Thursday, August 16, 2018, 02:22 PM - Adult and Popular Education
A key element of transformative learning is experimenting with real-world problems. David Kolb’s experiential learning cycle continues to be pivotal. Yet cycles, even spirals, don’t capture the dynamism (and dangers) now available with online and blended learning. Informal means of learning such as podcasts and viral social media posts abound. On one hand, frames have never had more possibility to engage with such a diversity of experiences, bodies, identities, and communities. How to bring feminist and critical pedagogy to these spaces? This paper works to critically frustrate and extend the learning cycle with a hologram which helps to capture online multi-dimensionality as well as distortion.
Online there is both performance and projection. Holographic visualization offers multiple dimensions, movement, refraction, frustration, doubt. But online learners can be supported to move more consciously to meaning and their own deliberations while embedded in life, work, negotiations. This messiness and muddling is key to the transformative potential of online deliberations. The space also has potential to collapse gender and power dynamics in interesting ways as learners shape their own reflective paths at their own pace. These gendered power dynamics are not removed but can be fore-fronted in the learning. The lag between experimentation and insight can be used. Facilitators and peers can act more like coaches, real-time in real messiness.
Saturday, April 21, 2018, 03:29 PM - Adult and Popular Education
Excited that Sisters Ink is working with the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) on their membership strategy. Momal Mushtaq is leading the contract and I am more in a mentoring role which is also neat. Good learning for me. Part of the work is how their online platform can support their organizing and movement-building. Also very excited about online mobilizing and transformative learning spaces. Most people who have worked with me know that my work and thinking is greatly influenced by the Rao & Kelleher feminist framework that I learned from AWID. | related link
Tuesday, February 20, 2018, 09:32 PM - Adult and Popular Education
Facilitating an online course for the Carsey school of Public Policy, Small and Microenterprise Development Institute at the University of New Hampshire.
According to the 70-20-10 principle, 70 percent of learning and development comes from "on-the-job" assignments that "stretch" us, 20 percent from mentoring or social supports and 10 percent from the classroom or information. Of course, these %s vary by context, organization and nature of work but the broad strokes are important. Our course is uniquely designed along this ratio of activities taking advantage of what e-learning uniquely offers. It focuses on their own self-directed inquiry alongside of peers. Participants have the time and space to engage in the field with groups real time while learning with and from others around the world. Critical reflections help participants ground their analysis in self and social awareness, gender and power.
Friday, January 26, 2018, 02:08 PM - Adult and Popular Education
A key element of transformative learning is experimenting with real-world problems. David Kolb's experiential learning cycle continues to be central. Yet cycles, even spirals, don't capture the dynamism now possible with online and blended learning. Frames have never had more possibility to engage with such a complex range of realities and inter-sectionalities. But emergent paths are also unclear and frustrating, subject to norms. How to bring critical pedagogy (andragogy) to these spaces? Working on a paper to extend the learning cycle with a hologram which helps to capture online multi-dimensionality.
Holographic visualization offers multiple dimensions, movement, refraction, doubt. Likewise, online learners can be supported to move freely where they find meaning between their online community and their own deliberations. All the while, they are embedded in life and work. This shared reflexivity and muddling is key to the transformative potential of online learning. The lag between insights and experimentation, negotiation is gone. The space also collapses gender and power dynamics in interesting ways as learners shape their own paths and voices at their own pace for reflection. Framing is even captured to better support both self-directed and collective learning. Facilitators and peers can act more like coaches, real-time in real messiness.
Friday, December 1, 2017, 03:42 PM - Adult and Popular Education
Working with The Story Kitchen and the Coady Institute in Nepal co-facilitating with an inspiring leader, Jaya ji Luintel, who heads up this organization. Increasingly, I've found in my work that technical solutions around alternative economic or community based models bump up against gendered social norms. Turning more and more to address these issues where media, artists, elders play such important roles. Jaya ji and I facilitated on the Rao/Kelleher feminist framework for change that has so grounded my work around gender and power. We met in a feminist leadership course at the Coady Institute.
From their site: "The Story Kitchen (TSK) is driven by the passionate belief that upholding the stories of women can unravel systems of gender oppression and patriarchy that continue to exist in Nepal. The domination of stories from men's perspectives leaves women out of the history of Nepal and fails to recognize the extent to which women are currently contributing and have always contributed to the development of the country." TSK works with women of different castes, ages, communities to share their stories nationally. They also train justice reporters. Their work with survivors of armed conflict, particularly the self-formed network that came out of it, has led to meetings with the Truth and Reconciliation Council as well as a special meeting with the President.
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