Learning To Live Together

The rise of ethnic tensions has rendered the idea of pluralist societies more problematic than ever before. This article looks at the role played by adult education in helping to build peace in Northern Ireland, a society which is moving towards the stabilisation of its intercommunal conflict. A typology of peace education is put forward, outlining the various strategies adopted by those involved in adult learning or community relations work. Some general observations are added about the role of gender. Questions are then raised about how the impact of peace education progammes can be measured or assessed, and about the methodological problems facing all those attempting to draw conclusions about the role of education in conflict societies.

A strategy towards professionalism in the dissecting room

The teaching and cultivation of professionalism is an integral part of medical education as professionalism is central to maintaining the public’s trust in the medical profession. Traditionally professional values would have been acquired through an informal process of socialisation and observation of role models. Recently, however, medical educators have accepted the responsibility to explicitly teach and effectively evaluate professionalism. A comprehensive working definition of the term professionalism and a universally agreed list of the constituent elements of professionalism are currently debated. The School of Medicine and Dentistry of The Queen’s University of Belfast uses an approach of self-directed learning for teaching anatomy, and students are given the opportunity to learn anatomy from human dissection. Self-directed learning teams have been found to be underutilised as educational strategies and presented an opportunity to utilise the first year dissection room teaching environment to nurture the development of the attributes of professionalism. An educational strategy based on role-playing was developed to engage all students around the dissection table. Students received comprehensive background reviews on professionalism, its attributes and the identification of such attributes in the context of the dissection room. Roles, with specific duties attached, were allocated to each team member. Circulating academic staff members directly observed student participation and gave formative feedback. Students were given the opportunity to reflect on their ability to identify the attributes and reflect on their own and their peer’s ability to develop and practise these attributes. This strategy indicated that small group learning teams in the dissection room utilise widely accepted principles of adult learning and offer an opportunity to create learning activities that will instil in students the knowledge, values, attitudes and behaviours that characterise medical professionalism. Anatomy faculty have a responsibility to nurture and exemplify professionalism and play a significant role in the early promotion and inculcation of professionalism. It remains imperative not only to assess this strategy but also to create opportunities for critical reflection and evaluation within the strategy. Key words: Medical Education – Professionalism – Anatomy - Reflective Practise – Role-play

ILS and RTP: Support to Researchers Provided by Information and Learning Services as Part of the Research Training Programme at the University of Worcester, Past, Present and Future.

The purpose of this article is to investigate the involvement of Information and Learning Services staff in the delivery of the Research Training Programme at the University of Worcester, UK with a focus on researcher receptivity. I believe that by constantly reflecting on the development of that part of the programme delivered by ILS and by examining feedback from the sessions, it is possible to improve and increase the level of researcher receptivity. It is hoped that such examination and reflection will be of value and relevance to the IL community since by reflecting on success and failure in a local context and by mapping this reflection to existing research enables librarians to improve the support provided to researchers within their institutions. This article outlines the support given to research students at the University of Worcester in the past, examines the changes leading to present programme delivery and reflects on considerations for future support. The article is underpinned by reference to current research undertaken in international (albeit Western-centric) contexts. I note that the rationale behind changes is embedded in current adult learning and teaching theory. In an increasingly competitive research environment where funding is dependent on a statistically monitored research output, the aim of such support is to integrate any IL contribution into the wider research training programme. Thus resource discovery becomes part of the reflexive research cycle. Implicit in this investigative reflection is the desire of the IL community to constantly strive towards the positive reception of IL into research support programmes which are perceived by researchers as highly valuable to the process and progress of their work.

