Solidarity, not Adjustment: Activism Learning as (Self-)Education (original) (raw)
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Learning as a communal process and as a byproduct of social activism
Outlines Critical Practice Studies, 2007
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Philosophical Inguiry as a practice for social development
childhood & philosophy, 2010
This text focuses on the idea that philosophical inquiry can be understood as a practice for social development as far as a real social development requires a qualitative change in the way society carries out its activities, such as through more progressive and more reflective attitudes and behavior by the population, the adoption of more democratic and participative social forms of organization, the use of more advanced technology, and the dissemination and circulation of more advanced forms of knowledge. Philosophical inquiry is, indeed, a powerful means of spreading intelligence in all the contexts of associated life; since it enhances human intellectual potential through sound reflection both on human experiences as well as on the beliefs, understandings, values which frame and give meaning to these experiences. This practice requires and promotes contexts of shared meanings as well as contexts of social development, aiming at: clarification of ideas; construction of new meanings; and development of new interpretative perspectives of reality. In these terms it can be acknowledged as a social development device for the construction of new ideas and the transformation and emancipation of individuals and social groups as it introduces and enhances reflection in different fields of associated living. The outcomes of philosophical inquiry are, by consequence, new ideas, values, and actions (rationally oriented) that can make for a new sense of, and construct a new understanding of human experience, indicating new developmental directions to human societies. Key words: social development; human experience; philosophical inquiry maura striano childhood & philosophy, rio de janeiro, v. 6, n.11, jan./jun. 2010 issn 1984-5987 56
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), 2011
This paper reflects on the practice of social learning by using my experiences as a social development practitioner in two projects. The first, the Arkwork Collective, is an art-junk process that engages marginalised youth in Grahamstown, South Africa in a process that uses creative sculpture and drama to explore personal and social issues that exist in their immediate context. The second, Jonga Phambili Sinethemba looks into the impact of climate change and HIV/AIDS (amongst other issues) in the rural and peri-urban communities of Willowvale and Lesseyton in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It seeks to provide a platform where members of each community can define the vulnerabilities, capabilities, social networks in their areas with the aim of bolstering the adaptive capacity of these communities. Snippets of my experiences in these projects are shared with the intention of demonstrating constraints to learning in a social context. Key ideas that the paper explores include honouring the lived experiences of participants as part of the process, prioritising the participation of each individual present as part of the ongoing conversation, the challenge of surfacing the vital independent links of a collective, drawing on the reflective capacity of a diverse group, assessing the quality of participation, building capabilities for 'response-ability' and rethinking facilitation. Each section sets out challenges and questions for practitioners in this field to reflect on. The paper suggests that in order to achieve the laudable aims of social learning, we need to peel back the common rhetoric of its participatory aims and acknowledge the complexity, flexibility and dedication that it requires. Defining Social Learning Social learning is an idea of civic engagement that presents a collective of diverse actors from different backgrounds pooling together to deliberate, understand and respond to a pertinent issue that they all identify with. The emphasis on learning within this approach believes that: Through communicative learning a person constructs an inter-subjective understanding of a situation with others, which becomes especially relevant in the context of wicked problems where there is no clear knowledge, or perhaps there is conflicting knowledge about the situation or the best solution.
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Forum Oświatowe, 2013
This paper introduces a psycho-societal approach to empirical learning research combining a materialist theory of socialization with a hermeneutic interpretation methodology. The focus is on individual subjectivity as well as subjective aspects of social interaction. The term “approach” indicates the intrinsic connection between the theorizing of an empirical object, the research process and the epistemic subject. The practical method is an interpretation procedure based in interview transcripts or field observation notes. By interpreting articulations and interactions in the perspective of the subjective meaning for agents and interlocutors, it seeks to understand learning as a subjective process of experiencing social reality. In particular, this methodology is interested in the relation between what is “visible,” i.e., a conscious level of knowing and learning by participating in social interaction, and “invisible,” i.e., collective unconscious meanings that can be traced in text...
Social Construction and Pedagogical Practice
Practices of education are typically linked to an assumptive network, that is, a set of preliminary beliefs about the nature of human beings, their capacities, and their relationship with the world and each other. In the case of education, perhaps the pivotal concept is that of knowledge itself. How, then, do we define or conceptualize knowledge such that educational processes are desirable or demanded; what is knowledge such that certain educational practices are favored over others? Clearly disparate concepts of knowledge will lend themselves to differing views of the educational process. If we believed, along with certain romanticists, that "the heart has its reason," we might replace books and lectures with intense encounters of both interpersonal and spiritual variety. Should we believe, along with the Ilongot of Northern Luzon, that knowledge is to be gained in the throes of anger or in the hunting of heads, then formal training in schools might be replaced by battle experience. Beliefs about knowledge, then, inform, justify and sustain our practices of education.
