Empower and Include

It's been a busy time. I finally did manage to pass my driving test (a very kind examiner, the winter chill and empty roads helped me overcome my mind numbing fear of tests!). Tremendously liberating. Still don't have a car, but it's nice knowing that there is now no other bar to mobility. So Empowering!

So, today, I focus on Empowerment.

And if and how global learning assets and open source education can be used to foster empowerment.

"The idea of empowerment is that those who have little or no influence, such as excluded people, are able to develop informed opinions, to take initiative, make independent choices and influence change...

It also means that those with influence actively change their attitudes and rules and change the way decisions are made through involving excluded people."

Source: The EQUAL Community Initiative (whose activities have now been completed).

Empowerment is the opposite of Powerlessness, which is described in the Voices of the Poor: Crying out for Change as "the core of the bad life", manifesting in "the inability to control what happens, the inability to plan for the future, and the imperative of focusing on the present". Read this global study by the World Bank published as a three part series "Voices of the Poor".

Powerlessness is a serious constraint on the ability to pursue happiness. Its antidote, true empowerment, must be preceded by a recognition of the need for some degree of equality. And for that there must be a change in attitudes and a fundamental shift in how education and learning is offered and made available, accessible and inclusive. It means turning things upside down and inside out. It means Open Education.

As a launch pad into the study of this immensely exciting arena, read Michaeil Feldstein's primer on The History of Open Education here.

Today, every institution that offers education must seriously assess their responsibility to the marginalised and the excluded and think about how they can empower the powerless. And how they can share their assets and benefit from the amazing possibilities for exchange.

Virtual Universities, Education for All and Lifelong Learning

Unicelled creatures adapted to their environments and evolved into increasingly sophisticated beings over the millenia. Today however, time is a scarce commodity and we must quickly and constantly update, upgrade and add to our skillsets in order to continue to be a part of the new world order. Lifelong learning is perhaps even more strongly linked to survival today than ever before. And the instrument that will make it accessible, flexible, inclusive and accessible is the virtual university.

In an era of technology and digital divides what is the role of a virtual university and how can such schools be a driver of social and economic change? How are virtual universities set up? What are the costs and what are the technologies and infrastructure needed to establish a virtual university? How can these ethernet campuses be made accessible and affordable? What are the accreditation schemes available, and can and will these rally people into adopting this new model of learning on the scale and with the enthusiasm needed to justify the investments? Can such models of learning withstand economic storms and monetary market crunches? What are the pedagogies needed, and what will be the quality of teaching and learning and what calibre of learners will be developed as a result? These are some of the questions I'd like to explore.

To start with, some background.

In 2004, the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) launched a project on the Virtual University and E-learning. This project provides insights and case studies, explores and shares the lessons learned in the setting up of virtual universities both in developed and developing countries. There is an overview of policy planning and management issues and a range of diverse case studies that cover the main institutional models.

Traditional universities must keep pace with these new modes of delivery and evolve suitable and appropriate approaches. They must explore ways to offer an education that is transnational, global, inclusive and accessible. Shall we join forces or go it alone?

Yakkity Yak - Don't talk back!

Picking up from where I left off -- I failed my driving test last month. Aargh! 'Twas the devlish roundabout that led to the rout! I was felled in thirty seconds by a faulty manoeuvre attempting a Second Exit Right. When we returned from the test for the debriefing, my instructor said to me, "You are a good driver. What happened?"

Not really sure what happened. For some inexplicable reason (fear of tests!) I was not able to communicate my expertise to the tester. Despite twenty years of driving in Mumbai.

Delving deeper, what really happened is what happens to many people when they're faced with having to prove their worth. They are unable to communicate their skills with the degree of sophistication that may required.

It is the ability to communicate that determines the survival and success of a species. History Channel's Evolve Series offers an indepth insight into how communication has played a critical role in evolution, providing different species with the ability to fend off predators, acquire a mate and find food.

