What Is a Learning Bubble or Learning Pod?

Rogelio Valdés

May 18, 2021

When we started developing our elementary and middle school project, we knew from the beginning that we did not want to adopt the traditional classroom group model. In the best-case version of that system, you might have twenty students per teacher, but in some schools that number can rise to forty students in a single group.

Over the last six years, while building extracurricular courses, we have run many experiments. We tested small groups of five students, large groups of forty, teams of three students led by a mentor who then joined a larger group of up to twenty, and many other variations. We were constantly testing different methodologies to understand what works best, and we discovered something very important:

> When we had one mentor per student and learning was fully personalized, students learned very well. But when learning happened in a group, retention improved and the process became more enjoyable. As more students were added, however, that positive effect started to disappear and eventually reversed. We came to the conclusion that there is an optimal group size, somewhere between 5 and 10 students.

Of course, we are not the first to build groups of that size. Some schools, especially in the United States, have arrived at the same conclusion. This is common in micro-schools and in what are called “learning pods,” known in Mexico as “burbujas de aprendizaje.” That is exactly the concept we decided to implement in our in-person elementary and middle school model. Whether the pandemic continued or not, we believed this was the best way for children and teenagers to learn. It is one of those practices that came to stay.

How does it work?

This is more than just creating smaller groups. Learning bubbles are made up of students who meet in a space close to their own community, usually in one of the participating families’ homes. A teacher, or in our case a mentor trained in the Robin methodology, visits the group and students work on curricular activities either individually or in teams. They are not all competing for the mentor’s attention because participation is much more active. Listening and respect are encouraged more naturally. Schedules can adapt to what is convenient for the group and the mentor. Most importantly, the format allows much more attention to each child’s individual needs.

We also work with mixed-age groups, where one student might collaborate with another who is one grade above or below. That creates a strong sense of collaboration within the group, and asking each other for help becomes very natural.

How can you create your own learning bubble?

All you need is a small group of students in your community. They can be school friends, cousins, siblings, neighbors, or a mix. Keep in mind that students can be slightly different in age. We usually recommend a maximum gap of about three years between the youngest and oldest, though it depends a lot on the group dynamic. Once you have the group, you need a teacher or mentor. In many cases, one of the parents can fill that mentor role, especially in families that are already homeschooling. If you write to me at rogelio@robinacademy.com, we can help you find and train a mentor near your community, or even train a parent to become one.

How does this translate to an online format?

It works in almost the same way. You form similarly sized groups led by a mentor, but in this case the work happens over video calls. In our methodology, every video-call session requires active and constant participation from students, so it becomes much more dynamic than simply listening to a teacher talk. These sessions often become games, debates, or challenges that the group must solve together. You can learn more about that online model through our other materials.

What I like most about this model is that it feels much closer to real life as an adult. Companies are increasingly building small teams. Those teams can work remotely or in person. They include people with different skills, ages, and ways of working. In the real world, it is no longer enough to sit in a room with thirty people all doing the exact same thing. That is one of the main reasons we decided to build this educational project.

If you want to know more about our Elementary and Middle School program, you can visit robinacademy.com/escuela. You can register there to request more information, and we will gladly schedule a call to answer any questions you have.