When Learning in Common Means School Success For
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MeT 20.2 When they think I can't hear, modelling what we could do with our own learners. We Learning Communities: when learning in common 'I! But I am resilient, cannot ignore what isgoing on around us: And will overcome them, means school success for all 'When the pro(essor read the poem (rom the Arab And grow strong. American boy, I realised howmad and prejudiced I (elt I"" Soon, against anyone (rom the Middle East, even people Jesus Gomez Alonso and CREA I'll be one of the 'in' crowd whose (amilies have lived in the United States as long When size doesn't matter. as my (amily. Suddenly I was seeing my hatred clearly, Nobody'll dare and that (act that I wasn't being realistic. Writing my -, Think or say, own poem unleashed more o( my (eelings that I now Cruel words to or about me, know I have toward other people and they have toward Learning Communities is a project of school approaches of authors such as Habermas (1987 Then. me.' transformation. It responds to the new challenges 1989), Freire (1997), and CREA (Centre for Social and needs created by the shift from the industrial to and Educational Research). At the practical level, Besides, 'In all o( ourteacher education courses we keep the information society. In the current information Learning Communities departs from experiences in They'll see how real I am studying multicultural education. Through this activity it society, success depends on people's intellectual schools such as Success for All in the USA and La And be ashamed all suddenly made sense. It was exciting to see what is abilities, lifelong learning and the capability of Verneda St. Marti in Spain, which appear to have meant by cultural characteristics and sel(identity. I I, too, am an American. adaptation and innovation become key, been successful. couldn't believe how a poem almost a century oldhas consequently helping maintain or increase social application yet today.' The Communicative theories rest on an old social exclusion and marginalisation. In what Gorz phenomenon: dialogue and action take place every I, too, am an American 'I never knew how other people (elt. It was amazing (1986), calls the two-thirds society, those with high time people struggle for social justice (such as the NO I, too, am an American. learning about my (riends. Their poems opened up my academic levels have more chance of entering the Primar democratic revolutions against imposed monarchies I am the disabled brother. thinking about seeing and expressing things (rom labour market and achieving social mobility. Citizer and despotism). According multiple perspectives. I have heard this phrase in our Educational inequality They sent me to learn in a different room Dialogue, as the basis of the process to the communicative courses; now I get it.' becomes a major source of Hilar And I missed out on the fun times, perspective, people are social inequality. Yet close of learning, implies not just talking The Citi But I learned in my way, 'I know I do not look, act, think, or believe like the capable of language and views ar analysis of the information And figured it out slowly but surely, children where I am studentteaching. However, I never or discussing issues but promoting action (Habermas, 1987), and ofte And grew strong. society shows that education thought about our having different ideas about national co-operation, motivation, self that is, capable of is conce has to lead the transition about gl In my dreams, identities until I wrote my poem and heard the other constructing and changing towards the information confidence, solidarity and, thus, Hilary ( I was still in the same classroom poetry. I guess I thought being an American meant the reality from their knowlec same thing to everybody [as] whatit meant to me: society (Flecha, 1999). instrumental learning of any kind. the offic With all of my friends. interactions. The Learning possible And nobody ever 'Teaching language, arts and math has always seemed The Learning Communities project in Barcelona Communities project exemplifies transformation NotAlie, Said to me, like the most crucial classroom goals; today I (eel deeply transforms the school and its context from people's interaction on the basis of egalitarian • help 1 'It's time for your special class,' differently. I think getting to know yoursel( and the through a permanent, integral and participatory dialogue. relati Never. education which is based on the communicative people around you is more important (or liVing long and CREA has developed the concept of dialogic • encol approach of social and educational sciences. It is I always wished, happy lives.' learning, which is the dynamic key. To understand in w~ therefore oriented not to adaptation but to They could see how smart I was and make possible such transformation, the key • open The preservice teachers participating in this transformation of the social context and social And be embarrassed research study revealed the importance of communicative concepts are as follows. • help interactions, so that the whole community