Not surprisingly, one of the key skills identified for Employability is Communication, both verbal and non-verbal. Fostering employability is about cultivating skills and building the confidence and communication techniques needed to show and tell people about it.

That brings us to the role of Conversation and Dialogue. Many generations (and I!) have suffered school systems where talk in class was forbidden and punished. Today however, conversations and dialogue are recognised as essential to development and learning. Dialogic literacy is recognised as a critical necessity in a revolutionary new pedagogy.

New research into brain development and socio-economic status suggests a possible link between talking to children and their ability to process visual stimuli.

There is much in the literature about the role of conversation and dialogue in fostering exchange, collaboration and learning. Many educationists have highlighted the role of the role of dialogue and the community of inquiry in facilitating self-evaluation and feedback. Lipman (1991:19) writes that “…ideally the relationship between teacher and students has this character of face to face dialogue…”

But how exactly does it work? You'll find an excellent overview and references to the subject in Engaging in Conversation and Dialogue and Conversation.

For an indepth discussion, read Robin Alexander's 2005 paper, Culture, Dialogue and Learning: Notes on an Emerging Pedagogy. He suggests that classroom talk tends to become mere recitation or pseudo-enquiry and points out that though"...classrooms are places where a great deal of talking goes on...Teachers rather than learners control what is said, who says it and to whom. Teachers rather than learners do most of the talking."

Shall we let the learners do the talking for a change? To be continued.

Learning vs Training

Last year, many of my friends (and I) turned forty (!) and at every party, we reminisced about the numerous gaffes and blunders we had survived as we made our way through schools and colleges into our first experiences of work and life. Most of us (but not all!) had recovered sufficiently from these misadventures to be able to laugh as we looked back. In hindsight we were unanimous in saying, “If we had known then what we know now….”

This is exactly what education for employability is about. You can read about it in a series of publications called the Learning and Employability Series produced among others, the by the Pedagogy for Employability Group, in consultation with the Enhancing Student Employability Co-ordination Team (ESECT) and the Higher Education Academy (Generic Centre). You can also access some of these and other related papers here.

This series of publications, (edited by Professor Mantz Yorke) offers an in-depth, balanced and thought provoking discussion of the key issues in providing an education that ensures that learners can “hit the ground running fast”.

So what exactly is employability?

Most definitions say it's "a set of skills, knowledge and personal attributes” that improve an individual's chances of success in whatever path they may opt for after their education. It's essentially about teaching individuals to reflect on what makes them tick and finding out what they really want to do in life.

“Employability derives from complex learning, and is a concept of wider range than those of ‘core’ and ‘key’ skills.”

“Employability is not merely an attribute of the new graduate. It needs to be continuously refreshed throughout a person’s working life.”

Source: Employability and Curriculum Design (Kenneth Aitchison and Melanie Giles).

Moving beyond content mastery

While different teaching approaches can lead to similar levels of content mastery in a subject, they can lead to significant differences in other outcomes.

Conventional passive delivery approaches are not renown for fostering independent thought, creative problem solving, critical thinking, experimentation, reflection and transfer of learning to other contexts. Problem based or scenario based learning approaches may be better suited for such outcomes.

The underlying ethos of this series of publications is that there is no conflict of interest between promoting good learning and in promoting employability and that it essentially involves a shift in perspective and approach, a fine-tuning of the curriculum to include the development of skills and attributes in addition to and not in lieu of content mastery.

The primary purpose for the introduction of personal development planning (PDP) in schools is to develop in learners the capacity for reflection and self-awareness. The exercise is meant to help them gain clarity about their attitudes, aptitudes, personal goals and explore how they can work toward these goals.

