle Learning (FCL) records produced by students enrolled in the Off-Campus Program of Clonlara School, an accredited private K–12 school in the United States. These records document self-directed educational projects throughout their entire development and provide detailed insights into learning processes that unfold beyond curriculum-based educational settings. Using Grounded Theory Methodology, individual Educational Ecosystems are reconstructed and visualized as infographics. The resulting representations reveal the spatial, social, material, and digital dimensions of self-directed educational processes, as well as the roles, practices, relationships, and teleoaffective structures that shape them. As an initial exploratory contribution to an ongoing multi-year research project, the study demonstrates how qualitative learning documentation can be used to make complex educational processes visible. The findings contribute to a broader understanding of education beyond institutional and curricular frameworks and provide a methodological approach that may support the scientific description, societal recognition, and educational legitimacy of self-directed educational processes.


Paper Information

Conference: PCE2026
Stream: Design

This paper is part of the PCE2026 Conference Proceedings (View)
Full Paper
View / Download the full paper in a new tab/window


Comments & Feedback

Place a comment using your LinkedIn profile

Comments

Share on activity feed

Powered by WP LinkPress

Share this Research

Posted by James Alexander Gordon