Musings on Intent and Vulnerability
Susan Crichton, PhD (susan.crichton(at)ubc.ca), Cynthia Bourne (cindy.bourne(at)ubc.ca), Deb Carter (deb.carter(at)ubc.ca)
Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia Okanagan
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Locally-developed folktale books are delivered to Bolgatanga, Ghana. The texts will be used in regional schools to supplement existing Ghanaian curriculum.[/caption]
Introduction
Our ongoing work at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan (UBC O) campus, a research-intensive university, has helped us to modify a set of global service-learning (GSL) project design principles. Specifically, working with colleagues in both East and West Africa, we are developing a set of design principles that inform our practice and can be used to help re-conceptualize student experiences situated within challenging contexts (Crichton, 2014; Crichton & Onguko, 2012; Yakong, 2014). One of the authors (Bourne) is exploring these principles as part of her doctoral studies. While we muse on intent and vulnerability of GSL projects, we are interested in feedback from others situated in research-intensive institutions in the global north that might consider our draft of GSL project design principles when they create similar GSL projects for their students. Challenging Contexts and Good Projects Defined We have adopted the term challenging contexts as it appears more relevant and respectful when describing contexts that the literature typically calls third world or developing world environments. Crichton (2014) defines challenging contexts as settings in which individuals, due to a variety of circumstances, conditions or environmental constraints, do not have access to- consistently available and affordable electricity;
- reliable, unfiltered or uncensored Internet;
- previous formal learning and / or opportunities for ongoing formal learning that support individual learning needs;
- non-formal, yet appropriate, learning opportunities;
- or participation in learning activities due to cultural or religious reasons;
- transportation and mobility; and
- prior learning (p. 3).
- clean water and adequate sanitation;
- fair and just leadership;
- adequate nutrition and safe food supply;
- a safe environment free from hostilities and violence; and
- support for the disabled (Crichton, 2014, pp. 3-4).
- Be of educative value to your students
- Educative value suggests the GSL project builds on the students’ academic programs and adds expertise and experience.
- Be of contextual value to the in-country hosts
- Add a benefit that is actually needed or wanted by the in-country host without taking work away from in-country workers
- Be informed by the principles of sustainability
- Sustainability means meeting “the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Bruntdland Commission Report, 1987, para. 27).
- Be informed by the principles of appropriate technology
- Technology is deemed appropriate when it is compatible with local, cultural and economic conditions (Conteh, 2003)
- It should also utilize locally available material and energy resources, with tools and processes maintained and operationally controlled by the local population (Conteh, 2003)
- It should be compatible with the level of sophistication of the society in which it is applied and hence disrupt that society the least (Schumacher, 1973)
- Address a challenge identified by the in-country host, especially if the host site is within a challenging context
- Challenging context means “settings in which individuals, due to a variety of circumstances, conditions or environmental constraints, do not have access to …” (Crichton, 2014, p. 3). The current list is provided in an earlier section in this blog.
- Be affordable to both give and receive parties
- Consider, as much as possible, any and all unintended consequences — both good and bad — including pre-departure activities focusing on ethical and responsible ways of working
- Have a follow up process to assess both the short and longer term impacts
- Be fun and situated with the well-being and general happiness of participants — locally and globally.
Students page through one of the books they created.[/caption]
Project GROW partners and a local school district invited the UBC O pre-service teachers to assist junior high school students in the creation and publication of traditional folk stories. High school students were tasked with narrating, translating, and illustrating oral stories. The pre-service teachers provided the technical skills to turn the local folk tales into a book format that could supplement the Ghanaian curriculum, and perhaps equally important, can be taken home to share with family members.
Initial Findings
Initial findings from the GRIP Ghana project suggest reviving, translating, and illustrating traditional stories built pride, confidence, and self-esteem for the high school participants and provided a contribution of lasting value to the community. For the pre-service teachers, using their skills to bring the books to life was identified as a profound learning opportunity. While the project had educational objectives, it also provided an opportunity to increase pride and well-being in the community, provided an opportunity for cultural engagement, and further developed the practical skills the pre-service teachers learned in their Bachelor of Education program.
Administrators and teachers from the participating schools had expressed a desire for a professional workshop that could share Canadian classroom approaches to student-centered learning. The pre-service-teachers provided a professional development workshop to share strategies such as backward design (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998) and project based learning (Crichton & Carter, 2014). Pre-service teachers worked with workshop participants to create classroom resources with which the local teachers could develop any number of inquiry, problem, or scenario based learning projects. In turn, the teacher candidates learned much from the lived experiences of teachers who work in challenging contexts. The timing of the book project followed up on the professional workshop, allowing the teacher-candidates to demonstrate what an inquiry-based, student-centered learning project might look like in action when using locally developed resources such as regional stories.
Discussion
Based on our initial work in East and West Africa, we believe our draft principles are serving us well. We have consulted with colleagues in the field as well as shared our principles with colleagues at the International Symposium on Leadership at the recent 2014 NAFSA conference. Our next steps include developing a pre-departure course of studies for students, focusing on ethical practice and mindful collaboration with in-country partners, and continuing our work on design principles for good projects. We see this blog publication as a rich opportunity to gain feedback and suggestions and broaden our community of practice around the topics of intent and vulnerability in global service learning.