2012
Aims and objectives Abstract The purpose of this study is to explore learning processes of a collaborative study group, engaged on a path of individual and social transformation, with the perspective of cultural-historical activity theory. The topic opens up a window on processes in learning communities beyond school-related education. The objective is to gain insights how learning takes place in the activity, what the tools are that the participants use in the activity, how these tools guide their learning, and how the participants’ multivoicedness influences the learning process,. Research as a process Scientific method is a truth seeking exercise, is interpretive, and any researcher needs to be clear about the basic set of beliefs that guides his action, his interpretive framework, and the network that contains his (1) ontological (the kind of human being we are; the nature of our reality), (2) epistemological (the relationship between the inquirer and the known, the observer and the observed), and (3) methodological premises (how we know the world or gain knowledge of it). (1) To consider man as a noble being, as mine rich in gems which education can bring out, is a core element of a conceptual framework that governs every educational activity, and stands at the centre of the empirical data I have observed. Bahá’í texts state that the crucial need facing humanity today is to find a unifying vision of the nature and purpose of life and of the future of society. The object of the Bahá’í Faith is to effect a transformation in the whole character of mankind. Every human being has a two-fold moral purpose; to develop their latent potentialities through efforts to contribute to the advancement of civilization (Institute for Global Prosperity, 2012). (2 & 3) Our culture(s), our language(s), our belief(s), our institutions and educational systems influence our understanding. They are products of the human mind. Social reality mediates our engagement with the world, and we have the capacity to create anew this reality. I advance on a path of learning that reduces ambiguity, where the mind does have access to reliable knowledge. The nonfoundational approach to knowledge recognizes the legitimacy of different points of view and the limitations on certainty, but unlike a relativistic approach, permits judgments about inadequacy or error. Human capacity for 7 Exploring learning processes within a collaborative study circle comprehending reality is circumscribed, but the mind does have access to reliable knowledge. We learn to live with uncertainty, and without epistemological guarantees, we act and strive to reduce ambiguity. This research presents a modest contribution to explore a tiny facet and fragment of social reality, and is not a description of the world as it is. The study represents one perspective on social reality, a reality that is whole. I take the teleological stand that history is not just a series of events, but develops. Humanity as an organic entity evolves, in its collective life, towards maturity. Humanity stands today at the threshold of maturity and the distinguishing attribute of this maturity is the unification of the human race. My belief in the oneness of humankind stands at the center of a conception of existence within which the nature of the fundamental processes and structures of the collective life on the planet are defined. Participants and research instruments The unit of analysis consists of a group of five participants who start a course on how to provide children, aged five to eight, moral, spiritual, and values-based training. The data collected includes five video-recorded group sessions and interviews, written questionnaires, notes, and a number of documents, which include primary texts, written by the central authors and institutions of the Bahá’í community, by individuals or Bahá’í inspired organisations. Each of the five video-recorded sessions lasted on average two hours, and there was a lapse of five months between the first study session and the last written questionnaire, carried out after session six. 21 excerpts chosen are analysed in depth. The research is founded on the framework of the cultural-historical school of learning and development, which is referred to during the analysis of the interactional data. The concept of learning is applied to the individual and social plane. The analysis at the micro-level is referring to individual utterances and joint conversations. References are made to acquisition and participation approaches and their interconnectedness. I use activity theory to frame the analysis and discourse analysis to analyze the data. Activity theory states, that a collective activity, with the basic purpose shared by others, is undertaken by people who are motivated by a purpose or towards the solution of a problem, which is mediated by tools, used in order to achieve an outcome. When we communicate, we may strive for clarity, but we are always situated in an historical context and what we say is influenced by our multivoicedness. Reflecting on 8 Cultural-historical activity theory perspective on individual and social transformation what people have said and written, and thereby discovering meaning and interpretation is the basis of discourse analysis (Gee, 2005). Findings & Implications The study shows how learning takes place through a complex interaction between all of the elements in the activity system. Nine distinct instances offer insights that this particular type of collaborative activity encourages and promotes the exchange of questions, ideas, experiences, thoughts and knowledge among participants: 1. ideas bounce and comments resonate with other participants 2. cultural differences meet in a collaborative activity through value negotiation 3. a known concept connects to a new context of having to raise children 4. the object of learning is considered a positive source, spread out worldwide for the first time 5. learning develops through comparison and identity develops 6. an research interest is shown in what participants do and how they do it 7. the activity undertaken is value-oriented 8. participants negotiate the suggested learning tools, mediation is present 9. the tutor shares experiences and skills The study shows that participants negotiate tools given by the content-based curriculum and suggests that participants in a collaborative learning activity focus on their objectives and outcome, and thus choose, define and appropriate themselves suitable tools. The following mediating artefacts, tools and signs were used by the participants and shaped their learning: - three languages (French, Luxembourgish, and German) - the curriculum and the negotiation of the tools provided - writing - participants’ cultural-historical background and the tools they added to the activity The study circle observed is at the beginning of its historicity. Study circles are developing with their own historicity in different contexts and cultures, and on the one hand, influence the way participants learn. On the other hand, as participants bring in their historicity and multivoicedness, they influence the learning activity. In this way, there is interconnectedness and mutual influence between participants and the learning activity. 9 Exploring learning processes within a collaborative study circle The study shows how participants bring into the activity their multivoicedness and historicity. Most of these voices help the participants towards reaching their objective and outcome. In the analysis of the 21 excerpts, I identified 32 voices that participants bring into the activity, collected into seven interacting and overlapping categories: - voices that are in the name of everyone, or for everyone, when we see ourselves collectively - voices of those we care for and love - voices of those that are keen to learn and curious to find out more about human existence - voices of someone that takes part in an activity, someone that shares his skills, someone willing to contribute as best as possible. - voices of someone with certain qualities, skills and values that transmit and portray certain qualities - voices of those that endure physical hardship and are close to nature - voices of those not satisfied by certain learning tools I suggest that participants, engaged in collaborative learning activities, raise their awareness that their multivoicedness influences their learning. The study suggests that the existence and deliberate creation of certain conditions among participants in a learning activity influence the learning process. They include mutual trust, honesty, unity, a welcoming and encouraging attitude, a respect for the opinion of others, adopting a humble learning attitude, humour, and taking ownership of one’s learning. Keywords: cultural-historical activity theory, mediating artefacts, learning, development, historicity, multivoicedness.