Open Space, Transformative Education, and the Pursuit of Flourishing

2020 ◽  
pp. 154134462097822
Author(s):  
Matthew T. Lee ◽  
Molly Hartsough ◽  
Sam Borick ◽  
Brooks Gathagan
Keyword(s):  
Open Space ◽  
Child Psychology ◽  
Transformative Education ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Research In Education ◽  
Self Discovery ◽  
Reflective Essay

This reflective essay advances a model of transformative education based on the collaborative experiences of a professor and three students who sought greater opportunities for flourishing through reflective and contemplative methods in an instructor-created open space. Open space derives from research in education, child psychology, and anthropology and emphasizes an integration of cognitive, affective, and experiential forms of learning in a context of freedom and creativity. This may involve moving outside the walls of the standard classroom, extending learning activities beyond the confines of the semester, blurring the roles of student and teacher in order to cocreate opportunities for deeper learning, and flexibility with regard to syllabi and traditional boundaries of academic disciplines. Open space approaches offer more room for students and faculty to exercise their authenticity and imaginations, thereby promoting greater self-discovery, transformative growth, and other valued aspects of a flourishing life.

scholarly journals Implementasi Pembelajaran Door to Door Pada Perkembangan Psikologi Belajar Anak di TKIT Raudlotul Mu’minin

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-111
Author(s):  
Ali Asfuri
Keyword(s):  
Child Psychology ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Psychological Characteristics ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Know How ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive

AbstractThe purpose of this research is (1) want to know how to implement door to door learning done by teachers, (2) want to know the development of children learning psychology at TKIT Raudlotul Mu'minin. The study uses a field research approach and is qualitative descriptive. The results showed that the development of child psychology was very influential in the learning activities, because the children had different psychological characteristics and developments. In order to teach learning activities can run well, the strategy of learning with the system from home to home is expected to make children in terms of education is still well served in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic conditions and useful to help the development of children learning psychology.Abstrak Tujuan penelitian ini yaitu (1) ingin mengetahui bagaimana penerapan pembelajaran door to door yang dilakukan oleh guru, (2) ingin mengetahui perkembangan psikologi belajar anak di TKIT Raudlotul Mu’minin. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan penelitian lapangan dan bersifat kualitatif deskriptif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa perkembangan psikologi anak sangat berpengaruh pada kegiatan belajarnya, sebab anak memiliki karakteristik dan perkembangan psikologis yang berbeda-beda. Agar kegiatan belajar mengajar dapat berjalan dengan baik, maka strategi belajar dengan sistem dari rumah ke rumah diharapkan membuat anak-anak dalam hal pendidikan tetap terlayani dengan baik di tengah kondisi pandemi Covid-19 dan berguna untuk membantu perkembangan psikologi belajar anak.  

Reflections on the 12th International Transformative Learning Conference

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven A. Schapiro ◽  
Placida V. Gallegos ◽  
Keren Stashower ◽  
Donna F. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
The Self ◽  
Space Technology ◽  
Application Development ◽  
Diverse Community ◽  
Open Space Technology ◽  
Rich Interaction ◽  
Reflective Essay

This article is a reflective essay that explores the question: What can the content and experience of the conference tell us about the state of theory and practice in the field of TL; where is it today and where it may be going in the future? The 12th International Transformative Learning Conference (ITLC) held October 19-23 at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA was an opportunity to engage with this question and observe the emergence of some useful answers. The conference brought together 250 participants from 25 countries around the theme: “Meeting at intersections of places for transformative learning”. Presenters offered rich interaction of TL and Intersectionality through various symposia, presentations and experiential learning sessions that showed the application, development and potential evolution of TL. Open Space Technology was use to engage with this diverse community around the practice, theory, and future of TL. The attendees experienced different forms of TL practices and theory. The authors of this paper relied on their experience as co-chairs and presenters of the Conference, as well as faculty, alum and student of Fielding Graduate University to reflect on the main themes of intersections and intersectionality found in the content of the symposia, presentations, and experiential sessions. We found five main themes of intersections: between various theories and disciplines; between body, mind, and spirit as aspects of the self; between the self and social and political contexts in which it is embedded; between self and others in the engagement with difference; and between forms of transformative practice. In our closing comments and reflections, we addressed whether or not the conference was enough of a “holding space” for transformation to take place. We noted that there was a noticeable “call” from conference attendees for TL theory and practice to extend beyond individual and group support to the society and its social and systemic challenges.

scholarly journals The Value of Citations in Academic Disciplines

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-32
Author(s):  
Ella Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Reflective Essay

Abstract: The following reflective essay focuses on the use of citations within academic disciplines. It focuses on my experiences and how these experiences relate to published literature. Moreover, as an individual in the discipline of neuroscience, this essay will focus largely on how citations apply to the discipline of neuroscience. Specifically, how the act of citing develops an individual’s rhetorical appeal and connectivity to the individual’s discipline.

scholarly journals Partnership Studies in Transformative Education

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan G Carter
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Cultural Transformation ◽  
Transformative Education ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Transformation Theory ◽  
Effective Learning ◽  
Partnership Models ◽  
Life Work

This article provides a brief overview of Eisler's Cultural Transformation Theory and domination/partnership models. Its main objective is to share ways in which these important ideas and constructs can be included in educational curricula, with a focus on university teaching, to encourage and support personal development and positive social change. It offers examples of effective learning activities developed over nearly a decade of teaching partnership, as well as ways in which students have included partnership in their life, work, and studies.

