Community Knowledge

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End date: 1999Subject: search.filters.subject.SDG 4: Quality Education

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 11
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    The future begins today: Nature as teacher in environmental adult popular education
    (Elsevier, 1997) Hall, Budd L; Clover, Darlena E
    The future begins today is a review of the importance and role of learning, specifically environmental adult and popular education, in working with communities and community-based organizations on planning, organizing and revisioning life from an ecological perspective. The authors report on their work based at the Transformative Learning Centre in Toronto, Canada which explores the role of nature as both teacher and site of learning. Theoretical and practical illustrations are included. All education, up to our present moment, has never countenanced the possibility of planetary destruction from the destruction of the life-support system. This viability of planetary existence was never an issue for educators because it was not, until now, part of our cultural understanding. (Hall and O'Sullivan, Transformative Learning: Contexts and Practices, 1994) The human enterprise cannot be separated from the natural world even in our minds because no such separation exists in nature.(Wackernagel and Rees, Our Ecological Footprint, 1995).
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    Participatory research: A new methodology for adult educators?
    (National Center for Research in Vocational Education, 1979) Griffith, William S; Cristarella, Mary C
    Participatory research is a term which has been appearing within the past several years in international adult education conferences and which some commentators believe has the potential of redirecting research within the field of adult education. The International Conference on Adult Education and Development held in Dar-es-Salaam in June, 1976, proposed that "all adult educators should receive training in the theory and practice of participatory research as well as in complementary quantitative research techniques" (Dar-es-Salaam Design for Action, 1976, p.32). The UNESCO program action plan for 1977-1982 includes the support of future participatory research (Hurly, 1976). Cain states "the forces producing the demand for something called 'participatory research' are numerous and compelling" (Cain, 1977, p.7).
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    The use of participatory methods in a community based adult education programme
    (Women and Development Unit (WAND) Extra Mural Department, UWI, 1982) Ellis, Patricia
    The document highlights the design of an adult education programme in Rose Hall using a participatory approach. The main areas covered by the programme include agricultural knowledge, home improvements, personal development, numeracy and English, which are taught depending on the needs and capabilities of the community. Participatory techniques such as discussion groups, role playing, stories, drawings, demonstrations and participatory evaluations have been used in the programme. Community members, education committee, resource persons and project coordinator take part in evaluating the programme and determining any problem and possible solutions. The programme helps in improving knowledge, self-confidence, communication skills, critical awareness, problem solving, decision making and community participation. This programme faces certain challenges in the form of participation, attendance, gender roles, time, human resources, attitude and documentation. The exercise illustrates how participation, dialogue, reflection and collective analysis could assist community members in analyzing their situation, knowing their strength and weakness and taking more responsibility in their development and that of their community.
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    Building capacity through action learning
    (Institute for Development Research (IDR) Reports, 1993) Leach, Mark
    The ability to learn from experience is critical for individuals and organizations seeking to be effective in rapidly changing and complex situations. Educators, corporate managers, public administrators, and grass roots activists have all been challenged by the dilemmas of learning from action and experience. While using many different terms (including action research, action science, experiential learning, participatory research, organizational learning, learning systems, etc.) these people have developed a rich and varied set of insights into facilitating what might be generally called "action learning." The purpose of this paper is to review several streams of work related to action learning (AL), and to consolidate some of the key principles in an effort to help organizations expand their capacity to develop action learning strategies. Particular attention will be paid to the relevance of action learning principles for non-governmental and community based organizations (NGOs and CBOs).
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    Participatory training and self development
    (0000) Acharya, Binoy; Verma, Shalini
    How should training be undertaken to encourage critical thinking and instill confidence in people? In this article, Binoy Acharya and Shalini Verma discuss the growing emphasis on training within the development sector while questioning approaches that reduce training to the mere transfer of information or techniques. They argue that many people, especially the poor and marginalised, experience the systematic devaluation of their own knowledge and capacities which weakens self confidence and participation. For this reason, simply providing more skills cannot by itself lead to empowerment, though external knowledge may still be useful. The focus of training, they argue, must be to foster critical thinking so that people can analyse their own realities, articulate their experiences, and identify what they need to learn further. Participatory training is highlighted as a process that breaks the culture of silence, restores faith in people’s own knowledge, and builds confidence for collective action. Social development, the authors emphasise, begins with the development of the self.
