The Learnlab model is a learning framework that guides the learner through five phases: activate, explore, deepen, concretize and reflect. It promotes deep understanding by combining knowledge, skills and character development. Supported by digital tools and a learning-centered AI, the model encourages active participation, creativity and collaboration.
Purpose:
Create motivation and a desire to learn for the upcoming work.
Question:
“What comes to mind when you hear [topic]?”
Activities:
Desired Reaction:
“This was exciting. I want to learn more!”
Purpose:
Develop engagement skills so that learners can make informed choices.
Question:
“Which parts of the topic do you think are most interesting? Let’s explore it together.”
Activities:
Desired Reaction:
“Now I have an overview of the topic and know what I want to work on next!”
Purpose:
Learn more about specific parts of the topic, preparing for the concretization phase.
Question:
“How are we going to learn more about this?”
Activities:
Desired Reaction:
“Now I know enough to create something concrete where I can demonstrate my skills!”
Purpose:
Give learners opportunities to demonstrate competence based on their own conditions.
Question:
“What can you create or do to show what you have learned?”
Activities:
Desired Reaction:
“Now I am proud of what I’ve worked on and ready to showcase it!”
Purpose:
Learn from the process through reflection.
Question:
“What have you done, what were you thinking along the way, and what have you learned from the process?”
Activities:
Desired Reaction:
“I’ve learned a lot and know what I can do better next time.”
Unit Planning is designed to be flexible, based on needs. A unit can last from a few days to several months. This flexibility is due to the ability to collaborate across subjects by inviting other facilitators to participate in the unit, as well as two main levels of planning:
Tips for planning:
Adapted Didactic Relation Model:
For concrete planning, you can use a didactic relation model that considers value-based and principled factors, as well as specific elements in the planning phase.
Rich Tasks:
Rich tasks refer to learning activities that provide learners with the opportunity to explore complex concepts and apply knowledge and skills across different disciplines. These tasks are designed to be open-ended and ambiguous, encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving. Here are some key characteristics of rich tasks:
At Learnlab, we believe in the value of rich tasks as an inclusive method so that all learners can easily get started and understand the tasks. We offer various tools that enable creative learning, either individually or in collaboration with others. These tools are also tailored to meet specific needs, such as language adaptations.
How can AI contribute?
It is wise to start the learning process by sparking curiosity and motivation in the participants. This initial phase is crucial for harnessing the learners’ inherent curiosity and making use of their existing knowledge base. The primary goal here is to create a sense of relevance and eagerness to learn, which will drive the work that follows.
Our presentation tool is perfect for sparking curiosity and activating prior knowledge by facilitating participant input through open tasks, word clouds, polling, and step-by-step progression.
Our mind map tool can be used by creating a shared mind map where we gather input on the relevant topic, concept, or term. At the end of the period, the mind map can be updated with a different color code to show what new information has been learned.
Our book tool can, for example, be used for the writing relay. Have the learners write what they remember about the topic for 1-2 minutes, then they switch learning devices and continue their learning partner’s text.
Ask the learners to create a short video or audio file where they share everything they remember about the topic. They can take on roles such as news reporters or journalists interviewing each other.
For reflection:
How can AI contribute?
Our AI can summarize input in the presentation tool, highlight the range of thinking, and develop reflective questions based on the learning objectives and key concepts that the facilitator has added.
The phase is about giving learners an overview of what the topic is about so they can make informed choices about what they want to delve deeper into. This is a phase that is often overlooked. We often desire various forms of participant involvement, and this requires us to develop their engagement skills and further develop their identity, interests, and motivation. This is achieved by providing opportunities to navigate through and interact with the topic in a way that resonates with their individual learning styles and preferences.
Our presentation tool can be used as a resource bank by adding links, videos, and content that learners can explore directly within the app. Learners can contribute suggestions for good sources in open tasks. This is a great opportunity to practice source criticism.
Our mind map tool can be used as a resource bank with links, videos, uploaded documents, and audio files. Learners can also co-write in the mind map and share interesting information they find, categorizing it together.
Our book tool can be used as a resource bank with various links, videos, audio files, and content. The facilitator can copy content from the library for learners to explore or create content themselves. Learners can use the engaging reader to have text read aloud or translated into multiple languages.
The facilitator can create podcasts or videos, or share these from the library for learners to explore.
For reflection:
How can AI contribute?
Our AI can summarize mind maps or multimodal books that the facilitator wants learners to explore in Mind maps and Books. For some, this can be a way to adjust the difficulty level, as the summary can be read aloud and translated into different languages.
In-depth study enables a thorough understanding of key knowledge, skills, and aspects of personal development that are considered important during the period. In this phase, learners are guided to dive deep into specific aspects of the topic to understand key concepts and ideas, fostering a deep and nuanced understanding of the content. This is also an opportunity to acquire new learning strategies, working methods, and skills.
Our presentation tool can be used by learners to test what they remember through quizzes or matching steps. They can also invite external experts and have a reflective conversation or interview with the person, either synchronously or asynchronously, via the interactive steps.
