Open Learning within Communities
Bertram (Chip) Bruce
U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Fulbright Chair, National College of Ireland, 2007-08
Open Resources for Learning
Learning from Existing Practices
• Marginalized communities and underserved young people– Racism– Economic oppression– Under-resourced schools– AIDS, diabetes, …– Limited access to
information• Guiding principles
– Social justice youth development model
– Community is the curriculum
– Live and help others to live
• Community Media in Paseo Boricua (Chicago)– Batey Urbano: poetry,
hip-hop, cultural expression
– Media studio, CDs– La Voz community
newspaper– Radio Batey internet
radio– Batey Theater production– Barrio Arts, Culture &
Communication Academy– Digital archive– International links
Beyond Paseo Boricua
• Extensions– Alternative Schools
Network– Community Schools
Movement– Community/university
linkage– International connections
• References– Learning Power:
Organizing for Education & Justice
– Beyond Resistance! Youth Activism & Community Change
– Dewey’s Dream: Universities & Democracies in an Age of Education Reform