Rhizomatic learning is a non-linear, networked approach to education inspired by Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of the rhizome. Instead of viewing knowledge as hierarchical or tree-like, it sees learning as an open, interconnected process where students create their own paths and connections. This method promotes flexibility, collaboration, and the recognition that learning is a continuous and evolving journey.

• Collaborative Online Platforms: Students contribute to shared knowledge bases (like wikis or discussion boards) where content evolves based on multiple inputs, reflecting an organic, networked structure.

• Project-Based Learning Communities: Learners engage in projects that require interdisciplinary input, adapting research paths as new insights emerge, rather than following a rigid, linear curriculum.

• Open Educational Networks: Environments such as MOOCs where learners navigate resources and form study groups according to their interests, resulting in personalized learning trajectories.

• Community-Driven Research: In settings where participants determine research questions collectively and work together to explore connections, fostering a continuous, adaptable journey of inquiry.

A wiki embodies many principles of rhizomatic learning—it’s non-linear, collaborative, and continuously evolving through diverse contributions. However, while a wiki provides a networked environment where content isn’t dictated by a strict hierarchy, its effectiveness as a truly rhizomatic model depends on the freedom of contributions and minimal gatekeeping. In settings where control is less rigid, wikis can indeed mirror the open, interconnected nature of rhizomatic learning.

• Rhizomatic learning aligns closely with connectivism, which views knowledge as distributed across a network and emphasizes the significance of relationships and connections in learning (e.g., George Siemens).

• Dave Cormier is a key figure in articulating rhizomatic education, encouraging learners to follow non-linear, self-directed paths rather than adhering to predetermined curricula.

• The theory draws inspiration from Deleuze and Guattari’s philosophy, proposing that knowledge doesn’t grow hierarchically but rather spreads like a network, much like the structure of a rhizome.

• Related ideas include constructivism and social constructivism, as both highlight the importance of learners actively constructing meaning through interaction and collaboration.

These perspectives collectively contribute to a vision of learning as a dynamic, ever-evolving process shaped through interconnected experiences.