A PORTRAIT OF A LEARNER

A Balanced
Person

A Compelling
Communicator

CON
C
GOOD E P
W
IT T
H

U EAS
A
ID
ER

L
GOOD PEOPLE
RACT

LEARNING LEARNING
EXPERTS EXPERTS

A Respectful
CHA

Relationship
Builder
S
LL
S KI Y
G O O D W IT H N C
E
COMPET
An
Innovative
Creator

A Rational
Problem-solver

A Contributing
Citizen

Our primary purpose is to build learning

experts, able to make sense of the world
and help the world make more sense.'
- Kevin Bartlett
 THE PORTRAIT OF A LEARNER
The CGC has built a complete Learning Ecosystem, through which we Define,
Design, Diversify, Deliver, and Demonstrate Learning. Each element in the
ecosystem is driven by a question. The Portrait of a Learner is the ultimate
response to the Design question, 'What's Worth Learning?' .
Our first response was, 'It's worth learning what is common to all people,
everywhere'. This response gave rise to the design of the 6 Human
Commonalities: six transdisciplinary concept pairings that 'sit above'
traditional disciplines while preserving and connecting them.
We became increasingly convinced of the compelling need to develop
transdisciplinary transfer goals, as the powerful 'transportable gifts' of the CGC
experience, the natural source for the transfer goals was the Human
Commonalities.These goals, expressed through the Portrait of a Learner
provide a clear, lifeworthy, end-in-mind for learners engaged in the CGC
learning continuum. The flow of our thinking is mapped out below.

PURPOSE AND INDIVIDUALS PATTERNS AND SUSTAINABILITY IMAGINATION STORIES AND

BALANCE AND GROUPS PRINCIPLES AND SYSTEMS AND CREATIVITY SIGNALS

We all seek meaning and
purpose in our existence
and strive towards
PURPOSE AND achieving balance in our
BALANCE lives.
A Balanced Person
can independently pursue their
passions, apply their values and
balance their resources to
achieve a sustained sense of
personal wellbeing and purpose.

We all seek personal
identity; we all need a
place to belong. The
groups we belong to,
and how they organise
INDIVIDUALS themselves, have a
AND GROUPS defining influence on our
lives.
A Respectful
Relationship Builder
can independently build
respectful relationships with
diverse individuals and groups,
building networks to achieve
individual and collective goals.
 THE PORTRAIT OF A LEARNER

A Rational
Problem-solver
We all look for recurring can independently solve
patterns and enduring complex problems using sound
principles to help us make reasoning based on an enduring
PATTERNS & sense of things. understanding of causation.
PRINCIPLES

A Contributing
Citizen
We all share a duty of can independently contribute
stewardship for the to sustainable, equitable social
ecosystems we inhabit and ecological ecosystems
SUSTAINABILITY and a need to understand through leadership, humility,
& SYSTEMS how they work. empathy and the practice of
service.

An Innovative
Creator
We are all creators; we can independently
are all capable of conceptualise and create a
imagining new futures, unique artifact, aesthetic or
IMAGINATION & new tools, new artefacts, technological, to enhance
CREATIVITY and making them real. human experience and/or
expand human possibility.

A Compelling
We are all storytellers;
Communicator
we all send messages to can independently design and
each other, in different deliver persuasive, informed
languages, for different communications, using different
STORIES & purposes, in different media, on matters of principle
SIGNALS genres, through different and ideas that matter.
media.

0 8
 A BALANCED PERSON
independently pursues their passions, applies their
values and balances their resources to achieve a
sustained sense of personal wellbeing and purpose.

As Balanced People:

We are happier, more productive
and fulfilled when we feel connected
to something bigger than ourselves,
and when we follow a purpose that
really matters to us.
Reflect upon and document the things
we really believe in, the things we’re
good at, the things that we can be
passionate about, the things that shape
our identity.

A key aspect of our happiness is Commit to our passions and projects

becoming expert in something we and be resilient in pursuing them in the
care about. Focusing on our face of challenges.
strengths enhances self-esteem and
provides positive energy.

