Vanessa Andreotti. Global Education Derby/Mundi. Nottingha

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Negotiating complexity, contingency, power and
inequality through enquiry The Other Worlds/LAO
initiative

• Vanessa Andreotti Global Education Derby/Mundi
• Nottingham University

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The Other Worlds Project

• Funded by DFID (mini-grants scheme)
• Hosted by Mundi
• Inspired by the World Social Forum phenomenon
• Basic idea taken from a similar initiative in
  India
• From April to October 2004
• Involved educators, academics, activists and
  students from 6 different subject areas
• Involved different institutions in the UK
  partners in India, Canada, Brazil and Singapore
• Design Development approach to ed. research

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The Other Worlds Project
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The Other Worlds Project
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The Other Worlds Project

• Objectives
• To develop critical and analytical skills
• To promote openness to difference
• To develop notions of interdependence and
  accountable agency (planetary citizenship)
• To promote self-reflexivity

Aim - to promote and support open spaces for
discussions about the current state of the world
Methodology OPEN SPACES
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The Open Spaces Methodology

• Critical engagement (as opposed to critical
  disengagement and uncritical engagement)
• Exposure to non-mainstream perspectives

• an educational SAFE space for dialogue
• no hierarchies
• informal nature
• not telling participants what to think or do

EVERYONE has knowledge Every knowledge is
PARTIAL EVERYTHING can and should be questioned
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Conceptual Framework
Based on postcolonial theory as a set of
productive debates that...

• Focuses on interdependence
• Addresses complexity and cultural supremacy
• Problematises the representation of the Third
  World and issues of voice, tokenism and cultural
  subordination/domination
• Questions Eurocentrism, charity and benevolence
• Questions fundamentalisms, absolutisms,
  relativisms and universalisms
• Makes the connection between the generation of
  poverty and the creation of wealth
• Recognises the violence of colonialism and its
  effects, but also acknowledges its productive
  outcomes
• Also questions fundamentalist/essentialist
  notions of culture, ethnicity, belonging and
  identity in resistance

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Conceptual Framework
In education it promotes

• Self-reflexivity
• a productive acknowledgement of complicity
• accountable reasoning
• an ethical engagement with the Other
• (Change at a cognitive/epistemological level)

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Conceptual Framework
In education it implies

• exposure to different cultural logics
• critical engagement as the disposition to trace
  where assumptions are coming from and where they
  are leading to (origins and implications of
  assumptions)
• critical engagement with perspectives of others
  and ones own (self-reflexivity)
• building skills and awareness for informed
  independent thinking (accountable reasoning)

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The Open Spaces Piloting

• 10 sessions of 90 minutes
• 3 control groups (university students/community
  group/teacher training)
• Carrot NGO certificate

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The Open Spaces Methodology

• Stimulae (text, image, music cognitive
  dissonance)
• Airing
• Reflexive questions
• Open Space questions
• Task (simulation, case-study analysis, problem
  solving, role-play...)

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The Open Spaces Methodology
"In my opinion the ''open spaces'' methodology
will greatly benefit students of all ages. I
firmly believe that the national curriculum in
the UK ought to include citizenship classes in a
way that does encourage people to question things
and think independently about what they feel is
not right. This is different from having people
tell you what you should think and what you
should do and is necessary if we want students to
feel ownership and responsibility for their
actions and not just resort to charity to
compensate for their guilt for living in
privilege, something that I used to do without
noticing it. I feel this methodology allows
people to discuss their ideas and opinions freely
and without fear of being ''wrong''. Through such
open dialogues, debates and discussions, I feel I
was encouraged to believe in my capacity and
legitimacy to question things, to think more
critically and be more open minded . This
experience has affected the way I see myself and
my place in the world." N. M. (undergraduate
student)
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The Open Spaces Methodology
This approach, I feel, genuinely values dialogue.
It provides a context in which people can share
perspectives. This is a very refreshing contrast
to political discourse concerned as a battle of
wills - with each side convinced of the rightness
of its own position. An 'open space' encourages a
conversation in which one is open to learn from
others - one is not simply battling to get others
to accept our existing perspective. This idea
helps us to let go of dogmatic fixed views that
can blind us to the perspectives of others."
(J.D. - Teacher)
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Next Stage
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Next Stage
25 groups in Nottingham 10 in Derby 5 in
Leicester 4 in Brazil 2 in Canada 2 in India 2
in Singapore 2 in France 2 in Israel 2 in
Trinidad and Tobago 6 in the US
From April 2005 to April 2007 Piloting of 10h of
the methodology Content customised to each
context Development of database of stimulae,
questions and tasks Research project from January
2006 to January 2009 Core research tool
(reflective diary) focus group case-study
DATA COLLECTION
2005-2006-2007
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Frequent questions

• Does this learning process translate into
  action?
• Is it too rational?
• Does it lead to confusion and/or paralysis?
• Does it produce measurable outcomes?
• Does it question the authority of the teacher in
  the classroom?
• Does this project undermine the legitimacy of
  social movements?
• Wont we help more (the Third World) if we get
  pupils to take action (instead of focusing on
  reflection)?
• What is your (hidden) agenda?

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An agenda?
Gilligans model
Integrated
Trends of thought
Logic of rights, justice and autonomy
Logic of care, relationship and responsibility
Judgemental ranking
Relational (non-hierarchical) thinking
worldcentric
Other perspectives matter
Care and compassion to all human beings
Rights and justice to all human beings
ethnocentric
Only the perspectives of my equals matter
Care and compassion for my group, tribe or nation
Rights and justice for my group, tribe, nation,
continent
egocentric
Only my perspectives matter
Selfish in communal ways
Selfish in agentic ways
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Challenges and possibilities

• Challenges...
• LANGUAGE
• CONTINGENCY
• Dissemination
• Facilitation
• Balance action/reflection

www.globaleducationderby.org.uk/learningaboutother
s taxvoa_at_nottingham.ac.uk www.mundi.org.uk/otherwo
rlds