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About LTT
Learning and teaching for
transformation — A
global dialogue exploring relationships between education, participation
and social change
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“I realize now more than ever, that in fact, I cannot
MAKE transformation happen in anyone except myself and even
that is a daily struggle… So the dilemma remains…
What are the enablers for OTHERS to make their own decisions
to change their daily practice and daily thinking to work
towards peace in themselves, their families, their communities,
their countries and their worlds?” (Nancy, LTT3)
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What issues does this initiative address?
Social change requires individuals, alone and collectively, to
undergo shifts in understanding of what is possible in shaping the
human condition. Education based on a continuous cycle of reflection
and action, grounded in theory and practice, may support deep and
transformative individual learning processes and outcomes, potentially
promoting and facilitating change at a wider, societal level. Related
to this, participation, through a range of successful innovations
and practice, is perceived to have the potential to reduce poverty
and social injustice by strengthening citizen rights and voice,
influencing policy making, enhancing local governance, and improving
the accountability and responsiveness of institutions. But participation
requires learning, and hence changes in behaviour, attitudes and
power relationships by everyone involved. What are the relationships
between education, participation and social change? What needs to
be learned, and how, in order to achieve transformation of individuals
and society? And where and with what means should such learning
be convened?
These are very big questions. They may be addressed through reflection
on experiences and concepts of learning and of teaching, including
an exploration of how different forms of learning are valued, deepened
and enriched. There is a need to debate and conceptualise a meaning
of personal transformation, and to explore and interrogate its relationship
with social change with regard to identities, values, purposes and
world views. In addition, the institutional framework within which
these learning and change processes are taking place requires close,
critical examination.
| “I
think participatory education is about transforming people.
And transformative education is the process in which we, first
of all, challenge power relations in order to create a safe
environment so that different voices can emerge and be heard
– but we cannot stop there. People need to say things,
but they also need to reflect and question themselves in relation
to what they are saying.” (Vanessa, a participant
in the LTT dialogue) |
Why this initiative now?
Excitingly, many practitioners, scholars, teachers and learners
alike are today engaged in a systemic exploration of these issues.
This is being fuelled by increasing global interest by actors engaged
in development in promoting both transformative learning at both
individual and institutional levels, and the institutionalisation
and spread of participation in society. From grassroots projects
to voluntary organisations, and from governments to large funding
agencies, “participation” has been embraced as a way
to build greater voice, accountability and trust into relationships
between people and institutions.
At the same time, realisation has increased that in order to facilitate
processes of personal and social change and transformation effectively
and ethically, there is a growing need for experienced and well-trained
people who are active and open to the meaning, methods and practice
of participation. Many institutions of higher learning around the
world play a key role in developing the capacity of institutions
and individuals to understand and behave in ways that contribute
to wider social change, through processes that may be social, cultural,
economic and political. Our dialogue within this initiative is centred
on an exploration of the roles and relationships of these institutions
and their partners and collaborators as they support and enhance
learning that contributes to processes and outcomes of personal
and social change and transformation. We recognise also that many
other forms of education and structured learning experiences contribute
to the achievement of this wider aim.
Institutions of higher
learning include universities, schools and colleges offering
formal graduate and post-graduate programmes, as well as “non-formal”,
governmental or sectoral institutions offering specialised
training programmes for experienced professionals. |
The initiative - an international dialogue
This initiative began as a dialogue on Learning and Teaching Participation
(LTP) in institutions of higher learning, in April 2002. Hosted
by the Participation Group of the Institute of Development Studies
(IDS) at the University of Sussex, UK, the original purpose of the
dialogue was, through the sharing of experiences, to enable institutions
of higher learning to develop and deliver more effective education
programs and to contribute to a wider transformation of individuals,
institutions and society. The dialogue has gathered steadily in
momentum, depth and breadth. From the experimental contributions
of the participants who joined the initial e-forum, through eight
subsequent e-fora and an International Workshop (April 2003), the
initiative has become a truly globe-spanning network of people involved
in learning and teaching for transformation, both through theory
and in practice. This development and growth of our collective understanding
through the ongoing dialogue is acknowledged in the new name for
the initiative, “Learning and Teaching for Transformation”.
This webspace
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 “It
seems to me that the web space that's been created so far
is a tribute of sorts to both the conversation and the possibilities
of reflecting on a conversation. It is as if you (and others)
created a beautiful quilt by gathering up all of the bits
of words, thoughts and inspirations and placed them into revealing
patterns. Thank you.” (Candee)
Please request permission
to reproduce the picture: 'A Community of Light' (Candee Basford) |
The LTT webspace is a venue for sharing insightful ideas and reflections
emerging from a two-year dialogue which has included e-fora, workshops
and exchange of experiences and resources. The webspace aims to
support the initiative in bridging the global with the local, allowing
the possibility for scaling up of local knowledge, needs and priorities
that can be incorporated into international agendas, whilst ensuring
that the learning promoted is relevant and congruent with the reality
of life in the wider community.
The launch of the webspace also coincides with a shift in the overall
LTT initiative towards collectively developing a platform for action
learning and action research based on the themes and voices that
were raised in the previous dialogue. IDS will be convening an international
workshop in April 2005 specifically to bring together global actors
to design this agenda together.
These webpages within the participation.net
web site has been developed as a direct result of the intensive
and constructive engagement by many individuals in the dialogue,
and seeks to provide a space for further experience sharing, debate,
discussion and a launching of initiatives which support learning
and teaching for transformation [
LTT
Process]. We aim to explore further the relationships
between education, participation and social change by:
- disseminating experiences and stories related to learning and
teaching for transformation
- strengthening the network of professionals and practitioners
engaging in related activities
- encouraging regional/national dialogues and exchanges
- compiling innovations, materials and approaches
- supporting the scaling up of processes, methods and strategies
- developing a strong, proactive and responsive research agenda
through collaboration and partnership
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