Exploring the events that engage graduate students in transformative learning /

This research explored the events that engaged graduate students in transformative learning within a graduate program in education. This context was chosen because one objective of a graduate program is to facilitate critical thinking and transformative learning. The question ofhow adult learners perceive and experience learning steered the direction ofthis study. However, the purpose ofthis research was to study critical incidents that led to profound cognitive and affective changes as perceived by the graduate students. Specifically, the questions to be answered were what critical incidents happened to graduate students while in the Master ofEducation program, how were the incidents experienced, and what transformation resulted? The research design evolved over the course of a year and was highly influenced by previous empirical studies and criticisms oftransformative learning theory. The overall design was qualitative and phenomenological. A critical and interpretive approach was made to empirical data collected through a critical incident questionnaire and in-depth interviews. Inductive analysis allowed theory to be built from the data by making comparisons. New questions emerged and attention was given to social context, the passage oftime, and sequence ofevents in order to give meaning and translation ofthe participants' experiences and to build the interpretive narratives. Deductive analysis was also used on the data and a blending ofthe two forms of analysis; this resulted in the development ofa foundational model for transformative learning to be built.The data revealed critical incidents outside ofthe graduate school program that occurred in childhood or adult life prior to graduate school. Since context of individuals' lives had been an important critique of past transformative learning models and studies, this research expanded the original boundaries of this study beyond graduate school to incorporate incidents that occurred outside of graduate school. Critical incidents were categorized into time-related, people-related, and circumstancerelated themes. It was clear that participants were influenced and molded by the stage oftheir life, personal experiences, familial and cultural conditioning, and even historic events. The model developed in this document fiom an overview ofthe fmdings identifies a four-stage process of life difficulty, disintegration, reintegration, and completion that all participants' followed. The blended analysis was revealed from the description ofhow the incidents were experienced by the participants. The final categories were what were the feelings, what was happening, and what was the enviromnent? The resulting transformation was initially only going to consider cognitive and affective changes, however, it was apparent that contextual changes also occurred for all participants, so this category was also included. The model was described with the construction metaphor of a building "foimdation" to illustrate the variety of conditions that are necessary for transformative learning to occur. Since this was an exploratory study, no prior models or processes were used in data analysis, however, it appeared that the model developed from this study incorporated existing models and provided a more encompassing life picture oftransformative learning.

Displaced women professionals: an exploration of perceived learning processes during workplace transition /

This study focused on obtaining a deeper understanding of the perceived learning of female professionals during workplace transition. The women's lived experiences were explored through a feminist interpretive lens (Bloom, 1998). The study also drew upon concepts from adult learning such as barriers and facilitating factors to learning, resistance, transformative learning, and multiple ways of knowing. Five women participated in a 1 -hour interview and a focus group activity. The findings are presented under the 2 broad themes of perceived learning and factors affecting learning. The most common theme of perceived learning was participants' experience of increased self-knowledge. Additionally, while learning was thought of as a struggle, it provided either an opportunity for a reexamination of goals or a reexamination of self. Reflection by participants seemed to follow two orientations and other types of perceived learning included experiential, formal, and informal learning. In the broad theme of factors affecting learning, contradictions and conflict emerged through the examination of participants' multiple subjectivities, and within their naming of many factors as both facilitating factors and barriers to learning. The factors affecting learning themes included personal relationships, professional communities, selfesteem, attitude and emotion, the gendered experience of transition, time, and finances. The final theme explored participants' view of work and their orientations to the future. A proposed model of learning during workplace transition is presented (Figure 1 ) and the findings discussed within this proposed model's framework. Additional developmental theories of women (Josselson, 1987; Levinson & Levinson, 1996), communities of practice theories (Wenger, 1998), and career resilience theories (Pulley, 1995) are discussed within the context of the proposed model. Implications to practice for career counsellors, people going through workplace transition, human resource managers and career coaches were explored. Additionally implications to theory and future areas of research are also discussed.

An examination of learning resulting from a transition from a directed to a self-directed work environment

~ This study focuses on the process of self-directed learning that individuals go through as they adapt to new work situations. This is a study of how one critical incident, specifically the transition from a traditional office structure to a home office structure, affected employees and what their learning process was as they adapted to the new environment. This study has 3 educational foundations: adult learning, self-directed learning, and the social context from which the learning will occur. Six women and 2 men were interviewed approximately 1 year following the transition. Analysis of the data revealed 5 themes of: impacts of the self-directed environment on participants' personal lives, their roles, skill set, productivity, and the physical environment; support offered by the organization, family, and office administration; personal development, specific learning needs, and personal skills; boundaries as they relate to family and work; and skill set and orientation requirements of new home office employees. The findings revealed the learning processes of the 8 participants. The learning processes of these participants were discussed within a theoretical framework of the learners, their immediate surroundings, and the larger social environment. The results indicated that the transition from a directed work environment to a self directed work environment is a complex, interrelated process. An element found throughout the theoretical framework is that of control. A second critical element is the need for participants to have a clearly defined work role and an opportunity to engage in discussion with peers and the community. Further findings reinforced the importance of climate and found that the physical environment is a key factor in a successful selfdirected work environment. The findings of this study revealed that no one factor makes an individual function successfully in a self-directed work environment, but that it is a complex interplay among the leamer, their immediate surroundings, and the social environment that will have the greatest impact on success. Recommendations are made which can be used to guide organizational leaders in facilitating employees' transition from a directed to a self-directed work environment. Additionally, recommendations are made for further research in the area of self-directed work environments.

