Science for Rural Education and Development

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Science for Rural Education and Development

• The System of Tutorial Learning (SAT), Colombia
  and Honduras

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FUNDAEC and SAT

• FUNDAEC origins Dr Farzam Arbab
• SAT System of Tutorial Learning
• System of non-formal secondary education for
  rural life and sustainable development
• Aim to develop attitudes, knowledge and skills
  for more self-reliant development
• Current importance in Colombia
• Terra Award 2002 and Euro EXPO 2000

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Diagnostic rural development

• Social disintegration, inequity, dependency
• Absence of regional learning process,
  institutions to support it
• Development is impossible without learning
  process including science technology
• Learning process ignores role and needs of human
  beings concept of participation
• Ignored development of moral values, human
  motivation

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Concept of participation in SAT

• it could be claimed that people were in charge
  of their own development only if they were
  learning systematically about the changes that
  occurred in their society, and were consciously
  incorporating in their continuous learning
  process appropriate elements from the universe of
  knowledge (Arbab, 1984)

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FUNDAEC diagnostic (cont.)

• Traditional and modern science/knowledge
• Division of knowledge in disciplines
  fragmentation vs. integration, division of
  natural and social sciences, difficult to convert
  theory into practice and solve problems,
  reinforces divisions traditional and modern,
  rural and urban
• Inappropriate institutions universities?
• The rural university dual role

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Science in SAT

• Science is heritage of all rights and capacities
  
• Content and language of science re-interpreted
  in rural development context
• Science an organised dynamic process of
  finding solutions to technological problems
• Study of natural systems and processes
• Investigation of reality analyse parts, study
  interactions, place in larger context

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Levels of integration

• Integration between science, technology,
  education and development technology as
  application of science to changing reality
  
  technology development as part of learning
  process essential for development
• Integration between disciplines - examples
• Integration between modern and traditional
  knowledge examination of scientific and
  technological culture of rural societies

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Research and learning process

• Research/Action - Reflection - Learning
• Educational materials organised around developing
  capabilities not disciplines
• Definition and examples of capabilities
• Scientific and social capabilities
• Capabilities serve a social purpose
• Service to the community
• The wider context of SAT

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