Innovation and creative best practice: lessons from Ireland

Dr Alan BruceULS DublinDonostia June 2010

History as nightmare Fragmented identities Culture - loss and transformation Structure - imposition and control Change and uncertainty - globalization Learning in the periphery Sustainable empowerment - case studies

and potential directions

Themes

“History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awaken”

James Joyce

1. The impact of history

Ultima thule of Europe Decentralized and localized Separate but connected ‘Discovery’ and colonization Viking cities, Norman religion What lies beneath: Celtic and absorptive

Lineages of Ireland

Myths of the Golden Age The survival imperative: learning,

monasticism and the Middle Ages The codification of racism: Kilkenny Statutes

1367 The Tudor conquests: plantation and

removal The emergence of ‘Church’

From kingdom to colony

Collapse of the Gaelic order 1607 The wars of ‘religion’: Confederation and the

Stuarts Cromwell, ethnic cleansing and slavery The New Order: Ascendancy and latifundia The perpetual rebellions The birth of republicanism

Colonial impact: experiment and genocide

Act of Union 1801 Catholic Emancipation 1830 The Famine 1847-50 Mass emigration: the growth of Irish America Catholic stranglehold: nationalist dreams Protestant supremacy: unionist reaction

Nation and catastrophe

Revolution and transformation Partition: the two States Flirtation with fascism: the South Flirtation with Empire: the North Broken economy: departed people The eruption of the North 1969 The link to Europe The prosperity fantasia

Ireland in the 20th century

What is Irishness? Gaelic, Norman, English, Viking, Jewish,

Huguenot, German, African… Basque Partitioned minds - loss and opportunity The absent story - gender and family The lasting threads: music, poetry, soul

2. Fragmented identities and culture

Dreamspaces of the Celtic imagination Histories of alternative learning: monastic,

dispersed, oral, hedge-school, alternative A word on Pearse and The Murder Machine Saving values or preventing thought - the

stranglehold of authoritarianism Post 1922: the carnival of reaction

Locating learning

Ireland in the UK (1801-1922): cultural assimilation vs. social laboratory

National Schools Act 1831 Churches and the State Teacher training and model schools 1840s Emphasis on basics and results Class inequalities Department of Education

Structure and control

Centralization Academic elitism Private/public dichotomies Control and power The Vocational Education Act 1943 Example: Mike Cooley and Tom Murphy Resistance to change Fighting for rights: corporal punishment

to standards

Legacies

Locating contexts: European, American, global

The transformation of language: Gaelic to English and beyond

Coping with loss and death The rural idyll The psychic nightmare: abuse and

institutionalization

Discovering the roots

Seismic shift in human relationships Competitive pressures New forms of work organization New diversities Instant, multidimensional communications Quality standards

3. Globalized realities

Globalization process and impact

Labour market and workinnovation, competitiveness, adaptability

Paradigms of inclusion equality and diversity

Standards, skills, transferability and inclusion learning and development in unequal environments

Imperatives for Ireland

Patterns of constant change Permanent migration mobility Outsourcing Flexible structures and modalities End of job norms Knowledge economy Structural inequalities

Imperatives for work

Professional formation Best practice and lifelong learning Standards and ethics Learner centred Skills acquisition for competitiveness Innovation imperatives and constant change

Impact on policy

Unexamined histories Sectarian realities Identity and modernity Voluntarism and charity Educational hierarchies Intercultural dialectics

Policy and innovation: themes

The dream evaporates Europe’s Puerto Rico implodes Banking scandals to cuts: unraveling the

welfare system Learning for what? Rolling scandals and corporate ethics What about the State? And where is Europe?

The impact of crisis 2008

Radical re-structuring of world economy Interconnected information/communication Differential access to resources Staff competence and buy-in Skills acquisition to skills application Ensuring universal access

Identified issues in new creativity

An assumption of stable work patterns and linear economic development is no longer possible

Learning systems must innovate and respond accordingly

The bottom line…

When all else fails - try something different! Central policy focus - rescue banks, then

create the smart economy

4. The innovation mantra

Entrepreneurship Education standards Venture capital Alternative thinking Risk-taking Global reach Confidence and authenticity Critical capacity and self-correction

Innovation critical factors

The work of Dan Breznitz (GIT) Innovation and the State (2007)

Israel (State stimulation, strategic technologies, US over-dependence)

Taiwan (end-stage production, inequalities, quality)