A study of self-directed learning at an Ontario college of applied arts and technology

Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (CAATs) are currently in the process of restructuring to ensure quality, accountability, and accessibility of college education. References to learner involvement and self-directed learning are prevalent. "Alternative delivery" and "paradigm shift" are current buzzwords within the Ontario CAAT system as an environment is created supportive of change. Instability of funding has also dictated a need for change. Therefore, a focus has become quality of learning with less demand on public resources. This qualitative case study was conducted at an Ontario CAAT to gather descriptive, perceptual data from post-secondary community college educators who were identified as supportive of self-directed learning and from post-secondary, traditional-aged college students who were perceived by their educators to be selfdirected learners. This college was selected because of initiatives to modify its academic paradigm to encourage what was reputed in the Ontario CAAT system to be self-directed learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate how postsecondary, traditional-aged college students and their educators perceive self-directed learning as part of the teaching-learning experience within a community college setting. Educator participants of the study were selected based on the results of a teaching and learning survey intended to identify educators supportive of self-directed learning. A total of 317 surveys were distributed to every full-time educator at the sample college; 192 completed surveys were returned for a return rate of 61 %. Of these, 8% indicated instructional beliefs and values supportive of self-directed learning. A purposive sample of six educators was selected using a maximulp variation sampling strategy. A network selection sampling strategy was used to select a purposive sample of seven post-secondary students who were identified by the sample educators as selfdirected learners. The results of the study show that students and educators have similar perspectives and operating definitions of self-directed learning and all participants believe they either practice or facilitate self-directed learning. However, their perspectives and practices are not consistent with the literature which emphasizes learner autonomy or control in course structure and content. A central characteristic of the participants represented in this study is the service-oriented professions with which each is associated. Experientiallearning opportunities were highly valued for the options provided in increasing learner independence and competencies in reflective practice. Although there were discrepancies between espoused theory and theory in practice in terms of course structure, the process of self-directed learning was being practiced and supported outside the classroom structure in clinical settings, labs and related experiences.

Facilitating self-directed learning: the nurse educators' perspective

The concept of self-directed learning was examined from the nurse educators' perspective. One structured interview, lasting between one and one-and-a half hours, was conducted with each of 14 nurse educators in two community college continuing education programs in nursing. One community college program encourages selfdirected learning; the other encourages self-study and active participation in the teaching/learning process. All 14 interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed for themes, patterns, and relationships utilizing analyst-constructed typologies. six prerequisites or necessary conditions for facilitating self-directed learning in a community college continuing education program in nursing were identified. ~he crucial issue in facilitating self-directed learning was found to be the issue of teacher-control.

Preadjunct questions as a learning strategy for older adults

This study investigated the effectiveness of comprehension level preadjunct questions as a learning strategy for older adults in a classroom setting. Fifty-five adults from 55 to 70 years of age were randomly assigned to two groups, the preadjunct question group and a no-question control group. They viewed a video on high blood pressure and completed a recall posttest immediately after viewing the video and again seven days tater. Results demonstrated that there was no significant difference between groups. However, the no-question control group obtained a higher mean score on both the immediate and delayed recall tests than did the preadjunct question group. Nevertheless, significant differences in posttest scores were found related to educational levels and prior knowledge about high blood pressure. Results obtained were explained in terms of resource theory of cognitive aging.

Self-directed learning, lifelong learning and transformative learning in the Society for Creative Anachronism

This study examines the connection between leisure group participation and learning activities undertaken by participants in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), a medieval recreationist group. The thesis of this connection was developed through the researcher's observations during SCA participation. The intent of this study is to understand adult learning from the self-directed learning, lifelong learning, and -transformative learning components derived from participant's SCA experiences. This qualitative study was conducted by interviewing eight active SCA participants, two in each participation theme of historical research, artistic representation, performance, and martial skills. Informants' responses demonstrated an integration of their leisure activity with learning. The contextualization of learning a s both a primary activity and a necessary support to participation, places learning a t the heart of participants' SCA related activities. The positive descriptions of learning activities, descriptive terms of ownership, and situating learning as an enjoyable activity engaged for the pleasure of the experience, provides adult educators with a fascinating glimpse of willing and engaged adult learners pursuing lifelong learning outside of the traditional educational structure. Two themes emerged during the interviews. First, bonding with others provided the motivation to continue their activities. Secondly, a feeling of commitment and helonging defined their enjoyment and satisfaction with SCA participation. The clear implications are that adult educators can create effective learning communities by developing educational structures that engage adult learners wi th meaningful social interaction.

