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Pub Date: |
2012-03-00 |
Pub Type(s): |
Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive |
Peer Reviewed: |
Yes |
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Descriptors:
Student Attitudes; Student Development; Writing Assignments; Community; Community Cooperation; Writing (Composition); Writing Instruction; Creative Writing
Abstract:
Teachers know that the most valuable learning occurs in classrooms where a sense of community exists. Community encourages rich learning because of the interactions among many individuals, not the limited, two-way exchange of ideas or information that is often the case when students fail to form a community. But what makes a community? Synthesizing from a number of researchers, Deborah J. Bickford and David J. Wright explain that "a real community . . . exists only when its members interact in a meaningful way that deepens their understanding of each other." So community requires "meaningful interaction" and "deepened understanding," two things that can occur as a result of writing and sharing, particularly informal writing. Too often students perceive writing in school as formidable--a risk or a threat, a way to be evaluated--and not often enough as a way to learn, to express ideas, just to be a writer. When they use informal writing and sharing in their classrooms, the authors shift some of the focus from writing as an evaluative tool to writing as a tool for living--and thus for learning. In this article, the authors describe informal writing assignments that have helped their students develop communal bonds with their classmates and learn more about writing well.
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Pub Date: |
2012-00-00 |
Pub Type(s): |
Reports - Descriptive |
Peer Reviewed: |
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Descriptors:
Youth; Community Involvement; Group Membership; Youth Opportunities; Youth Programs; Youth Agencies; Citizen Participation; Citizenship Education; Citizenship Responsibility; Community Cooperation; Community Characteristics; Demography; Rural Youth; Adolescent Attitudes; Interviews; Gender Differences; Community Attitudes; Organizational Effectiveness; Organizational Theories; Performance Factors; Group Dynamics
Abstract:
Among the many notable features of Coos County, New Hampshire, is the region's high level of community engagement and a rich civic culture. Community and Environment in Rural America (CERA) surveys by the Carsey Institute have shown that nearly one-fourth of adults in the community report membership in a civic or fraternal organization, and an overwhelming majority agrees that residents can work together to resolve local problems. Yet we know relatively little about the role of youth in the community life of Coos County. Recent research suggests that, across the nation, levels of civic engagement among young people are greater than many might assume, though there is significant variation in youth involvement across different kinds of activities and from one region to the next. Places with a long history of civic life such as Coos County might exhibit higher levels of youth involvement than rural areas with long histories of inequality, underinvestment, and chronic poverty, where social ties are fewer and community cohesion lower, such as those in central Appalachia or the Mississippi Delta. Like adult residents, youth are one social resource that communities can draw on as they seek to resolve local problems and foster community well-being. This issue brief explores the extent to which Coos County youth are involved in a variety of civic-related activities, with particular attention to the demographic and attitudinal factors associated with such participation. It also assesses the successes and struggles of local organizations in getting youth involved in community affairs. (Contains 5 figures and 10 endnotes.)
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Pub Date: |
2012-02-00 |
Pub Type(s): |
Reports - Evaluative |
Peer Reviewed: |
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Descriptors:
Communication Strategies; Community Support; School Restructuring; Educational Change; Change Strategies; Educational Policy; Research Reports; Community Influence; Community Cooperation; Community Coordination; Community Benefits; Educational Practices; Educational Research; Compliance (Legal); Accountability; School Effectiveness; Community Attitudes; Trust (Psychology)
Abstract:
This report offers recommendations for building community support for federal school turnaround approaches, particularly in communities that oppose these approaches. Parents, the report concludes, want improvement but cherish their local schools and distrust the turnaround options mandated from above by higher levels of government. Thus, community members rise up in anger when their school faces closure, conversion to a charter school, breaking-up, or forced replacement of staff. Arguing that this resistance is due in large part to parents not understanding how bad their schools are, the report proposes that by engaging the public constructively and using eight communication strategies, parents will react more positively towards imposed turnaround approaches. The report does not address the body of research that shows school turnarounds to be generally unsuccessful. Further, even though parents in the study raise concerns that their schools are under-resourced and face significant social problems, the report fails to address these issues. By diverting attention from the real problems correctly identified by the parents and by possibly disrupting ongoing reforms, this communication strategy holds little promise for actually improving education and could prove harmful. (Contains 6 notes.) [For the document reviewed, "What's Trust Got to Do with It? A Communications and Engagement Guide for School Leaders Tackling the Problem of Persistently Failing Schools," see ED529276.]
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Author(s): |
Mountford, Christine |
Source: |
Australian Journal of Adult Learning, v51 spec iss p213-222 Dec 2011 |
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Pub Date: |
2011-12-00 |
Pub Type(s): |
Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative |
Peer Reviewed: |
Yes |
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Descriptors:
Career Education; Academic Achievement; Adult Education; Prior Learning; Education Work Relationship; Educational Opportunities; Counseling Psychology; Workshops; Training; Skill Analysis; Outreach Programs; Community Education; Delivery Systems; Program Effectiveness; Community Benefits; Community Cooperation; Partnerships in Education
Abstract:
The mission and values of Victoria University provide the underlying criteria for the development and implementation of the Community Gateways initiative, which aims to transform the lives of those living in the west of Melbourne through the power of further education. Community Gateways takes the university into the community by providing career education and counselling, skills recognition, recognition of prior learning, workshops and short training opportunities to engage the community "on their own turf", and to support their access and success through career-aligned course choice. To be truly effective in the community, Community Gateways has utilised a cooperative approach to engage with over forty community organisations, including community centres, neighbourhood houses, local councils, youth centres, libraries, and ACE and ACFE providers. A resurgence of interest in values associated with community, social cohesion and cultural diversity has provided the platform for these relationships to develop. Community Gateways strengthens access to learning and employment in the region for many people who currently are unsure of how to access education and training opportunities. Through the provision of complimentary, professional careers counselling, community members are encouraged to consider their career options as the basis for making appropriate training or further study decisions. In this paper I will explore the development of the program and share the learning and achievements to date. (Contains 2 tables.)
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