scholarly journals Restorying for transdisciplinarity: A proposed teaching-learning strategy in a context of Human Rights Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Jarvis
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Learning Strategy ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Human Rights Education ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
The Social ◽  
Teaching Learning

Human Rights Education can provide a context for transdisciplinary boundary talk as a possible way to create cohesion among the multiple disciplines embedded within the Social Sciences. This article presents a teaching-learning strategy, Empathetic-Reflective-Dialogical Restorying, which can be employed to facilitate such boundary talk. Both self-dialogue and self-narrative are used to create open space stories. This provides a platform for restorying as Social Science postgraduate students at a South African higher education institution engage in the space between, across and beyond academic disciplines. Conversation centres on the human right to gender equality as informed by the individual’s substantial and situational identities. The teaching-learning strategy introducing as it does, communities in conversation, communities in dialogue and communities for transformation, can be used to create possible cohesion among both academics and students in the Social Sciences. It also has the potential to be transformative beyond the Social Sciences and indeed, society at large.

scholarly journals Bias in Qualitative Research: Voices from an Online Classroom

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beloo Mehra
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Classroom Environment ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Written Expression ◽  
Online Classroom ◽  
Self Discovery ◽  
Unique Framework ◽  
Written Word ◽  
Level Of Understanding

The issue of bias in qualitative research is an important one, and demands special attention and discussion in any qualitative research methods class. This reflective paper, written in the tradition of teacher-research, presents an analysis of how my students and I, working in an online classroom environment, learn together about the role researcher self and subjectivity play in designing and conducting qualitative research. While researcher bias and subjectivity are commonly understood as inevitable and important by most qualitative researchers, the beginners in qualitative research classes are generally not very comfortable with the idea of research that is not value-neutral. A systematic and reflective analysis of some of the teaching and learning activities, and of the online exchanges in these classes suggests that issues that require more critical thinking and reflection are dealt better using the power of written word. When students write down how their understanding of an issue is developing, the knowledge gained from the experience of putting the idea in comprehensible sentences is many times the knowledge gained when they make a verbal and often casual comment on the issue being discussed in the classroom. Since online instruction allows students to work at their own pace, factors such as differences in students' ability to communicate - through verbal or written expression, and their level of understanding of the content can be better addressed in an online classroom. The students' and instructor's voices in this paper, and the unique framework in which they are organized convey their increased understanding of qualitative research as a process of self-discovery.

Experiential Learning Activities in the Weed Science Classroom

2007 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 255-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert S. Gallagher ◽  
Edward C. Luschei ◽  
Eric Gallandt ◽  
Antonio DiTommaso
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Pest Management ◽  
Science Classroom ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Weed Ecology ◽  
Weed Science ◽  
Wide Range

Considerable discussion has occurred among the weed science community regarding the potential benefits and limitations of integrated approaches to crop and pest management. This discussion also needs to occur in our weed science classrooms, where students from a wide range of academic disciplines are trained in the fundamentals of weed ecology and management. Although the inherent complexity of integrated crop and pest management can make this adaptation to our weed science courses challenging, the use of experiential learning techniques provides an effective means to promote understanding and retention of these concepts. This paper outlines several classroom activities based on the experiential learning approaches that have been implemented by the authors. The activities focus on (1) weed identification and natural history, (2) weed population processes, and (3) integrated management systems. For each activity, we offer our rationale for the exercise, an example of its implementation in the classroom setting, potential pitfalls, and student feedback regarding their perceptions of the activity's educational value. With this paper, we hope to provide examples that may be useful to other weed science educators wishing to incorporate more experiential learning activities into their courses and to initiate a dialogue between educators that can help our community improve and enliven weed science education.

scholarly journals Analyzing the transition from face-to-face to remote education: an experience in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cátedra ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 93-109
Author(s):  
Christian Jaramillo-Baquerizo
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Ict Integration ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Teachers Experiences ◽  
Development Initiatives ◽  
Research In Education ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Insight Into

ICT integration has become one of the most crucial areas of research in education especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. As research suggests, its integration is highly dependent on the level of competence and willingness of usage, for it is the individual who ultimately decides to integrate ICT into their learning activities. The present study focuses on graduate students and teachers’ experiences of integrating ICT during the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding the experience of these actors can bring insight into better ways to improve the design and implementation of professional development initiatives focused on ICT integration. In this study, the perceptions from students and teachers were collected through questionnaires and interviews analyzing their experience during the drastic transition from face-to-face sessions to remote learning. Results of this study suggest that, while ICT is accepted as the best possible alternative during the first period of the transition, students and teachers perceive a limited level of competence in instructional design. These results and its implications are discussed in view of guidelines for professional development initiatives.

Student Engagement in the Facebook Learning Environment: A Person-Centred Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 073563312110301
Author(s):  
Vo Ngoc Hoi ◽  
Ho Le Hang
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Teaching Effectiveness ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Learning Platform

Facebook has been used not only as a popular social network service among college students but also as a platform for promoting learning and teaching effectiveness in different subject areas. While previous studies have demonstrated the utility of Facebook for enhancing student engagement, little is known about whether there are different profiles of students with different engagement patterns in the Facebook learning environment. Adopting a person-centred approach, we aim to fill this gap in the current study by identifying unobserved sub-populations of students with respect to their engagement patterns in the Facebook as a supplemental learning platform. Latent profile analysis revealed three engagement profiles, a minimally engaged, a moderately engaged, and a highly engaged profile. Results also suggested that academic disciplines and teacher involvement in the Facebook learning activities were significant predictors of student membership in the three engagement profiles. Our findings offer implications for the design and delivery of Facebook learning activities that cater to different groups of learners with different learning needs.

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