Critical Practice in Community Learning and Development - Essay Example

CRITICAL PRACTICE IN COMMUNITY LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT By Location Outline I. Introduction- Literacy refers to the ability to read and write. This paper discusses the uses of writing and reading. The content of this paper has three main overlapping aims. Thesis- The main purpose of writing this essay is to show how literacy practices can help improve learning of a group of sixteen young people of mixed gender who do not attend mainstream school due to their behavior and other issues. Points to discuss ways in which the practices reflect the groups objectives and priorities Example of practices which you consider to be of particular interest An understanding of how these practices are passed on between group members II. ways in which the practices reflect the groups objectives and priorities Currently, studies in learning and teaching languages have treated writing, reading, and grammar mastery as different personal skills. This is evident since nowadays language is examined in foreign languages and vernacular differently III. Example of practices which you consider to be of particular interest Film literacy practice Computer literacy practice vernacular literacy practices IV. An understanding of how these practices are passed on between group members Most people currently use advanced technology communication means, linguistic concepts come to change the way in which people use and view language in a “post-typographic” era. This new concept is advancing diversity of language, culture, and types of texts within a multiple communication modalities and within the growing global community. V. Conclusion Community learning and development comprises of all those approaches and occupations concerned with ensuring education and development in the community rather than in local institutions such as colleges, universities, and schools Critical Practice in Community Learning and Development Introduction Literacy refers to the ability to read and write. This paper discusses the purpose of writing and reading. The content of this paper has three main overlapping aims. The first aim is to provide a detail and specific description on why literacy practices are important for enabling community learning and development. Secondly, this paper gives a theoretical understanding by linking literacy practices with how communities make their sense of living through daily practices. The content of this paper draws attention to vernacular literacy practices, which are often devalued, overlooked, and sometimes referred to hidden literacy practices. The main purpose of writing this essay is to show how literacy practices can help improve the learning of a group of sixteen young people of mixed gender who do not attend mainstream school due to their behavior and other issues. Ways in which the practices reflect the group’s objectives and priorities Currently, studies in learning and teaching languages have treated writing, reading, and grammar mastery as different personal skills. This is evident since nowadays language examination is in foreign languages and vernacular differently (Barton & Hamilton 1998, p. 17). In this paper, a more holistic and social view of studying language is approved since people currently vies literacy as the ability to understand textual world in different contexts and forms both in foreign languages and mother tongue(s). Most study materials then interpret literacy as an essential social practice, something the people in a community do with a number of texts to engage in social communities’ meaning making. Literacy practices involve the construction of values, knowledge, attitude, feelings, and beliefs associated with writing and reading of certain texts within a particular context (Barton & Hamilton 1998, p. 23). Literacy practice can be helpful to the group of sixteen young people who do not attend school to develop their way of reading and writing since the world is totally changing. Example of practices, which you consider to be of particular interest Literacy practices realization can take place in particular live events. For instance, in a concrete function where texts are mainly into practice and in occasions where interacting and acting around written texts is highly identified. Events take place in larger literacy domains, contexts, such as work, schools, and community (Braton & Hamilton 1998, p. 27). The relationship between domain and literacy is dialogical. For instance, literacy learned in schools is under control of different institutions and sometimes can be forced, transformed, renewed, and even ignored by the out-of-school practices. Nevertheless, classroom practices, textbooks, curriculum, and exams regulate and help to determine the effective type of literacy practices in the community (Barton & Hamilton 1998, p. 29). Therefore, literacy practices cannot in any way regarded as either objective or ideologically neutral. All text uses have changed due to the social contexts, which signifies that even the most institutionalized and established conceptions of literacy practices can turn back to their social and cultural needs, conventions, and values. This means that the best way is use to employ vernacular literacy practices to educate the group of sixteen youths. This is because this group is less educated and needs a language, which they can understand (Barton & Hamilton 1998, p. 45). An understanding of how these practices pass on between group members Since most people currently use advanced technology communication means, linguistic concepts come to change the way in which people use and view language in a “post-typographic” era. Learners are nowadays beginning to accept the concept that the new changes taking place have fully transformed the entire literacy notion, and become more accurate to discuss about literacy practices (Tett 2006, p. 22). This new concept is advancing diversity of language, culture, and types of texts within a multiple communication modalities and within the growing global community. Therefore, this new form of communication involves despite being able to interpret and produce texts, one can also have a critical understanding of different texts, cultural and social contexts, and discourse conventions. A person who can understand different languages can also be active actors in varying chains of interactions despite only receiving information on, and being interacted (Tett 2006, p. 26). There is, therefore, a need for Non Governmental Organization (NGO’s) to find appropriate means of ensuring that there is a critical practice in community learning and development. The responses of group members towards these particular practices Through participating in different forms of literate practices, people understand how to manifest their membership in community groups, their own identities, and their authorship and ownership of texts. Therefore, literacy practices in aid of developing community learning are essential since they are situated cultural and social acts of identification (Barton & Hamilton 1998, p. 46). Consequently, identities can seem to be changeable, contextual, dynamic-multiple, and negotiable. Learning institutions such as schools have the responsibility to analyze social identities. For those who do not