Our mind map tool can be used for deep dives as learners, individually or in groups, build out a mind map based on what they learn along the way. Here, they can gradually build, categorize, and visualize their increasingly deeper knowledge.
Our book tool can be used to read multimodal texts from the library or those created by the facilitator. Learners can also take notes or create audio or video logs of what they are learning.
Learners can study videos or podcasts from the library or created by the facilitator. They can also create audio or video logs of what they are learning along the way.
For reflection:
How can AI contribute?
Our AI can create stimulating questions in mind maps and books based on the facilitator’s planning, helping learners dive deeper into the topic.
Now it’s time for the learners to create creative and engaging products or perform actions that allow them to demonstrate their competence based on their individual capabilities. Through concretization, they can practically showcase the knowledge (such as conceptual understanding), skills, and aspects of personal development they have acquired during the period. They must, in some way, demonstrate their increased insight through words, products, and actions. This phase is crucial for enabling learners to apply theoretical knowledge to practical, tangible forms.
Learners can create interactive presentations that make it more engaging and educational for the audience to watch the presentation.
Our mind map tool can be used for brainstorming or as a knowledge bank intended for presentation. Learners can receive support along the way through formative assessment from the AI learning assistant.
Our book tool can be used as a platform to showcase competence by having learners create a multimodal product with text, images, videos, audio files, drawings, etc. Learners can receive help from the AI assistant, to refine the product through its formative assessment. The tool is great for digitizing analog learning processes. The products can be presented digitally or printed out.
Learners can create engaging podcasts or videos. These can range from imaginative stories, explanatory videos, news reports, to the digitalization of skill training.
For reflection:
How can AI contribute?
In book and mind map, AI can provide formative feedback on learners’ work, which frees up time for other tasks for the facilitator, like relationship-building.
Reflective dialogue involves conversations that strengthen and internalize the acquired competencies. Here, we help learners reflect on the product they created in the concretization phase. When thinking about formative assessment, it’s possible that, based on these reflections, learners may refine the product before finalizing it. If the learners didn’t present in the concretization phase, this is an appropriate time for them to showcase what they’ve created and explain the thinking behind their process. This provides a good opportunity for them to learn from each other, but it’s important to ensure the group doesn’t become passive recipients during this phase. It’s also crucial to reflect on the learning process itself with the learners: What went well, what did we learn the most from, and what can we do differently next time? This phase provides a platform for learners to articulate their learning journey, offer insights, and engage in constructive discourse, thus enhancing their understanding and appreciation not just of the subject but also of the process. These reflections are essential because they highlight the learning and allow us to carry those lessons into the next cycle of the model.
Our presentation tool is great for summarizing and reflecting on learners’ products and the learning process. Learners can upload resources directly into the presentation, which can then be displayed to compare and inspire each other. Here, learners can also answer reflective questions using mind maps or open-ended tasks. Sometimes it’s fun to have a matching task or a quiz to see what participants remember from the period and from each other’s work. You can generate a report for the entire group or individual learners, allowing everyone to see how their contributions helped the group’s collective learning.
Our mind map tool can be used as a presentation tool, or it can serve as a starting point for subject-specific discussions.
Our book tool can be used as a presentation tool or serve as a starting point for subject-specific discussions. Learners can also develop a multimodal reflection log.
Learners can create a video or audio file where they reflect on their work and the learning process.
In Mylab, facilitators can conduct both formative and summative assessments. Once the participants’ work is complete and reflections on the learning process have been conducted, tasks can be marked as finished and the period archived if desired. Work that will be used in the learner’s portfolio can be saved.
For reflection:
How can AI contribute?
Our AI can summarize input, show the breadth of participants’ thinking, create reflective questions, and provide suggestions for further initiatives based on reflections and feedback on the learning process. In Mylab, AI can assist facilitators with assessment by generating draft feedback based on the work learners have submitted during the period. The facilitator can decide when and how many times they wish to provide feedback during the period, it doesn’t have to be only at the end.
Progressive Learning at Learnlab involves learner-centered experiences where participants learn through action and creation, with opportunities to adapt the learning process to individual needs, be creative and engaged, and reflect on their own development. This approach is inspired by the theories of renowned educators, philosophers, and psychologists such as John Dewey, Lev Vygotsky, Maria Montessori, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Howard Gardner, and Michael Fullan. Their work emphasizes practical learning, critical thinking, collaboration, and reflection—principles embedded in both the learning content and technological development of the Learnlab platform. Learnlab aims to foster environments where learning is not only informative but also transformational, supporting personal growth, capability development, and meaningful contributions to communities and society.
John Dewey: Experience-Based Learning and Reflective Thinking
John Dewey, a philosopher and educational reformer, argued for experience-centered learning, emphasizing that learning occurs through experience and reflection on those experiences. Dewey believed that learning should prepare people to engage actively with their society and environment, encouraging a continuous cycle of action and reflection that supports both personal and intellectual growth.