Living in the Skin That I Am: An Organizational Autoethnography of an Adult Educator's Plight to Survive the Stigma of Invisible and Episodic Disability in an Academy of Administritiva

Through the reflective lens of an adult educator with invisible and episodic disabilities, this paper has been written as an organizational autoethnography. Through a process of autoethnographical sensemaking, it is intended to illuminate important gaps in organizational theory. Feminist/relational care ethics, critical reflection, and transformative learning serve as the educational theories that comprise its framework. In telling my story, embodied writing and performance narrative are used to convey the felt existence of a body exposed through words—where my “abled” and “disabled” professional teaching and learning identities may be studied against the backdrop of organizational policies and procedures. Words used to describe unfamiliar experiences and situations shape meaning for which new meaning may emerge. At the conclusion of this paper, an alternative frame of reference—a view from the margins—may be offered to articulate authenticity in the expectancy of workplace equity for adult educators with disabilities. Taken collectively on a larger level, it is hoped that this research may provide a source of inspiration for systemic organizational change in adult learning environments.

The antecedents to participation in learning activities among support staff at a college in Ontario

Les tendances de la participation à la formation des adultes au Canada n’ont pas évolué depuis des décennies, malgré les nouvelles influences économiques qui ont stimulé l’augmentation et la diversification permanente de la formation des employés et malgré les initiatives plus nombreuses en faveur de l’apprentissage des employés en milieu de travail. Il est donc nécessaire de ne plus se contenter d’étudier les prédicteurs de la formation déjà connus dans les profils des employés et des employeurs. Il est, en revanche, indispensable d’étudier les antécédents de la participation des employés à la formation, y compris les aspects et les étapes du processus qui la précède. Cette étude porte sur les antécédents de la participation des employés aux formations dans un important collège communautaire urbain en Ontario. Afin de préparer le recueil des données, un cadre théorique a été élaboré à partir du concept d’expression de la demande. Ce cadre implique l’existence d’un processus qui comporte plusieurs étapes, au cours desquelles plusieurs intervenants interagissent et dont la formation est susceptible d’être le résultat. Les résultats de l’enquête sur le profil d’apprentissage ont permis de conclure que le comportement des employés et de l’employeur est conforme aux modèles de prédicteurs existants et que les taux et les types de participation étaient similaires aux tendances nationales et internationales. L’analyse des entrevues d’un groupe d’employés atypiques, de leurs superviseurs, ainsi que de représentants du collège et du syndicat, a révélé d’importants thèmes clés : l’expression de la demande n’est pas structurée et elle est communiquée par plusieurs canaux, en excluant parfois les superviseurs. De plus, la place de l’auto évaluation est importante, ainsi que la phase de prise de décision. Ces thèmes ont souligné l’interaction de plusieurs intervenants dans le processus d’expression de la demande d’apprentissage et pendant la prise de décision. L’examen des attentes de chacun de ces intervenants au cours de ce processus nous a permis de découvrir un désir tacite chez les superviseurs et les employés, à savoir que la conversation soit à l’initiative de « l’autre ». Ces thèmes clés ont été ensuite abordés dans une discussion qui a révélé une discordance entre le profil de l’employeur et les profils des employés. Celle-ci se prête à la correction par l’employeur de son profil institutionnel pour l’harmoniser avec le profil dispositionnel des employés et optimiser ainsi vraisemblablement son offre de formation. Ils doivent, pour cela, appliquer un processus plus systématique et plus structuré, doté de meilleurs outils. La discussion a porté finalement sur les effets des motivations économiques sur la participation des employés et a permis de conclure que, bien que les employés ne semblent pas se méfier de l’offre de formation de l’employeur et que celle ci ne semble pas non plus les décourager, des questions de pouvoir sont bel et bien en jeu. Elles se sont principalement manifestées pendant le processus de prise de décision et, à cet égard, les superviseurs comme les employés reconnaissent qu’un processus plus structuré serait bénéfique, puisqu’il atténuerait les problèmes d’asymétrie et d’ambiguïté. Les constatations de cette étude sont pertinentes pour le secteur de la formation des adultes et de la formation en milieu de travail et, plus particulièrement, pour la méthodologie de recherche. Nous avons constaté l’avantage d’une méthodologie à deux volets, à l’écoute de l’employeur et des employés, afin de mieux comprendre la relation entre l’offre de formation et la participation à la formation. La définition des antécédents de la participation sous la forme d’un processus dans lequel plusieurs intervenants remplissent plusieurs rôles a permis de créer un modèle plus détaillé qui servira à la recherche future. Ce dernier a démontré qu’il est indispensable de reconnaître que la prise de décision constitue une étape à part entière, située entre l’expression de la demande et la participation à la formation. Ces constatations ont également révélé qu’il est véritablement indispensable que le secteur de la formation des adultes continue à traiter les questions reliées à la reconnaissance de la formation informelle. Ces conclusions et la discussion sur les constatations clés nous ont inspiré des recommandations à appliquer pour modifier les retombées du processus précédant la participation des employés à la formation. La majorité de ces recommandations ont trait à l’infrastructure de ce processus et ciblent donc principalement l’employeur. Certaines recommandations sont cependant destinées aux syndicats, aux superviseurs et aux employés qui peuvent aider l’employeur à remplir son rôle et favoriser la participation efficace de tous à ce processus. Les recommandations qui précédent impliquent que ce sont les antécédents de la formation qui gagneraient à être plus structurés et non la formation elle même. La structuration de l’infrastructure de l’apprentissage présente cependant des risques à elle seule. En liaison avec ce phénomène, une étude spécifique des effets de la nature, de la qualité et de l’asymétrie de la relation superviseur employé sur la participation des employés à la formation serait bénéfique. Mots clés : formation en entreprise, formation professionnelle continue, antécédents à la participation, employés de soutien