attend schools, NGOs have the responsibility to organize for their special learning sessions. Education institutions need to ensure that these school dropouts have essential guidance to understand the need of joining a school. This is because most of today’s communities cease to develop due to lack of learning people who can make sound views during community development projects (Barton & Hamilton 1998, p. 56). For instance, using vernacular literate practice as one the most appropriate types of practice, the group will stand a chance of understanding more about the need of changing its behavior and going back to school. In order for these categories to function well in a community, one must understand the type of literacy practice that is most appropriate and it must be the one, the community values most. One must also understand how to portray competencies to increase recognition and affirmation (Tett 2006, p. 26). Another approach adopted in this essay, which reflects the group’s objective and priorities is language pedagogy. This approach incorporates socio-cultural and socio-constructivist learning theories emphasizing individual and social independence processes in the knowledge co-construction (Tett 2006, p. 69). In this type of literal practice, learning takes place in both formal and informal ways. The concept behind multimodal pedagogy is that it perceives learning as a process, which is non-linear where the individuals and groups learning requirements are tackled in a more effective manner, working modes, learning tools, and use of varying media built around the whole learning process (Barton & Hamilton 1998, p. 67). The main aim of using the multimodal pedagogy approach is to promote the group‘s self-directedness through self-assessment and personal goal setting. Using this approach will make the group realize their individual goals and change their behavior and living habits. Example of literal practices that are appropriate for the community group If somebody starts to think about literary practices, there is some vital thing concerning the nature of writing and reading, which become obvious. For example, in most literal practices people normally use written texts integrated in a way that is as part of various semiotic systems (Booth & Jennifer 2007, p. 46). These semiotic approaches include the use of mathematical systems, maps, musical notations, and non-textual images. For instance, the cookery literacy and recipes for the women come from magazines, Televisions, and oral information from relatives and friends. After identifying a community group, one can examine the best way, which will be more effective for the group (Booth & Jennifer 2007, p. 46). The selection of the effective literacy practices depends on the location of the community in relation to current technologies and other types of mass media. This is useful especially for this period when technology has highly advanced. By using such literacy practices, the community group will be able to understand a bit of the current technologies. Looking at various literacy practices, it is clear that literacy practices are not always the same in all contexts. This means that there are different types of literacy practices (Barton & Hamilton 1998, p. 69). The concept of varying types of literacy practices has various senses. For instance, literacy practices, which involves the use of dissimilar symbolic or media systems such as computer or film cam seem to be different literacy practices (computer literacy and film literacy). Another common sense is that, different languages and cultural practices in our communities also refer to literacy. The most appropriate type of literacy practice is the one, which supports the language and cultural beliefs of the community. This will be more easily understandable by the group. This portrays that, with any given community, there different types of literacy, which relates to different life domains (Tett 2006, p. 25). One can categorize contemporary life in different life domains such as home, school, and workplace. The best domain for gathering this community group is home. According to many authors, home is the primary domain for every member in the society (Barton & Hamilton 1998, p. 112). There are many implications about how people in a certain community use literacy to come up with a sense of the entire world. In all communities and worldly areas, individuals are highly engaged in a literate world. This seems to be true especially when people meet challenges in some social institutions such as law, schools, medicine, and government bureaucracy. To interact with these institutions, people need to use literate to be successful. This can be highly challenging for people such as the group chosen for this paper since they are illiterate. In making a sense of the group’s life and changing, the way the group members are living it is good to look at how books and records are often essential. Frequently, many people engage themselves with the new world of using textbooks and records to ensure changes in their lives. Providing the group members with learning materials such as books will highly help them change from the world of illiteracy in a completely new world of literacy. Conclusion In conclusion, community learning and development comprises of all those approaches and occupations concerned with ensuring education and development in the community rather than in local institutions such as colleges, universities, and schools. This later refers to formal education, although sometimes community education refers to informal education. It is effective for NGOs to ensure the illiterate community members receive required education to influence development in our communities (Barton & Hamilton 1998, p. 114). Literacy practices realization can take place in particular live events. For instance, in a concrete function where texts are mainly into practice and in occasions where interacting and acting around written texts is highly identified. Through application of the appropriate type of literacy practice, this group of sixteen young people will extremely improve their literacy level, hence resulting in community development. Currently, studies in learning and teaching languages have treated writing, reading, and grammar mastery as different personal skills. This is evident since nowadays language examination is sin foreign languages and vernacular differently. NGOs, in order to ensure steady community learning and development, they establish community learning centers to educate those who do not attend mainstream schools or the aged who have never attended school in their entire life (Barton & Hamilton 1998, p. 117). Community development educators have the responsibility to select the most appropriate type of literacy practices to ensure that the groups benefit from the practices. Bibliography Tett, Lyn. Adult Literacy, Numeracy and Language: Policy, Practice and Research. Maidenhead [u.a.: Open Univ. Press, 2006. Print. Booth, David W, and Jennifer Rowsell. The Literacy Principal: Leading, Supporting, and Assessing Reading and Writing Initiatives. Markham, Ont: Pembroke Publishers, 2007. Print. Barton, David, and Hamilton Mary. Local Literacies: Reading and Writing in One Community. San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Bass, 1998.Print. Read More