Learnlab offers digital tools that support reflection and learner-created content. Presentation is particularly useful for reflection, while Book, Mind map, Video, and Podcast provide effective tools for creating and demonstrating learning. The AI assistant is also designed to help learners reflect on what they have achieved and identify possible next steps. For “learning by doing,” we recommend combining the platform with practical, experiential, and offline activities to make the most of experience-based learning, creative production, and thoughtful reflection.
Real-World Applications: Dewey’s idea that learning should be closely connected to real-world experiences is a cornerstone of Learnlab’s approach. Facilitators are encouraged to create rich tasks that engage learners with their environment, relevant challenges, and authentic contexts, and to provide opportunities for participants to share their work with audiences beyond their immediate learning group.
Lev Vygotsky: Mediated Learning, the Zone of Proximal Development, and Scaffolding
Lev Vygotsky, a key figure in psychology and education, introduced and laid the foundation for several concepts that have significantly influenced modern learning practices. Central to his theory is the idea of mediated learning, which proposes that learning occurs through interaction with one’s social environment, particularly through tools and language.
This interaction often occurs within the “Zone of Proximal Development” (ZPD), which describes the difference between what a learner can do independently and what they can achieve with appropriate guidance and support. Learnlab facilitates mediated social learning in which participants can receive scaffolding through technology, with language, collaboration, peer interaction, and AI-supported guidance playing central roles.
Maria Montessori: Emphasis on Self-Directed, Hands-On Learning and “Peace”
Maria Montessori revolutionized early childhood education by introducing a learner-centered approach that emphasizes practical, self-directed learning within a carefully prepared environment. Her philosophy is based on the idea that people learn effectively when they have opportunities to explore materials and concepts at their own pace and are guided by intrinsic motivation rather than relying solely on external rewards or pressure.
Learnlab’s tools, such as Mind map, Book, Video, and Podcast, facilitate this kind of exploration in combination with practical activities and other digital or physical resources. Montessori’s broader focus on “peace” also resonates with Learnlab’s ambition to create thought-provoking content that can contribute to socially engaged individuals and communities and encourage both external and internal reflection.
For sensory-based and active learning, we recommend using the platform in combination with practical and experience-based activities in real-world settings. The learning assistant supports a more self-directed learning process by providing guidance when needed, while enabling facilitators to focus their support where it can have the greatest impact.
Ludwig Wittgenstein: Philosophy of Language and Learning
Ludwig Wittgenstein, a pivotal figure in modern philosophy, greatly influenced our understanding of language and its role in learning. He argued that the meaning of words depends on context and that language gains meaning through its use within different “forms of life.” From this perspective, understanding a concept involves being able to use it meaningfully in practice.
At Learnlab, this translates into an emphasis on helping learners make their understanding concrete through products, activities, discussions, and actions. These can then provide a basis for demonstrating knowledge, skills, and competence. This perspective encourages practical language use within relevant activities and communities and emphasizes the importance of context in communication and understanding. Learnlab’s AI assistant is designed to engage learners in purposeful language use connected to the learning objectives and key concepts selected for a particular topic or activity.
Howard Gardner: Theory of Multiple Intelligences
Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences has had a significant impact on thinking about learning by suggesting that intelligence is not a single general ability but can be understood as several distinct dimensions. According to Gardner, learning experiences should provide different ways for individuals to engage, develop their strengths, and demonstrate their capabilities.
Linguistic, logical-mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and critical evaluation skills are areas that can be strongly supported through the Learnlab platform. Development in the other areas depends to a greater extent on the activities and experiences designed by the facilitator. Practical and offline activities can be easily combined with digital activities on the Learnlab platform to create varied learning experiences.
Michael Fullan: Deep Learning
Michael Fullan, a renowned educational researcher known for his work on deep learning, is a major inspiration for LK-20. Fullan identifies six important competencies—often referred to as the six Cs—that are relevant to learning and development in the 21st century:
Hargreaves & Shirley: Learner Engagement
Dennis Shirley and Andy Hargreaves highlight the importance of achieving a better balance between performance and well-being in learning environments. Their work, originally focused on schools and student engagement, identifies factors that can promote or hinder meaningful engagement.
Potential barriers include dissatisfaction, disconnection from the learning environment or content, dissociation from wider social norms and communities, disempowerment, and distraction. To promote engagement, emphasis can instead be placed on mastery, empowerment, intrinsic value, understanding the relevance and importance of what is being learned, and connecting learning to the culture and context of the participant.
Digital tools can enhance engagement when they are used with clear goals and a meaningful purpose, while an excessive focus on standardized assessment can reduce opportunities for deeper engagement. At Learnlab, we support structured learning processes that promote relevance, mastery, learner involvement, reflection, and a portfolio-based approach to demonstrating development over time.
Managing these kinds of flexible and individualized learning processes has traditionally required considerable effort from facilitators and learning leaders. AI can help make this work more manageable by supporting adaptation, feedback, reflection, and follow-up.
Learnlab also provides learning resources that facilitators can copy, adapt, and contextualize for their own participants, organizations, communities, and local conditions. In addition, we place a strong emphasis on Sámi content, supporting greater awareness and visibility of Sámi languages, cultures, knowledge, and perspectives.