Many of the books can be viewed in a collection here, such as The Poor Farmer and the Egg (below).
References
Bourne, C., Crichton, S., & Carter, D. (In press). Reflections on service-learning situated in challenging contexts: Lessons learned. Advances in service-learning research series, Service-learning pedagogy: How does it measure up? American Education Research Association. Bruntdland Commission Report (1987). Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission of Environment and Development. United Nations Documents. Retrieved from http://conspect.nl/pdf/Our_Common_Future-Brundtland_Report_1987.pdf Conteh, A. (2003). Culture and the transfer of technology. In B. Hazeltine and C. Bull (Eds). Field guide to appropriate technology. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Crichton, S. (May 27, 2014). 21st-Century Skills and the Future of Internationalization: Opportunities for Leadership. Panel speaker. NAFSA 2014 Conference. San Diego, CA. http://www.nafsa.org/Attend_Events/Annual_Conference/Educational_Offerings/Symposium/Symposium_on_Leadership/ Crichton, S. (2014). Using a design approach to leapfrogging pedagogy in challenging contexts. Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 12(1), 3–13. Retrieved from http://www.ejel.org/volume12/issue1 Crichton, S., & Carter, D. (2013, November 18). Maker Day Toolkit. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://innovativelearningcentre.ca/maker-day-tool-kit/ Crichton, S., & Onguko, B. (2013). Appropriate technologies for challenging contexts. In S. Marshall & W. Kinuthia (Eds.), Educational design and technology in the knowledge society, Information Age Publishing, Charlotte, NC. Horn, A. S., & Fry, G. W. (2013). Promoting Global Citizenship Through Study Abroad: The Influence of Program Destination, Type, and Duration on the Propensity for Development Volunteerism. Voluntas, 24(4), 1159-1179. Räsänen, K. (2008). Meaningful academic work as praxis in emergence. Journal of Research Practice, 4(1), Article P1. Retrieved January 15, 2014 from http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/78/102 Shumaker, E. E. (1973). Small is beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered. London: Blond and Briggs Ltd. Shulman, L. S. (2005). Signature pedagogies in the professions. Daeldalus, 134(3), 54-59. Slimbach, R. (2010). Becoming World Wise: A Guide to Global Learning. Herndon, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC. Stanford University’s d.school (2009). Introduction to Design Thinking. Facilitator’s Guide. Retrieved from https://dschool.stanford.edu/sandbox/groups/dresources/wiki/welcome/attachments/f8e24/d.school%27s%20Facilitator%27s%20Guide%20to%20Leading%20Re.d%20the%20G.G.%20Exp.pdf?sessionID=2e4eabcb9b0ebc30c0309e7b2e68740b16890784Tiessen, R., & Heron, B. (2012) Volunteering in the developing world: The perceived impacts of Canadian Youth. Development in Practice, 22 (1), 44-56. Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2006). Understanding by design. (Expanded 2nd Edition). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). Windborne, J. (2004) Literacy Groups in Ghana: Liberation with Limitation. Women’s Studies Quarterly, 32(1/2), 59–72. Yakong, V. N. (2014). Ethnographic perspectives on rural women’s reproductive health decisions in Ghana: the cultural influences of gender relations, kinship and belief system. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2429/45756Susan Crichton is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Okanagan campus, where she also serves as Director of the Faculty of Education and Director of the University’s Innovative Learning Centre (ILC). She is a visiting professor with Aga Khan University – Institute of Educational Development, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and a Fellow of the Commonwealth Centre of Education, University of Cambridge. She has worked on Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) projects in rural western China, as well as educational projects in Bhutan, Chile, and Tanzania. Currently, she is an online mentor for the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) project in Afghanistan. Her research focuses on technology-enhanced learning / research approaches and explores innovative uses of technology to foster creativity / imagination for educators. Cynthia Bourne is the learning specialist and Manager in the Academic Resource Centre at the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Okanagan campus that provides supplemental instruction programs and learning support for students enrolled in high risk courses. As a doctoral student in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies (IGS) Program, her research explores how professional faculties might develop ‘good’ global service-learning projects in challenging regions or contexts. Since 2007, her international development work focuses on adult education and capacity building programs for communities in Upper East, Ghana. Of particular interest to Cindy is the development of design principles that might guide professional faculties and institutions in the design of good projects to benefit all partners: student participants, in-country partners, and institutions. Deborah Carter is a research project coordinator in the ILC at UBC’s Okanagan campus and coordinates / co-facilitates events to engage the UBC community — both town and gown — in all aspects of innovative pedagogy, supporting economic growth in the region, and continuing to advance the proven accomplishments of K-20 educators who work and live outside the lower mainland. As a doctoral candidate in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies (IGS) program, her research explores how a design-thinking event might impact such interprofessional groups coming together to address localized ill-formed, single-solution resilient social issues. Both her work with ILC and research interests focus on providing appropriate tools, spaces and places for educators, entrepreneurs, dreamers and thinkers to imagine and explore innovations in teaching and learning.