is thou, I, too, am an American. examining, understanding and valuing cultural involved in the project and all work together • Egalitarian dialogue - meaning that people's diversity by engaging learners in relevant and ii) This is towards a common objective: the best school for all contributions are valued according to the validity of whethe enlightening classroom opportunities. Investigating the arguments and not to the speakers' power The preservice teachers' reflections the children. trainer! cultural characteristics, self-identity, and national positions. According to Habermas, argument must Univers After the preservice teachers shared all their poems identity present critical pedagogy inherent to be based on validity. When arguments claim to be she brh aloud in class, they were asked to write a brief The basis of the project her Ion effective multicultural education. valid they remain open to criticism (and the best paper summarising this experience. Here is a The Learning Communities project is solidly based Each of us should be fortified by the courage and argument prevails), Egalitarian dialogue takes place SeptE sampling of their reflections: on both theory and practice. The theory is drawn strength demonstrated by one American Muslim in the learning communities both inside the Price from social and educational sciences, and practice 'I was extremely upset by the terrorism o( September eighth-grader. The poems written by Ali Rafi, classroom (for instance through interactive groups) derives from experiences in education that are I I, so I was glad that our social studies methods Langston Hughes and these preservice teachers are and within the Centre formed when teachers, Successfully overcoming school drop-out and social pro(essor showed us what we could do to help us offered as models for other educators, to infuse the students, community members, administrations or understand the world as people, as well as her exclusion. At the theoretical level our work is families work together in the work teams. • continued on page 23 grounded in the dialogic and communicative 9 11,m 12 Multicultural Teaching © Trentham Books 2002 Multicultural Teaching © Trentham Books 2002 13 MeT 20.2 Ii II Participation becomes active and when dialogue in 'loss of meaning' in modem societies is the III' (...) We had been verifying that the volunteers did Transformative educational experiences i:1 terms of equality becomes its basis compromise substitution of community-based environments with not obstruct nor discredit the professor body. The Learning Communities is not an experiment. and negotiation are characteristic. systemic ones. The learning communities project I Instead they brought a breath of fresh air to the The project is solidly based on the works of the draws on new forms of relationship that replace and Dialogic learning is composed of six principles: school, and they produced in us an interior most highly regarded sociologists and educationists, improve the existing ones, recovering the I cultural intelligence, transformation, an exaltation that awoke our generosity and our as well as on various successful educational iii community-based environments. The principle of instrumental dimension, meaning creation, capacity to integrate. It made us feel mature and it practices developed over decades. One example is equality of differences establishes that all of us are Iii solidarity and equality of differences. The concept gave the act of teaching/learning a real social the centre for adult education, La Verneda-Sant equal but different. This combats the use of both of cultural intelligence includes academic, relevance. In our school, there was something more Marti, located in a working-class neighbourhood of II homogenisation and diversity as excuses to t practical and communicative intelligence. This than just a daily routine of professors teaching and Barcelona. La Verneda-Sant Marti can be maintain and promote inequality. Whenever alleged broad concept of human intelligence recognises that students learning: we were a community whose considered a learning community in that dialogue cultural differences are claimed as justification for III any person has the capability to take part in an activity and effort had a common purpose: the learning is a basis of its functioning and its reducing curricula to absolute basics, the III egalitarian dialogue and make important children. But it also greatly benefited the organisation is democratic and participatory. It is 'minimums', diversity becomes synonymous with ':[" contributions. The fact that current society multiethnic group of adults who were involved in managed by two participants' association, Agora equality. Social inequalities are generated or III prioritises academic knowledge does not imply that the project. Everyone learnt from everyone. and Heura. (Adults who participate in learning increased. We need to maintain high expectations the people denied access to education are, in (AAW, 1998:56) processes at La Verneda-Sant Marti school call Garfinkel's phrase, cultural dopes (Garfinkel, for all children and demand high standards from all.