COMMUNITY BASED LEARNING SPACES : PEDAGOGIC

POSSIBILITIES & CHALLENGES

Julia Preece and Desiree Manicom, UKZN

UTLO 2014

This work is based on the research supported by the University of KwaZulu-Natal Teaching and Learning Fund and National Research Foundation of South Africa (grant number 82616). Any opinion, finding and conclusion or recommendation expressed in this material is that of the author (s) and the university and NRF do not accept any liability in this regard.

Outline

• Research questions • Introduction and policy context • Learning spaces & environments as a pedagogical

resource • The service learning space • Methodology • Findings - snapshots (knowledge sharing, power

differentials, challenges of learning spaces) • Conclusions

Research questions

• What role does service learning play as a learning space?

• What is the contribution of SL learning spaces and environments to knowledge production?

Learning spaces & environments for SL

• Rich learning environment – Learners & facilitators share meaningful

experiences [Bickford & Wright 2006) • Experiential learning

– Dewey – Lewin – Kolb – action learning • Concrete experience, conceptualisation, reflection,

experimentation – Need to experience different learning spaces to

develop capacity for self-learning • Real life experiences contribute to new learning

Service learning

• Collaborative mutual relationship between students, communities, academics – Credit based courses, students assessed on their

reflective learning • Community space as the enabling learning

environment – Need to see community space as a mutual

learning space – co-construction of knowledge – Agora - public space for socially robust knowledge

(Gibbons 2006)

Methodology

• UFS/UKZN partnership • Comparative case study (12 case studies) • Action research – 2nd cycle (2013) • Thematic content analysis of qualitative

quotes from all participants [students; link agencies; community members] – Power dynamics, co-creation of knowledge,

community reflection

Three case studies

• Early child development project (2 students) – semi-rural township – Crèche activities

• NGO film project on food security (2 students) – PMB city, interviewing residents

• National reading club project (4 students) – Evaluating facilitation of children’s reading clubs

Learning spaces

• Township resident’s garden for early child development project – Little or no resources or storage for materials

• NGO office and community homes for interviews – Raising awareness of poverty spaces

• Reading club project – Use of family home because no facilities available

Knowledge sharing/ co-creation If they have an opinion they would

share and I would also do the same when I had an opinion about the children ... this one day they finished with shapes and proposed to teach them about robots [traffic light colours]. We told them no, they shouldn’t – these children are still young, they shouldn’t learn everything at once in a day ... we also learned that whenever you give a child paper they should write their name and surname on top of the page (early child development facilitator).

They [reading club facilitators] also picked up a few lessons from the students ... you here interacting with us, asking us questions. We love things like this, to be able to learn how we can improve our work (reading club facilitator).

The students themselves, because they sometimes suffer the same issues ... they helped to bring also another dimension of understanding of food insecurity ... they also said things which was quite interesting ... and how there is hunger in the [university] hostels ... it enriched the script because originally we weren’t going to think about universities (film making NGO coordinator).

Paying attention to power differentials

• The reading clubs that have been visited have become more alert and motivated compared to those that the students have not visited ... also ... the attendance of the clubs has increased because they know students from the varsity will arrive ... even the children have changed (reading club site manager);

• We were able to compromise with what we were given by the film makers ... and actually attend when they wanted us to be there and when we were working together we knew when it was your turn, you’re the one who’s calling, now I’m gonna email, so everything just balanced (film project student).

Challenges of community learning spaces

• 8 case studies; – 40 students – 5 disciplines, – 2 coordinating staff

members

• Preparation time – 4 months of preparatory

meetings – Some learning spaces

not seen in advance

• Ongoing challenges – Cellphone

communication – Transport – Funding – Monitoring – Timetabling clashes – Student time

management

Conclusions

• Community learning space ‘agora’ – opportunities for mutual learning

• In order to maximise reflection process a community feedback loop needs to be built in

• Community learning spaces need careful monitoring and management to ensure co-ownership of knowledge and attention to power differentials