Intercultural communication training respectful of learners’ characteristics : a pedagogical model for social promotion of intercultutral communication, expertise and skills

The escalating immigrant presence in Europe highlights certain issues of diversity in terms of language, para-language, religion, territoriality, class, and ethnicity. The reality today more than ever is that ‘most, if not all nation States are differentiated polyethnic States…’ (Gundara 2000: 24). This calls for the strengthening of intercultural communication competencies and skills in particular within institutions that are professionally in contact with mobility. This paper presents a training methodology for intercultural communication training, developed within the framework of lifelong learning, Grundtvig 1.1. This paper also proposes that in order for such training to be successful one needs to respect participants’ different pathways that “work within each of us to create a system of learning based upon stimulus processing, the use of memory, and the pattern-driven ingenuity of our human capacity to respond” to the learning experience (Grundtvig Let Me Learn Training Module 2005).peer-reviewe

Jack Mezirow's conceptualisation of adult transformative learning : a review

This paper traces the evolution of Jack Mezirow's transformative learning theory and its conceptualisation. It discusses the three major influences, namely Thomas Khun's philosophical conception of paradigm, Freire's conception of conscientisation and consciousness growth, and Habermas' domains of learning and the discussion of language as communicative action. The paper concludes with a discussion of the main concepts underlying the theory of transformative learning – a theory grounded in robust theoretical traditions – and presents a process of transformation which leads the adult learner through a process that initiates in a moment of disorientation and ends in transformative self-reflection that results in the transformation of one's perspective.peer-reviewe

THE LET ME LEARN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PROCESS FOR TEACHER TRANSFORMATION: THE LET ME LEARN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PROCESSFOR TEACHER TRANSFORMATION

This research set out to explore how a group of nine educators from a Catholic Church school in Malta, who have attended the Let Me Learn professional Learning process (LMLpLp), experienced personal and professional transformation. This study investigates those factors influencing participants in their transformative learning journey. It also explores the dynamics of transformative learning and whether individual transformation affects the school’s transformative learning experience. More specifically this study set out to explore how teachers who participated in the Let Me Learn professional Learning process have experienced transformative learning. This study takes a qualitative phenomenological approach. It seeks to identify phenomena of personal and professional transformative learning through the perceptions of the educators participating in this study. Through the use of the semi-structured interview it seeks to gather ‘deep’ data. This data represents the voices of these educators in narrative, thus emphasising the importance of the personal perspective and interpretation. This allowed this research to understand the subjective experience, motivation and actions of the participants. The Literature review informs the questions asked during the interview. The interview was used as a tool for gathering information regarding values, attitudes and beliefs of participants. Each interview was transcribed, translated (when response was given in Maltese) and categorised according to Mezirow’s ten stages. Excerpts from each stage were further processed to generate themes. The themes were later streamlined and an acceptable interpretive framework was created. Each interview excerpt was then analysed through the framework. Once all interviews were coded, detailed narratives were written. These narratives are meant to help the reader reflect on the process of transformative learning. It underscores those factors highlighted by the participants, which helped bring about both personal and professional transformative learning. This research has identified that individual constructs are strongly determined by an individual’s personal learning characteristics. Awareness of these personal learning characteristics (self-knowledge) helped educators assess their practice and understand how their personal characteristics were determining their approach to teaching and affecting their interpersonal relationships with students and colleagues. This research showed that transformative learning is a mutually interdependent experience. Individual transformation amounts to, and is influenced by, the collective transformation. This study highlighted the role of the school community in the pursuit of personal transformation. Yet another important finding of this research is the importance of a shared language of possibility. Through a shared language, a learning community can create a dialogic environment through which intentions, beliefs and interventions can be shared among the professional community. This research accentuates the importance of a shared language as a means of articulating a change in perspective. The study identified three main agents of change. The Let Me Learn team, as promoters and experts of this particular learning process; the teachers, who internalised the process and applied it to their practice; and the school’s senior management team, who internalised the Process, positioned it into the larger vision of the school and created a conducive environment through which the whole school community was empowered to take responsibility to bring about change in practice. A number of implications emerge from this study that could inform policy on teacher professional learning. A major implication concerns the importance of a shared language – a language that reflects the shared values and ideological position of the community. Such language frames the learning process, makes learning visible for teachers to be able to respond effectively with strategies that respect each learner’s learning preference and makes learning visible to the learner himself. Another implication from this study arises from the finding that the transformative learning process of any individual educator and effectively of the whole school community, goes beyond the effectiveness and limitations of any one professional development programme. True and deep-seated transformative learning comes from within the individual educator. This statement has serious repercussions on any professional development programme that aims to aid participants in their quest to transform their practice. This study also emphasised the importance that any professional development needs to be seated in the local experience and needs of the school community. Any attempts at developing comprehensive, nation-wide projects with pre-packaged approaches, are doomed to fail. What this research has shown is that for effective professional development, the identified outcomes need to correspond to the local needs of the school, rather than the national guidelines, detached from the realities of the particular school. Finally, this study accentuated the importance of incorporating mentoring support in any professional development proposal. Delivery of information and skills without follow-up tend to lead to superficial application. Transformative learning presupposes a period of shared reflection on practice and collegial mediation of ideas through contact between teachers and their leaders and on-the-job support from their professional development mentors