La Androergología: una nueva disciplina de la educación

A research work on the micro firms in Caroni district, has been developing since 1994. Such study pretends to deepen the theory that let the empiric- philosophical- conceptual and methodological building of a new discipline in education, called Androergology. The most outstanding aspects that can be seen from the philosophical bases are the following: its ontology, as aempowerment of the individual abilities through mental structures change in a community of pairs; ethics as the one based on the assignment of Good for the process of creatingsocioproductive communities_ which also means a liberating function since it can achieve a sustainable economic development by the assembling of micro firms nets; and the epistemology derived from the bases of the General Theory of Systems and the Morin’s circular complexities. Among the principles of this discipline that can be mentioned are ContinuingEducation- since the individual already belongs to a society that always creates knowledge, global markets - the undertaker should produce for a world society, the age of this microfirm’s man- as a discussion upon the knowledge production in that individual as an epistemic subject, the Integral Education- since the spiritual, social and humanistic aspects should beadded to the technical ones; and the Contextual Formation-since the process should take place into the unit of production. The androergologic methodology is thought out as a processof two inputs: the business needs diagnosis and the knowledge of context. The central part focuses its attention on the adult learning process situation; and the concentric circles whichmean the ideal synergical relationship between the programmatic contents, learning processes, the androergologist and the necessary supervising process, which results to be theintegral and innovating element of this method. 

Aplicaciones Organizacionales de TREC en el modelo RET

Las aplicaciones organizacionales de modelos psicológicos son una realidad frecuente en la práctica profesional. Sin embargo es frecuente que los soportes teóricos no sean elaborados de forma expresiva, debido al pragmatismo del entorno organizacional. Esta situación es visible al considerar el lenguaje, la estructura y el soporte teórico recogido en las publicaciones de psicólogos dirigidos al público de las empresas (el management). No obstante, las propuestas teóricas psicológicas en el campo del desarrollo, el desarrollo humano, la respuesta emocional, el aprendizaje en adultos y la cognición entre otros soportan modelos aplicados y desarrollos pragmáticos específicos. Así ocurre en el caso de TREC, que reconoce como los obstáculos emocionales relacionados con sobredemandas influyen negativamente en la comunicación y los vínculos que soportan el liderazgo en entorno organizacional. Diferentes aportes desde la inteligencia emocional permitirán entender y conectar la relación de estas teorías.

The adult learner : the definitive classic in adult education and human resource development.

Es una lectura esencial para los profesionales del aprendizaje de adultos, estudiantes y profesionales de los recursos humanos, pues proporciona un marco teórico para la comprensión de los problemas del aprendizaje de adultos, tanto en los entornos docentes como en los lugares de trabajo. Se divide en tres partes: la primera parte estudia 'Las raíces de la andragogía', se traza el desarrollo de esta teoría y las características de los estudiantes adultos; en la segunda parte 'Los avances en el aprendizaje de adultos', se explican sus perspectivas de futuro en la investigación y la práctica y, en la última parte, 'Practica en el aprendizaje de adultos', se presentan lecturas seleccionadas que desarrollan los aspectos específicos de la andragogía en la práctica y que incluye estrategias para implementar los supuestos básicos, para adaptar el aprendizaje a las diferencias individuales, y para implementar la educación de adultos en las organizaciones. De especial interés son dos instrumentos de autoevaluación, 'the Core Competency Diagnostic and Planning Guide' y 'the Personal Adult Learning Style Inventory' que permiten al lector ponerse en camino del desarrollo personal en el aprendizaje de adultos.