Active Learning for Active Citizenship

1
Active Learning for Active Citizenship

• Learning for Life

Exeter CVS and ALAC partners
2
ALACA Home Office Pilot, 2003-2005

• Aimed to identify the most effective ways in
  which an expansion in citizenship learning
  opportunities for adults could be stimulated and
  supported

3
Active Citizenship

• the capacity of individuals and communities to
  relate to the world around them as active,
  critical, engaged citizens. If we are to have a
  healthy democracy we need to support each other
  in identifying the issues that concern us, and
  develop the confidence and skills to make a
  difference to the world around us
• (Woodward, CRU, 2004. 1).

4
The Hubs

• South West Exeter CVS
• Manchester Metropolitan University
• West Midlands Black Country (VCO)
• South Yorkshire WEA and Northern College
• Lincolnshire Citizen Network
• Tees Valley
• London Civic Forum

5
ALAC participants

• Included people for whom there is no or very
  limited learning provision, including
• Women
• Refugees and migrants
• Travellers
• People from BME backgrounds
• Carers
• People with Learning disabilities
• People with Physical or sensory disabilities
• Mental Health service users

6
Key principles

• Build upon existing good practice in voluntary
  and community-based learning
• Active Learning in groups learning together and
  from each other
• Learner centred
• Linking learning, action and reflection
• Linking individual to collective concerns
• Doing, rather than being done to.
• Key values of social justice, equality and
  diversity
• Linking the local to the global

7
Learning happens through.

• Group work Relationships
• Workshop Support
• Conversations Dialogue
• Classroom based teaching Participation
• Activism Reflection
• Journeys Field Trips
• Action Research Mentoring

8
Reflective LearningAn Example

• For example, an exploration of power and power
  relations
• Individuals explore when they have felt both
  powerful and powerless
• This is shared confidentially in small groups
  and key themes and points reflected back to the
  main group
• A concept of power is shared and explored with
  the group in relation to their own experiences
• This concept is used to critically explore
  notions of powerful and powerless in the
  external world
• Different types of power are explored in
  different contexts

9
Learner Centred

• Participants plan own research
• Participants design content of learning
• Learning from own and others experiences
• Learning by active involvement
• Use of participatory methods
• Meets diverse needs
• Access issues central

10
Role of facilitator

• Create and maintain healthy group dynamics so
  people can validate their own knowledge, skills
  and experiences, as well as provide relevant
  information and theory to allow deeper
  understanding and critical reflection.

11
Facilitation Principles

• Process important
• Reflection crucial
• Skills, knowledge and experience are valued/built
  on
• Safe Space
• Participatory methods
• Ethical principles crucial
• Power dynamics explored

12
Outcomes

• More people active in their community, for their
  community
• Marginalised people given a voice and confidence
• Service users in health and social care enabled
  to Speak Up, participate in forums, work with,
  recruit and train professionals
• Public services challenged
• Partnership working between organisations