Author: Ajal

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Community-based environmental education in the fishing villages of Tuticorin and its role in conservation of the environment

Author/s: Jamila Patterson, Eva Lindén, J.K. Patterson Edward, Dan Wilhelmsson and Inger Löfgren

Edition: Volume 49, Number 2, July 2009

Summary: The coastal town of Tuticorin is situated in the southern part of the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park on the Southeastern Indian coast. The four islands off the Tuticorin coast are fringed by corals reefs and seagrass beds. Destructive fishing methods including blast fishing, near-shore trawling, coral mining, sedimentation and  pollution have, however, caused considerable damage to the coral reefs and seagrass beds, threatening the reef fisheries of the region. A significant portion of the fisher folk in the 23 coastal villages along the Tuticorin coast, due to low literacy levels and lack of other employment, is dependent on the dwindling fish catches in and around these reefs and seagrass beds. Crowded fishing grounds, increasing demand for fisheries’ products and declining catches compel fishers to increase the use of more effective and destructive fishing methods. Adult education was introduced in five coastal villages (Rajapalayam, Siluvaipatti, Arockiyapuram, Tirespuram on the Tuticorin coast in 2007. Included in this adult education, environmental education practices, including conservation of natural resources, particularly coral reefs and seagrass habitats, its importance and role, the need for conservation and management, eco-friendly fishing practices and sustainable use of fishery resources, were taught to the fisher folk in all five coastal villages. The trained fisher folk play key roles in their respective villages in awareness creation about the conservation of natural resources. The campaign during International Year of the Reef in 2008 helped to make aware many people in the villages about the importance of corals and associated seagrass and other resources. As a part of mitigating climate change impacts and income generation, family members of the five villages were also taught and helped to increase plantation.

Keywords: environmental education, community-based, climate change impacts, eco-friendly, fishing practices

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 49_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

 

 

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The power of ‘e’: extending the ‘E’ in ACE

Author/s: Jane Anderson

Edition: Volume 49, Number 2, July 2009

Summary: Over the past decade or so, an educational evolution has been redefining our understanding and practices of adult community education (ACE) in profound and comprehensive ways. The name of this transformation is e-learning. A bountiful interpretation and practice of ‘e-learning’ in ACE results inevitably in extending our educational work; its presence automatically extends the WHY (our purpose), the WHO (our community), the WHEN (the timing), the WHERE (the learning spaces), the WHAT (the scope), the WHAT FOR (the learning achievements) and the HOW (the modes, methods and media). In other words, the power of ‘e’ as a multidimensional force in ‘e-learning’, and the way it extends meanings, values, ideals, purposes, practices and participants in ACE, means it redefines our  understanding of education itself. As a consequence, e-learning has given us new possibilities of connectedness, community, democracy, global citizenship, lifelong learning, transformational learning, learning to learn, critical literacy and much else.

Keywords: ACE, e-learning, results, achievements, connectedness, community, democracy, lifelong learning

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 49_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

 

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Developments in intellectual property and traditional knowledge protection

Author/s: Jane Anderson

Edition: Volume 49, Number 2, July 2009

Summary: In order to protect indigenous/traditional knowledge, intellectual property law must be leveraged in a way that is responsive to the dynamic inter-relationships between law, society and culture. Over the last decade, increased attention to Indigenous concerns has produced a wealth of literature and prompted recognition of the diverse needs of Indigenous peoples in relation to law, legal access and knowledge protection. There is much more that needs to be done, especially in closely considering what the consequences of legal protection are for the ways in which traditional/indigenous culture is understood and experienced by Indigenous communities and others. This paper considers the latest developments within this field and discusses what possibilities for further legal action exist within both international and local contexts.

Keywords: Indigenous, traditional knowledge, intellectual property law, society, culture

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 49_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

 

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Community education and youth mentoring: how to build good practice?

Author/s: Robyn Broadbent and Theo Papadopoulos

Edition: Volume 49, Number 2, July 2009

Summary: In 2008, the Helen Macpherson Smith (HMS) Trust commissioned Victoria University to conduct an evaluation of the Mentoring and Capacity Building Initiative’s Regional Coordination Projects (RCPs). The RCPs are founded on a model of community education and collaboration that aims to enhance cross-sectoral and whole of community approaches to mentoring and community building. Their specific objectives are to:

  • coordinate effective regional delivery of new and existing mentoring programs and related activities
  • identify, document and share best practice mentoring models
  • strengthen community partnerships and collaboration, and the capacity and skills delivery of mentoring programs
  • develop cross-sectoral and whole-of-community approaches to mentoring.

The aim of the evaluation was to determine the effectiveness of the RCPs in achieving these objectives, including the monitoring of program outcomes and strategic partnerships supporting these  projects. This paper reports on some of the key findings of that evaluation.