Regulate our emotional state through

Finding balance in our physical and
sound practices with regards to sleep,
emotional health is central to our
nutrition, physical fitness, and stress
ability to live fulfilling lives.
management.

We become more
PURPOSEFUL
Self-Regulating - Reflective - Resilient

We become more intentional and

deliberate in all our pursuits. We become
more able to self-regulate, and in turn, RESILIENT
become more resilient and reflective, to
fulfill our inherent human potential.

PURPOSEFUL
SELF-REGULATING

REFLECTIVE
 A RESPECTFUL
RELATIONSHIP-BUILDER
independently builds respectful relationships with
diverse individuals and groups, building networks to
achieve individual and collective goals.

As Respectful Relationship-Builders:

Group membership is a key driver of Demonstrate a deep understanding

human social evolution and a key
element in individual identity. As a
social species, we form groups for
multiple, complex purposes, from
meeting basic belonging needs to
national and international governance.
of the social evolution of humanity as
a social species, with each group
having its unique history, geography,
economic system, civic
responsibilities…its ‘culture’.

Our bonds with our group bring
positive benefits in terms of identity
and belonging, but are so strong that
they can be manipulated in ways that
can bring great harm to other
individuals and groups, whether
intentionally or unintentionally.
Participate in fair, kind and
empathetic ways in group activities
at all levels of scale including
exercising our family, organizational
and constitutional responsibilities.

We live in a networked world. Building Collaborate kindly, respectfully, and

our own respectful, collaborative and
constructive relationships with a wide
range of diverse individuals and
groups is critical for our success,
happiness and wellbeing….and that of
others.
effectively with a wide range of
diverse individuals in a wide range of
contexts.
Build effective networks for the
achievement of individual and group
goals.

We become more
INCLUSIVE
FAIR
Empathetic - Collaborative - Inclusive

We become more equitable and just,

using empathy to understand diverse
perspectives, guided by a sense of
FAIR
COLLABORATIVE
collaboration and inclusivity that respects
the contributions of all individuals.
EMPATHETIC
 A CONTRIBUTING CITIZEN
independently contributes to sustainable, equitable
social and ecological ecosystems through leadership,
humility, empathy and the practice of service.

As Contributing Citizens:

We inhabit inter-connected social and Demonstrate a clear understanding

ecological ecosystems. Our collective
well-being and the sustainability of all
species inhabiting the Earth is
contingent on the health of these
systems.
of the interconnected nature, and
mutual dependencies, embedded in
social and ecological ecosystems.

Our ecosystems are fragile, vulnerable
and threatened. Every individual and
every group has a clear responsibility
to work actively to restore and sustain
both social and ecological balance.
Demonstrate through our words and
actions a genuine, personal sense of
responsibility for the restoration and
sustaining of healthy social and
ecological ecosystems.

We need leaders with the courage and
resilience to take a lead in directions
that will restore and sustain social and
ecological ecosystems, while
recognizing that there are times to
follow, and to lend our strengths to the
initiatives of others.
Serve actively in impactful and
sustained service actions, using our
personal strengths and inspiring
others to contribute to aligned
initiatives for the planet and all its
inhabitants, human and non-human.

We become more
RESPONSIBLE
Integrity - Respectful - Committed
COMMITTED
We become more committed to fostering
harmony within the community, guided
by a strong sense of integrity and respect.

RESPONSIBLE
INTEGRITY

RESPECTFUL
 A RATIONAL PROBLEM-SOLVER
independently solves complex problems using sound
reasoning based on an enduring understanding of
causation.

As Rational Problem-Solvers:

There are observable patterns, and Discern patterns and related

related principles, in the natural and principles that help us make sense of
social world, if we are open and curious the world.
enough to find them.

Some patterns are positive, some are Address opportunities and problems
problematic. We need to nurture that others may have missed and be
positive patterns and address negative sufficiently confident in our own
ones. judgment to speak out and act.

Solving complex problems requires a Employ clear and consistent logical

clear strategic process that always processes for:
starts with why, and moves on to leveraging positive patterns
address how and what. solving complex problems
in systematic and sustainable ways.

