Learning, Identity and PlaceLearning, Identity and Place

Ruth Deakin CrickRuth Deakin CrickUniversity of BristolUniversity of Bristol

Graduate School of EducationGraduate School of Education

RSA Seminar Series: 2005/6RSA Seminar Series: 2005/6

• Opening Minds: Education for 21st Century, RSA.

• BA Honours Degree, Newcastle University• ELLI Research and Development programme at

University of Bristol• Enterprise Curriculum at London Academy• Competency based curriculum at St John’s

Marlborough

Research and Development Research and Development ProjectsProjects

• 20 gifted and talented 16 year olds at St Johns

• 15 young people not in education, employment or training

• 15 young offenders

• Undergraduates on a BA honours course in Knowledge and Society

Policy frameworkPolicy framework

• Personalisation• Every Child Matters• Well being• Learning to learn• Quality teaching• Local solutions

RationaleRationale

• The new technologies have changed the way human beings relate to the material world

– Detachment v experience– Sense making v accumulating data– Knowledge v learning how to learn

Starting with the learning selfStarting with the learning self

– recognise the person of the learner, her intentionality, authority, relationships and story

– allow these to initiate, shape and motivate the learning process

– enable the learning to relate - and achieve a purpose of value - to the (accountable) world.

Such an approach isSuch an approach is• anchored in personal interest

– (rather than didactic intent)

• starts with experience – (rather than opinion or theory)

• creates its own dynamic – (rather than following taught routines)

• relates and unites disciplines and domains – (rather than fragmenting them)

• Integrates values with learning– (rather than separating them)

• is reflexive on its process – (rather than concerned only with outcome)

• allows the outcome to derive from the process– (rather than pre-determine it)

The dynamics of a learner-driven The dynamics of a learner-driven enquiryenquiry

1. Personal Choice : concrete place/object

2. Observation - description

3. Generating questions

4. Uncovering Narratives

5. Mapping

6. Connecting with existing knowledge

7. Interface with curriculum requirements

8. Assessment - validation

Thinking and Learning SkillsThinking and Learning Skills

• Choosing/deciding• Observing/describing• Wondering/interrogating• Discovering/storying• Navigating/mapping• Spanning/connecting,• Interacting/incorporating• Reconciling, validating

The learning selfThe learning self

• Story• Identity• Hope• Experience• Tradition• World views, culture

and values

Personal power to learnPersonal power to learn

• Changing and learning

• Meaning making• Critical curiosity• Creativity• Learning relationships• Strategic awareness• Resilience

Learning OutcomesLearning Outcomes

Publicly valued and assessed knowledge and know how

Qualifications, expert knowledge.

Publicly Valued Competencies Publicly Valued Competencies

• Managing change • Citizenship • Problem solving• Communication• Assimilating

technologies• Managing own

learning

Stations in the journeyStations in the journey

IdentitySelf

ChoiceVoiceHopeStory

Personalpower

to learn

Publicly valued

competencies

Publicly valued,

assessed knowledge,

skillsunderstanding

Learning relationships: mentored Learning relationships: mentored movement of selective attention movement of selective attention

between self and textbetween self and text

SELF

Story, identity, hopeembodied, contextualisedpersonal power to learn,

TEXT

Publicly valued funds of knowledge

Publicly valued competencies

Critical curiosityCritical curiosity

• Or ‘detective zone.’• Asking questions and getting under the

surface of things.

CreativityCreativity

• Or ‘springboard zone.’

• Thinking around things

• Coming up with new ideas, sometimes a bit crazy!

• Trusting your hunches

Growing and learningGrowing and learning

• Or ‘morphing zone’

• Building ‘learning muscles’

• Realizing you can get better at learning

ResilienceResilience

• Or ‘gritty zone’!

• Not giving up, even if it’s tough

Strategic AwarenessStrategic Awareness

• Or ‘pilot zone’

• Making ‘battle plans’

• Thinking about how you are going to do something

Idea-Spinning!Idea-Spinning!in the….

Jigsaw zone

and the

(Creativity) (Meaning Making)

Springboard zone

Jess’s choice:Jess’s choice:Cheddar GorgeCheddar Gorge

• ‘I chose this person and place because it was the time in my life when things were just normal at home and it was just me, my mum and my brother and we were all happy. It makes me a bit sad because we don’t have times like that any more but also happy because we had a good day’

QuestioningQuestioning in the….

and the

(Critical Curiosity) (Strategic Awareness)

Detective zone Pilot zone

Jess’s questionsJess’s questions

• What will be there in 15 years?

• What was there before?

• How many people have been there?

• How was the gorge made?

• Have any famous people been there?

• What kind of people used to be there?

• Why do relationships matter?

ReflectingReflecting in the….

and the

(Meaning Making) (Resilience)

Jigsaw zone Gritty zone

EvaluatingEvaluating in the….

and the

Morphing zone

Team zone

JessJess• ‘It’s made me not so scared

to learn other things,’ ‘It was a tiny little project and it spiraled into all these other things that were connected.’

• ‘I didn’t think I could learn any more but now I believe you can.’ It’s not just about Cheddar Gorge, it’s about life stuff.’

Pedagogical tools for citizenship Pedagogical tools for citizenship

• Connecting the personal to the public

• Engagement with a concrete place or object facilitates a learning encounter with the stories through which human communities make meaning and construct knowledge

• Core values are negotiated through story