Keywords: mentoring, capacity building, whole of community approach, partnerships, collaboration

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 49_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

 

 

 

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Developing a more research-oriented and participant-directed learning culture in the Australian environmental movement

Author/s: Rick Flowers and Andrew Chodkiewicz

Edition: Volume 49, Number 2, July 2009

Summary: Environmental groups seek to educate and change people, yet there is little discussion and debate about the various theories and practices they use. One has only to think about the big, national environment groups like Australian Conservation Foundation, Wilderness Society, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and World Wildlife Foundation to note that they go about their educational and change practices in distinct ways. And then there are new groups like Climate Action, GetUp and Climate Camp who are seeking to educate and change people in more contemporary ways. We think that adult educators could play a helpful role in fostering more critical and participant-directed interrogation among environmental groups about aspects of their practices that focus on change and education. In this paper, we report on focus groups, case studies and a literature review we conducted for a coalition of three environmental non-government organisations and a state government agency to do just that.

Keywords: environmental groups, climate change, change practices, education

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 49_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

 

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North, south, least, best: geographical location and the thinking styles of Italian university students

Author/s: Francesco Sofo, Michelle Berzins, Cinzia Colapinto and Salvatore Ammirato

Edition: Volume 49, Number 2, July 2009

Summary: There are economic and socio-cultural differences that characterise the north and south of Italy. A stereotype is that university students from rural southern Italy are more disadvantaged and isolated than those from the urban north. Past research has hypothesised that differences in socio-economic status impact on student learning, which is a factor of thinking style. This study set out to explore if university students from a northern and a southern Italian university report markedly different thinking style preferences. Samples of 170 students from the University of Calabria and 263 students from the University of Milan were surveyed using Sofo’s (2005) Thinking Style Inventory. If economic and socio‑cultural differences impact on preferred ways of thinking of university students, the impacts may very well be mediated through various pedagogical or informational methods and communication technology. The results of the study did not produce all the expected differences.

Keywords: Italy, north, south, isolated, socio-economic status, learning, impact, thinking style

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 49_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

 

 

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‘A reservoir of learning’: the beginnings of continuing education at the University of Sydney

Author/s: Darryl Dymock

Edition: Volume 49, Number 2, July 2009

Summary: Adult education has often been on the margin of university offerings in Australia and elsewhere, sometimes regarded as ‘non-core’ business or at least as a financial drain on the institution. At the University of Sydney, however, adult education has managed to survive in one form or other for over 140 years, currently through the Centre for Continuing Education. Partly this has been due to the support of influential academics who have believed in the principle of ‘extra-mural’ studies’, if not always agreeing with the way it has been delivered or funded. Research in the university’s archives and through contemporary accounts shows that the pattern of provision was established in the 1890s and first 20 years of the twentieth century, particularly through the development of tutorial classes in a relationship with the Workers’ Educational Association, following a model established in Britain at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. However, the research also reveals that the relationship between the first Director of Tutorial Classes and senior members of  Sydney University was not always harmonious, especially against the background of the conscription debates of World War I.

Keywords: adult education, relevance, funding, Centre for Continuing Education, Workers’ Educational Association

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 49_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

 

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Effectiveness of non-formal education programs in Nigeria: how competent are the learners in life skills?

Author/s: J. Gbenga Adewale

Edition: Volume 49, Number 1, April 2009

Summary: In order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Nigeria adopts both formal and non-formal approaches to provide basic education for its citizenry. Thus, to determine the effectiveness of the non-formal approach in providing basic education in Nigeria, this study examines the competency level of Nigerian non-formal education learners on a life-skills achievement test. The test was administered to a sample of 876 learners. The competency level in life-skills of the majority of the learners was below the national benchmark (50%). Rural dwellers were more competent than urban dwellers and young learners were more competent than old learners.

Keywords: Millennium Development Goals, Nigeria, non-formal learning, life-skills, rural, urban, young

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 49_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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Facilitating transformative learning: a framework for practice

Author/s: Judi Apte

Edition: Volume 49, Number 1, April 2009

Summary: This paper explores some of the challenges that are involved in facilitating transformative learning. It presents a framework for practice that considers transformative learning from the perspective of the facilitator. These ideas were developed through a doctoral study in which adult educators were interviewed about their experiences in facilitating transformative learning. The framework comprises four components: confirming and interrupting current  frames of reference, working with triggers for transformative learning, acknowledging a time of retreat or dormancy, and developing the new perspective. Using the four components of this framework for practice, I outline a series of questions for reflection. Through detailed reflection on aspects of program design and the  interactions in the learning group, we can further our knowledge about the transformative aspects of our programs.

Keywords: transformative learning, program design, interaction, adult learning

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 49_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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Regional academics’ perceptions of the love of learning and its importance for their students

Author/s: Joy Penman and Bronwyn Ellis

Edition: Volume 49, Number 1, April 2009

Summary: Whatever the course, mode of delivery or type of institution, most characteristics of good teaching remain the same. The teacher’s ability to convey personal enthusiasm for learning is crucial in arousing and sustaining students’ interest and curiosity in their discipline and beyond. This love of learning can be liberating and empowering as the students discover and construct their own knowledge. However, there is limited research addressing the development of a love of learning in the Australian context. This article draws on a small study – a survey of regional campus academics’ perceptions of the love of learning and its importance, and how they sought to foster its development in their students. The interviewed academics affirmed the importance of a love of learning, but had varied ideas concerning what this meant and how to inspire it in students. A range of approaches to developing this quality is suggested.

Keywords: love of learning, case study, inspiring learners

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 49_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.]