We become more
CURIOUS
Open - Confident - Logical

We become more open and inquisitive,

confidently broadening our intellectual OPEN
horizons to seek a greater understanding
of the world.

CURIOUS
CONFIDENT

LOGICAL
 AN INNOVATIVE CREATOR
Conceptualizes and creates unique artefacts,
aesthetic or technological, to enhance human
experience and/or expand human possibility.

As Innovative Creators:

We are a creative species, able to Convert our unique perspectives and

conceptualize and create unique
artifacts, aesthetic or technological, to
enhance human experience and/or
expand human possibility.
experiences into original, unique
artifacts, engaging in replicable
creative ‘design cycles’ that organize
and build our creative competencies
so that we can produce what we
imagine.

We have advanced as a species Play with ideas, conceptualize and

through the ‘social disruption’
generated by innovative technologies
and new ways of seeing the world.
create new designs for tools and
other creative artifacts that will
improve the quality of life through
new ways of doing things and/or new
ways to see beauty in the world.

Everyone has a unique perception of Display an appreciation for diverse

the world and an innate creativity. ways of expressing our response to
the world, including ways that break
with technological and/or aesthetic
traditions or norms.

We become more
PLAYFUL
Appreciative - Creative - Engaged
ENGAGED
We become more inclined to appreciate
beauty and find joy in creative and
engaged exploration.

PLAYFUL
CREATIVE

APPRECIATIVE
A COMPELLING COMMUNICATOR

Conceptualizes and creates unique artefacts,

aesthetic or technological, to enhance human
experience and/or expand human possibility.

As Compelling Communicators:

We are the storytelling species; we all Communicate effectively and

send signals to each other, for efficiently for different purposes, to
different purposes, to different different audiences, in different
audiences, in different languages and languages and genres, via different
genres, via different media. media.

We have a duty to be ethical, Create honest, accurate messages,

trustworthy and truthful in all our using our critical thinking capacities
communications. to determine what is, to the best of
our knowledge, ‘the truth’.

We can use communication to make Demonstrate courage in our

the world a better place for more communications, avoiding narrow
people, or we can use communication self-interest and speaking out on
to further our own interests, possibly to matters of principle and on ideas that
the detriment of others. matter.

We become more
TRUTHFUL
Trustworthy - Critical - Courageous CRITICAL

We become more dedicated to

communicating sincerely and critically to
foster trust and demonstrate courage.

TRUTHFUL
TRUSTWORTHY

COURAGEOUS
 PATHWAYS TO THE PORTRAIT
There's clearly no point in making claims about our Learners unless we provide
them with experiences to enable them to 'be the Portrait'. We work on both
curricular learning Pathways and co-curricular ones. With regard to the latter,
we might, for example, offer Ted Ed Student Talks to support a student in
becoming a Compelling Communicator. With regard to the former, we build a
complete, connected Learning Matrix, comprising powerful Learning Modules
with embedded assessments, which spiral towards the Portrait. Here's a
snapshot:
 THE CONVERSATION...
The Common Ground Collaborative is a small, agile learning
design team that works in 20 countries, customizing Learning Ecosystems for
and with schools. We chose our name with careful intent:

‘Common Ground’ because we choose to teach what's worth learning,

the common ground of human experience, framed by 6 transdisciplinary
Human Commonalities. The Commonalities provide the WHY behind our
learning disciplines and help us make connections among them.

‘Collaborative’ because we are not a business and not a bureaucracy.

We are a flexible, non-profit organization driven by a passion for transforming
learning. We don't impose rules on our member schools, we co-create
Principles with them.

The Portrait of a Learner Design Team is:

Jack Snell
Sasha Manu
Lilian Segovia
Kevin Bartlett

Flipbook Design by:

Minor Martinez

If our work of the CGC resonates with you,

please feel free to contact us:

CommonGroundCollaborative.org

Kevin Bartlett - Founding director

Marta Rivera-Bartlett - Early Ground Leader
Daniela Martinez -Membership, Workshop, and Logistics Coordinator
Minor Martinez - Marketing and Product Development