First of all, as it says on the Home page, in order to understand where we're coming from please read the following pages before writing or editing patterns:
Reminder: What we mean by "pattern"
For the purposes of this project, a pattern is a feature we believe shows up repeatedly in group processes that result in ...
Patterns start in the Potting Shed
HALLMARKS LIST (aka "The Pruning Tool")
The following list of questions are here to help guide the pattern writing and editing process. While it’s not required that every pattern necessarily be able to answer yes to every question on this list, these are hallmarks that have been noted across many of the patterns.
Does it further the goals of the project?
- Support purpose-driven design
- Deepen the skills of those who serve as group process guides
- Serve as a resource for those who are teaching others
- Increase process literacy among people who are users of process(es)
Does it point us toward “the quality that has no name”? Does it describe a feature that shows up repeatedly in group processes that result in “deepening, connection, and a fulfillment of purpose”?
Does it feel resonant? Is it evocative? Does my gut respond to this with a sense of recognition?
Does it happen across methods/approaches? Is it a common piece underlying multiple methodologies? This is like stacking functions in permaculture, where one element contributes to many yields.
Can it take a large variety of forms? "Each pattern describes a problem which occurs over and over again in our environment, and then describes the core of the solution to that problem, in such a way that you can use this solution a million times over, without ever doing it the same way twice."--A Pattern Language
Is it fractal? That is, does it show up at more than one scale (such as within one item of a meeting and again within the meeting as a whole)?
Is it a distinct creature? That is, once grasped, it stands out as its own thing, coherent, and not merely a result of other aspects of process. While it may take a while to first “see” a pattern, its essential “shape” should be easy to recall once understood. Is it unifying? It may bring together what previously seemed like separate aspects of group process.
Does it describe an action that can be consciously undertaken by convenors and/or participants? Rather than, for instance, a dynamic to be passively observed. Does knowledge of this pattern increase the skill of practitioners?
Steps to compose and enter patterns into the pattern language site
Note: For consistency, we are moving toward using Canadian spellings for the patterns. This means using "-re" rather than "-er" spellings in some words, such as "centre" and "theatre," and using "-ou" rather than "-o" in words such as "honour" and "neighbour." For questions on this, see this list of Canadian spellings, or contact Dave Pollard.
- Take a look at some of the Patterns that have already been written.
- Review the existing potential patterns list to get some sense of possibilities.
- Choose an area of group process in which you have experienced a sense of something really working, and where you have some ideas or inspiration about how and why this has occurred.
- Go to the Potting Shed and enter a title for your pattern, followed by your name.
- Click Add a pattern to go to a blank pattern template. (This link also available in sidebar.)
- Read the explanation by each section to see what's wanted for it. For your convenience, that template text is also available here, below. At a minimum, write up a draft-quality Heart section and enough of a Description that would allow others to get a sense of where you are going. (If you’re more comfortable working offline or in your own personal word processor, you can copy the section headings: Heart, Description, etc.) If you refer to another pattern, then put that pattern name in double brackets [[like this]] to create a link.
- When you're done filling out the form, scroll all the way to the bottom and click on the "Save" button.
Template for pattern writing
NAME
A pattern name should be a short, evocative word or phrase. Usually 1-3 words, occasionally longer. Succinctly titles the pattern for common reference and at the same time conveys (or at least hints at) the heart of the design instruction. Note: For consistency, we are moving toward using Canadian spellings for the patterns, such as "centre" and "honour." Do the best you can. Thanks.
VISUAL
Add Visual+*right+*edit help
See Image Criteria for futher guidance.
HEART
What is the essential core of this pattern? Why is it important: what calling, purpose, or higher values are expressed through it? What possibilities does it open up? What needs does it satisfy? Two to four sentences in length; an abstract.
See Heart Criteria for further guidance.
DESCRIPTION
Context: What is outside of this pattern that is relevant to it? Under what recurring circumstances might we apply it — the “if” for which this pattern is the “then.” What forces and constraints are worked in this pattern to produce the desired outcome?
Instructions: How does one use this pattern? Guidance designing or practicing this element in a group conversation. What users should know about it.
Variations (optional): Different ways the pattern might be implemented. May include specific, named techniques or formats that embody or apply this pattern.
Cautions & Caveats (optional): Potential misinterpretations, misuses, exceptions, over-applications and/or limitations of the pattern.
RELATED PATTERNS
Patterns that are closely linked to this one, for example because they mutually support each other, or because one of them depends on the other or is a subset of it.
EXAMPLES
What best illustrates this pattern at work in group process? Offer one to three examples that bring the pattern to life, providing a sense of the range of possible solutions using the pattern. Could include songs, poems, videos, and other forms as well as written stories.
RESOURCES
How to learn more about this pattern, including: people who have experienced it in use and can say what it is like; organizations, networks or individuals who can provide information or expertise about this pattern; other references – books, websites, articles, videos, bibliographies.
OTHER
Anything else you want to say about the pattern. Could include:
Levels/Fractal: How does this pattern play out at various individual and collective/holonic levels (micro and macro)? In the hierarchy of patterns (from general to specific), what level is this pattern at? What category does it occupy with other patterns at its level?
Learning Edges: Reflective commentary at the borders of what is known about a pattern, its application, and its relationship to other patterns. May include instances where the pattern appears to break down, pose questions that arise in application, offer insight into unusual applications, etc.
Quote: Short, expressive statement that embodies or articulates this pattern (explicitly or implicitly), from a recognized authority, or an especially astute observer or advocate of the pattern.
STAGES
See more about stages.
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