Pedagogies on the edge: researching complex practice in youth and adult community education

Abstract

This research arose from our involvements in adults and community education, adult literacy, youth issues, and in researching the new movement in Australia for the inclusion of ‘generic skills’ in education and training curriculum. We recruited twenty-two practitioners in Adult and Community Education (ACE) in a participatory action research approach to assist us in exploring how ‘generic skills and attributes’ are fostered in the context of adult and community education and to theorise pedagogies of ACE in the light of the changed demographic of those who access ACE programs (especially disaffected young people and older unemployed men). A ‘Framework for ACE Pedagogy’ was one outcome of the research. In this paper we describe the five ‘elements’ which we found to constitute ‘The Teacher’ in ACE. The elements include: personal engagement with learners; self-reflection on one's teaching and one's own learning journey; improvisation and risk-taking; awareness of relations of power; and having patience and trust in the learning process.

Notes

1. The term ‘adult and community education’ is used in Victoria, Australia to denote both a sector or ‘field’ of education (with a particular history and set of traditions) and an administrative entity. Adult, Community and Further Education provides programs funded by the Government through the Adult, Community and Further Education Board. These programs are often described as being within the Adult and Community Education sector. Providers of ACFE programs across Victoria include: adult and community education centres, neighbourhood houses, community centres and other ACE organisations, adult education institutions; namely the Centre for Adult Education and Adult Multicultural Education Services, training and further education institutes, and private registered training organisations (see http://www.acfe.vic.gov.au/abt.htm).

2. There is of course no generally accepted definition of ‘good practice’. Discourse within the ACE field tends to favour ‘good practice’ rather than the ‘best practice’, which has connotations of quality control and measurable standards. ‘Good practice’, on the other hand, is a more open and flexible term that practitioners use amongst themselves when talking about what they think is ‘good’ teaching or ‘good’ pedagogy.

3. Kirsten has since reported that this particular student has made a big change in his attitude and is now actively cooperating with other learners in the classroom.

4. The Victorian Department of Education and Training is currently (as at June 2005) embarking on research into ‘post compulsory pedagogy principles’, and the Adult, Community and Further Education Board is involving practitioners in further research into pedagogy in the ACE sector.