Making explicit connections

It is now univerally acknowledged that for real understanding, learners must be made to see the big picture. It's critical to make clear the rationale behind these PDP exercises by means of explicit connection building, because,

“provision without student awareness is a missed opportunity. Students need to know that PDP has these purposes and to see how it can link to job-getting and employability generally. They need to see the significance of PDP for their personal development, rather than treat it as an externally imposed requirement (which might be perceived merely as a bureaucratic chore with no apparent benefit).” (Pedagogy for Employability, p. 14)

More to come. Once I’ve passed my driving test (critical to employability)!

Essential Learnings - Building Character

One of the key goals of education that often does not find place in school curriculums and assessment is the development of character and fundamental moral values of truth and justice.

This goal is defined as an essential learning in the handbook for teachers produced by Saskatchewan Education - Understanding the Common Essential Learnings . It is articulated as the "development of compassionate and fair-minded persons who can make positive contributions to society as individuals and as members of groups"

This handbook delves into the framework necessary for the development of personal and social values and skills. In Chapter VI, it is stated that:

"the most basic moral value underlying development of this Common Essential Learning is that of respect for persons."

"When we respect other people we acknowledge their language, their history and their culture as important aspects of their personal identity. While respect implies causing no harm and supporting the rights of individuals and groups to make decisions about what is in their best interest, it also involves active attempts to do well by others. "

"....While the abilities and understandings of this C.E.L. develop gradually and are shaped both by negative and by positive experiences with others, a single compassionate and fair-minded teacher has a powerful and long-lasting positive affect. "

So will you be that one?

Uranium, plutonium, critical mass and the atom bomb

If you're a physics buff and even if you're not really, you'll be enthralled by these lectures by Richard Muller, who teaches physics at the University of California. These podcasts cover nuclear terrorism, cold fusion, climate change and something called "physics for future presidents" (he's also published a book by the same name if you're interested). You'll learn how the atom bomb was made and what nuclear fission can do.

Brilliant, lucid, and targeted as much to the layperson as to future presidents - a definite must hear.

Check out these podcasts now. Or go direct to the main UC Berkeley webcast page.

Self-directed Learning and Learning Dispositions

We need to develop independent, self-directed learners who are able to adapt to the demands of this new world that is constantly in flux. Self-directed learning requires both capabilities (skills, strategies and abilities required for learning), as well as the disposition to learn.

Carr and Claxton (2002) recognised that learners must not just be able; they must be ready and willing to learn. It could be generalised that the relationship between capability and disposition is bidirectional and linear – ability in a particular arena generates success, which leads to a greater inclination toward the activity. Conversely, an inclination to persevere in an activity leads to greater engagement and the development of ability. The caveat to this is that,

“…the relationship is an uncertain one. Capability does not always produce disposition, nor vice versa. Education for lifelong learning has, therefore, to attend to the cultivation of positive learning dispositions, as well as of effective learning skills.”

While numerous writers have offered different opinions about the dispositions relevant for learning, Carr and Claxton (2002: 109) consider the three prime learning dispositions to be:

1. Resilience: the desire to persist with learning despite setbacks.
2. Playfulness: the ability to experiment and consider unlikely possibilities, a vital ingredient in creativity.
3. Reciprocity: seeking a variety of channels to express and exchange ideas.

Carr and Claxton (2002: 127) further suggest that the learning dispositions are “important building blocks for life-long learning” and that there is a need for educational settings that “exemplify and encourage their development”.

In the design of learning and learning environments, territories are often defined by learning objectives. It's critical to look beyond immediate objectives and offer avenues for the development of learning dispositions. This includes providing activities that build confidence and self-esteem, encourage search, exploration, enquiry, experimentation and play, rather than providing readymade answers. It's also important to ask why and how questions, to develop skills for justification of answers, and facilitate dialogue and discussion.

Reference:
Carr, M., & Claxton, G. (2002).Tracking the Development of Learning Dispositions, in Assessment in Education, Vol. 9, No.1, 2002. In Daniels H., & Edwards A., eds. (2004) The Routledge Farmer Reader in Psychology of Education (pp. 106 -131). RoutledgeFalmer.