The Let Me Learn Process® : a robust theory with practical implications

This paper reviews a learning system that has withstood empirical tests of its theoretical and psychometric robustness. The system includes both an instrument that serves as an important tool to launch the process as well as a system of skills that empower learners to interact effectively with the learning environment and ensure successful learning. This article traces critical reviews of published learning styles models and juxtaposes them with research conducted on the Let Me Learn Process to test the robustness of the theory that supports it. The author contends that the Let Me Learn Process has a strong theoretical and psychometric base thus giving what it claims to give, namely, a robust and inclusive theoretical foundation, a comprehensive lexicon of terms that provide a means of communicating one’s experience of learning, an explanation of learning which fosters a learner’s responsibility, and finally empirical evidence revealing a measurable difference in the behaviour of learners.peer-reviewe

Let me learn in-service training : a teacher’s experience

This paper zooms in on the story of a classroom teacher who participated in the Let Me Learn professional staff development programme. It aims to illustrate how the LML process served as a “liberating experience” for the young teacher and, in particular, for one of her pupils. Through the voice of the teacher, as expressed in her professional journal, this paper portrays the growth experienced by this teacher in terms of her intentionality in the choice of appropriate strategies of success. The paper will show how through the adoption of LML, this teacher has sharpened her skill in analyzing tasks and students’ needs and demands through a metacognitive reflective process and through applying personalized responsive strategies. The student improved conception of the learning environment, and motivation to behave better and perform in academic tasks was also noted.peer-reviewe

Education in a technological world : communicating current and emerging

Women and older women in particular have been for long victims of exclusion from science and technology. Throughout history many cultures have been hostile to the participation of women in the study and development of these two areas of human knowledge. A project, “Technology in the Heritage of Memory” forming part of a multi-regional European Project co-funded by the European Social Fund, sought to determine specific ICT needs for older women, and through the process of learning how to use specific ICT tools, these women shared their life histories. Through such a process the recovery of historical memory was experienced.peer-reviewe

The 'Let Me Learn' professional learning process experience : a new culture for professional learning

The generation of professional capital, viewed in terms of social capacity building, has an important learning dimension. Teachers’ staff development is one area which can contribute towards social capacity building and socially committed teachers have an important part to play in generating capital for their profession. This paper provides a critical review of current professional development processes in Malta with a focus on how different provisions are successful, or limited, in generating further knowledge and professional learning. It also discusses the need for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) which capitalizes on practitioners’ experiences, realities and the knowledge of the social context of learning. Research data, in the form of teacher narratives and one longitudinal case study, reveals the importance of the social dimension in CPD. The involvement of teachers in the Let Me Learn Professional Learning Process marks a proactive stance in teacher professional development and transformation through its emphasis on teacher networks, partnerships and externalizing teachers’ knowledge base. It also demonstrates that teachers’ professional capital can be fostered when teachers learn together and collaborate.peer-reviewe

Apprendimento trasformativo: l’esperienza trasformativa del leader

A transformative leader is a person who inspires others to follow his or hervisionary position. Such a leader causes change in individuals and socialsystems. What follows is a narrative of a school leader whose inspirationand commitment brought about systemic change in the school he leads.Un leader trasformativo è una persona che ispira gli altri a seguire la propriaposizione visionaria. Tale leader provoca cambiamenti negli individui e neisistemi sociali. Quello che segue è il racconto di un leader di scuola, l’ispirazionee l’impegno del quale ha portato cambiamenti sistemici nella scuolache conduce

La experiencia del “Let Me Learn Professional Learning Process”: Una nueva cultura para el aprendizaje profesional

The generation of professional capital, viewed in terms of social capacity building, has an important learning dimension. Teachers’ staff development is one area which can contribute towards social capacity building and socially committed teachers have an important part to play in generating capital for their profession. This paper provides a critical review of current professional development processes in Malta with a focus on how different provisions are successful, or limited, in generating further knowledge and professional learning. It also discusses the need for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) which capitalizes on practitioners’ experiences, realities and the knowledge of the social context of learning. Research data, in the form of teacher narratives and one longitudinal case study, reveals the importance of the social dimension in CPD. The involvement of teachers in the Let Me Learn Professional Learning Process marks a proactive stance in teacher professional development and transformation through its emphasis on teacher networks, partnerships and externalizing teachers’ knowledge base. It also demonstrates that teachers’ professional capital can be fostered when teachers learn together and collaborate.La generación de capital profesional, vista en términos de construcción de capacidad social, tiene una dimensión de estudio importante. La formación del profesorado es un área que puede contribuir a dicha capacidad además de promover profesores socialmente comprometidos. Este artículo proporciona una revisión crítica de los procesos de desarrollo de diferentes corrientes profesionales en Malta, con especial atención sobre cómo diferentes acciones son acertadas o tienen un alcance limitado en la generación de conocimiento y de aprendizaje profesional. También se pone de manifiesto la necesidad de un Desarrollo Profesional Continuado (CPD) centrado en la experiencia, la realidad y el conocimiento del contexto social. Los datos de la investigación, en forma de narraciones del profesorado y mediante un estudio de caso longitudinal, revelan la importancia de la dimensión social en el CPD. La participación de profesores en el Let Me Learn Professional Learning Process evidencia una postura proactiva en el desarrollo y transformación profesional del docente a través de redes de colaboración, lo cual pone de manifiesto que el capital profesional de los docentes puede ser promovido cuando éstos aprenden juntos y colaboran

Education and ethnic minorities in Malta

This study, which forms part of the e-Spices learning partnership (acting as background data) was inspired by an earlier study commissioned by The European Racism and Xenophobia Information Network (RAXEN). Unfortunately in this earlier study only a very restricted statistic would be published in the final publication, a statistic that would not do justice to the actual situation and could be interpreted differently by the different parties concerned with the issue. This was one reason why we thought that it would be a good idea to publish the research that was behind the official statistic. We would like the general public to be exposed to a deeper analysis of the situation, how (or if) students from different ethnic backgrounds are being integrated within the local educational set-up.peer-reviewe