Learning is easy if you've got the time, energy, resources and peace of mind - without these, it gets difficult, and all the more crucial. This course, now in its first iteration, guides you on your path to more resilient learning, through seven key question-and-answer situations. By reflecting on real-life examples and working your way through personalised workbook activities, you will begin to build a support plan for your learning in tough times. 1. Why does "Learning in difficult circumstances" exist? Take a look at any stock photo or video of "people learning" - and the doubts should start settling in. These images - which I've also used on this page so often - show you a perfect story about perfect learning. Relaxed people in a safe, well-lit space, using modern tech to confidently engage with a topic that brings a smile to their faces. Sure, this sometimes happens - learning is to be celebrated when it feels this good. But we know the opposite is also true, and we've seen it all. Many of us have been through tough times with our learning. Our devices fail us - or there are no devices to speak of. Our broadband conks out - or there never was one. The space around us no longer feels safe, or welcoming. The people we learn with - or the people we depend on - turn from allies to neutrals, from supporters to adversaries. On a macro level, these stories hide behind the newspaper headlines. On a micro level, these are the problems and dilemmas which so many learners and teachers have to tackle: is learning still possible? Does it still matter? And if so, how do I keep making learning happen? I didn't write this course to contain all the answers. My privilege makes me the archetypal character of the happy stock images I just mentioned. This course is a first step. It's an icebreaker for a conversation I hope we can afford to have. Learning matters, even when it seems that nothing matters to anyone around you any more. 2. How does "Learning in difficult circumstances" work? The problem with writing this course was that there are so many difficult circumstances to imagine. Listing them all would have been impossible - and even trying to choose a "top 10" would have seemed unfair. Instead, I decided to focus on seven positives. These seven situations could be the goals for your learning as it survives the difficult circumstances. Each of us goes through our problems in our own way - but it makes sense, I think, to imagine our learning in a positive light at the end of it, and to make plans to preserve it. Each chapter explores this positive vision through a question, and an answer. Along the way, in every chapter, the course discusses two case studies. These examples are based on learners I knew and worked with, or on learning adventures I've shared, or had myself. The answer in each chapter is not a solution: it's an invitation to start your work. You will be encouraged to think about the best-case scenarios - and about the bad ones, too. This answer will form the basis of a workbook activity. There is one at the end of every chapter. This is how you make the course your own. That's how you build plans and solutions that work for you. We will look at the space, time, and resources available - we will think about the energy, mood, and other people involved in your learning. 3. Who is "Learning in difficult circumstances" for? You know the saying: there are two good times to plant a tree - 30 years ago and right now? Well, the same kind of thinking applies here. If you're already struggling to make your learning work for you, then my hope and wish is that this course can be of some use - and that it can inspire you to find the answers and methods that work for you. If your learning is doing well right now - congratulations! This course can still be helpful, though. By taking a good look at the tricky points in your learning setup, you will begin to strengthen them for the future - and by protecting what works, you will make sure your areas of strength keep growing. And if you are a teacher whose work takes you to learners in difficult circumstances - I sincerely hope that this course is, at least, an invitation to find fresh perspectives on your work. It may sometimes feel like teachers "have seen it all" - I hope that the questions and scenarios in this course can bring new ideas and techniques to your work. 4. How can I get "Learning in difficult circumstances"? The course is available now in the Punk Learning shop. The download package contains several formats: - PDF - good for printing, computers, phones, etc - PDF (OpenDyslexic) - a PDF version of the course with a dyslexia friendly font - epub - good for ebook readers - epub (OpenDyslexic) - an epub version of the course with a dyslexia friendly font - OpenDocument - a free and open text standard, good for copying, pasting, editing, and remixing - OpenDocument (OpenDyslexic) - as above. You may need the OpenDyslexic font installed on your machine. - txt - a free and open plain text format. No formatting whatsoever. Good for absolutely everything. "Learning in difficult circumstances" is a pay what you can course. You get the same package if you pay $10, $100 or $0. The course is yours to keep forever and use as you please There is no DRM on any of the files. Feel free to share it with anyone, and use it in your work. Please don't re-sell it, or pass it off as yours, though.