Ireland

Policy needs models

Weak venture fund network Excessive power in State agencies Total stagnation in start-ups since 2000 Over reliance on MNCs Poor linkage Lack of strategic shared goal setting Innovation is not a rabbit form the hat

Irish innovation policy

Identification of what is unique Fostering critical reflection Democratic accountability and transparency Identification of real best practice Playing to the strengths: food, agriculture,

technology, community, services, arts Letting go - the stranglehold of bureaucratic

thinking: innovation by diktat

Making innovation work

The obvious: Bailey’s; Riverdance; Tullow; IADT; film and sound (Ardmore)

Critical discourse Understanding what you ask for Challenging the system: resistance to

innovation Creativity challenges, never conforms

5. Case studies

Legacies of violence and war Approaching difference - training for

communities Equality discourse - parity of esteem Developing competence in fragmented

environments Certification, value and progression Sectarianism and loyalist change Gender, religion, identity

Expac: Conflicts of Interest

Workshop based seminars DVD footage - multimedia Distance learning support Case studies Personal testimony Structured conflict transformation training

Expac: developing a curriculum

Communities: loyalist and republican Mediated cooperation NIACRO RCN Monaghan VEC Councils’ GRO network

Expac: impact

Better awareness of the other Joint actions against discrimination Training supports for equality measures Access to further education Progression and accreditation Innovative technologies

Expac: outcomes

Iconic brand - largest Irish private employer (to 1995)

Founded 1783 Re-founded 1947 Tradition as leading Irish employer Growth years 1950-90 Reputation: profile, quality, tradition Crisis and collapse 2008 Learning innovation

Waterford Crystal

From employment to employability Development of in-company Learning

centre (1996) From craft to techno-art Learning and training policy Design and ergonomics Developing learner buy-in

In-company learning

Excellence through People (Fás) 1996 Positive to Disability (NRB) 1997 National Training Award (IITD) 2000 Third level linkage and progression

WITUCCNCI

National innovation

Crystal Now 1996-98: skills and access for women CODE 1999-2000: disability and innovative learning New Start 1998-2000: guidance for adult learners KTCEP 1996-98: IT support and technology in

manufacturing Voltaire 1998-2000: on-line training for staff Sesame 1999-2001: factory to university

progression Prospero 1999-2002: Virtual design platforms

European innovation

National Certificate in Workplace Skills National Certificate in Employability Occupational Assessment model Dedicated e-portfolios Dispersed learning centres On-line texts, materials and research Personalized tutoring supports on-line On-line assessment and guidance

Innovative outcomes

Bradóg Regional Youth Service Target: inner city youth, social deprivation,

educational disadvantage History of learner support Emphasis on creative engagement Family liaison

Bradóg: Mediastacks

The aim of the training is to give a variety of media production, facilitation and project management skills to practitioners working face-to-face with young people

To increase their capacity to undertake youth-in-action projects involving digital media.

By using the ‘stack’ of media exercises in various arrangements ‘tailor’ the media experience based on their knowledge of needs, capacity and interests.

Mediastacks program

Builds on youth-work methods and strategies of community empowerment

Develops creative and expressive skills for youth Emphasis on confidence building and personal growth

through creative self-expression The acquisition of digital video techniques and methods Development of group facilitation skills and processes

that enhance media production in a non-formal youth setting

Development of media literacy

Mediastacks aims

Bradóg has developed a reputation over the last 6 years in pioneering methods of engaging disadvantaged youth in digital media.

Founded Reel Youth Film Festival in 2002 which now has 25 participating youth projects across Dublin.

Youth regularly participate in national and international Youth Film events and won the Fresh Film Award in 2003 (2nd in the Cube of Ibsen Norwegian Film Festival in 2006)

Bradóg regularly delivers digital media training for youth organizations in Ireland on techniques to engage with marginalized youth with digital media.

Bradóg is a member of the E.M.N (www.empowermedia.tv) that seeks to empower young people through use of digital media.

Outcomes

Planning for equal outcomes Planning for equal access Avoiding tokenism - systemic

approaches Mainstream - destination or challenge? Learning from difference Learning to learn and un-learn (Toffler) Fostering innovation and equality

Transformative learning

Training of trainers Multilingualism Developing skills Developing attitudes Developing buy-in Setting targets Review, evaluation and research

Future directions

Dr Alan BruceULS Dublin

www.ulsystems.com

Thank youGo raibh maith agat