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    Knowledge as a commodity and participatory research
    ( Prospects, UNESCO, 1979) Hall, Budd L
    What is knowledge? How is it formed? Who has the authority to “make” it? and who does it ultimately serve? These are the central questions Dr. Budd Hall raises in this article. He critiques the way traditional intellectuals such as scientists and scholars, often trained in elite universities and supported by international funding agencies, are institutionally positioned as the legitimate producers of knowledge. Embedded within particular class locations, this group often produces knowledge that serves its own class interests and maintains dominant social relations. In this process, organic intellectuals engaged in critical reflection and grassroots organising are sidelined as knowledge makers. Drawing on the works of Freire, Mao and others, Hall reflects on the role of intellectuals. He advances a systematic critique of survey research and outlines the guiding principles of participatory research. The article is a critical inquiry into the nature of knowledge within the new international order. It calls for moving beyond viewing knowledge as intellectual commodities such as papers and conferences and toward recognising and valuing local and indigenous knowledge systems, while developing more decentralised ways of legitimising people as producers of knowledge.
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    Building a global learning network: The international council for adult education
    (International Council for Adult Education, 0000) Hall, Budd L
    What can we learn from the histories, tasks, and challenges of building global cooperation in adult education? In this chapter, Dr. Budd L Hall reflects on the emergence and significance of the International Council for Adult Education as a key step in strengthening international collaboration in adult learning. He traces its historical roots in post war movements for literacy, liberation, and development, and situates its formation within broader struggles for democratic participation and social justice. The chapter outlines ICAE’s early tasks, including building regional networks, amplifying voices from the Global South, and shaping global policy debates in partnership with bodies such as UNESCO. Hall also discusses internal tensions, funding constraints, and the political challenges of sustaining an independent global civil society network. By examining questions of direction, alliances, and accountability, he invites readers to reflect on how global networks can remain responsive to changing contexts while staying grounded in their transformative commitments.
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    Role of NGOs in education for all
    (Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), 1989-11) Tandon, Rajesh
    This article by Dr. Rajesh Tandon examines the different types of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in South Asian context and their potential roles in achieving “Education for All”. It categorizes NGOs into broad types based on their activities. These NGOs operate at different levels like local, regional, national, and international and understanding this diversity is essential for conceptualizing NGO roles in education. The article further examines the implications of these NGOs and notes five roles NGOs play in Education for All. First, service provision involving filling gaps in educational services in remote and poverty-stricken areas. Second, innovation and experimentation in curriculum development, non-formal education structures, participatory training methodologies, and community-based monitoring system. Third, community participation and social accountability, mobilizing communities to examine the value of education and developing mechanisms for making teachers accountable to communities. Fourth, intervening in current delivery systems of the government to revitalize and improve their capacities through training, curriculum design, and capacity building. Fifth, advocacy on questioning the education, monitoring government performance, gaps between policy and practice, and lobbying for equitable educational provision. The article concludes by identifying a few implications of these roles played by the NGOs.
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    Entry for new pergammon encyclopaedia of adult education: Social movement learning
    (0000) Hall, Budd L; Clover, Darlene E.
    This encyclopedia entry by Budd L. Hall and Darlene E. Clover examines social movement learning as an under-recognized domain of adult education. It asks how social movements function as "epistemic communities" that generate new knowledge, worldviews, and transformative learning for both participants and broader society. The article defines and expands on social movement learning as occurring in two ways, learning by people who are part of social movements, and by people outside movements as a result of movement actions or existence. It further traces the historical and theoretical roots of social movement learning, drawing on key figures including Antonio Gramsci and Paulo Freire, who both saw learning flourishing within social movement contexts. The article also elaborates on other theories about how new social movements catalyze personal transformation, define future topics of adult education, and serve as privileged sites of transformative learning. It argues that contemporary social movements are increasingly radical, complex, and inclusive of overlapping issues, cognizant of globalization and interconnected struggles. It ends with stating how social movement learning helps answer critical questions about how best to use scarce resources for movement purposes and how to strengthen the power of social movements.
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    Participatory research
    (0000) Tandon, Rajesh
    This article by Dr. Rajesh Tandon examines the relationship between development with knowledge and research in the context of developing countries, arguing that mainstream development strategies have largely remained Western-centric, adopting a top-down, technology-driven approach and being detached from the lived realities of marginalized communities. He critiques post-WWII development strategies as primarily dependent on knowledge that is controlled by the monopoly of elite researchers to serve the interests of those in power- under the guise of objectivity and neutrality. The article further criticises the irrelevance of sophisticated research methodologies and ethical issues that arise due to seeing humans as mere subjects, and presents participatory research as an emerging alternative. It emphasises the role of ordinary people in generating and utilising their own knowledge to bring socio-economic changes.