Page 51 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Cooperation Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 51
how does community learning work and how does it help reduce esl?
self-help, leadership development) and community organisations that pro-
vide community-based education (localisation, integrated delivery of ser-
vices, maximum use of resources, inclusiveness, responsiveness, and lifelong
learning principles). The general purpose of community learning is to devel-
op a community as a whole by acknowledging and supporting its members
and their capacities as a priority. Participants of community learning are
actively engaged in the process and seen as equal and the most important
agents in developing the educational process based on educational equali-
ty and mutual, informal educator-student relationships (Horyna & Decker,
1991; Rubenson, 2011; Scottish Executive, 2004). Also of great importance
is collaboration between community organisations, families, schools and
students. Different research results (e.g. Epstein, 2001; Epstein et al., 2002;
Blank, Berg, & Melaville, 2006; Shumow, 2009) show that in case of such
collaboration schools and teachers are able to provide ESL-prevention-based
programmes that acknowledge students’ culture, families, beliefs and expec-
tations, connect the individual’s interests and community resources with
school courses, and provide an environment where all students feel accept-
ed, related, competent and autonomous in the learning process.
Besides ESL-prevention- and intervention-based programmes, com-
munity learning plays an important role in ESL compensation activities in
which communities, different local agents, schools and teachers collaborate
in programmes for students who have already left the school system early.
Although the focus of the TITA project is mainly ESL prevention and inter-
vention strategies, those can also be improved by understanding the com-
munity-based compensation programmes. That is why this article also ad-
dresses community learning as a form of ESL compensation activities.
In the paper, we discuss the basic principles of the community learn-
ing concept and, by reviewing good practices of ESL prevention and com-
pensation community-based programmes, present the crossing points
where community learning can make a difference – complement the regu-
lar school process and apply its advantages to reducing ESL. The described
characteristics and principles of community learning do not imply that
these are simply not present in formal school settings.
Methodology
In the process of reviewing the literature in field of community learning,
we first conducted a literature search of the scientific EBSCOhost online
research databases (Academic Search Complete, ERIC, PsycARTICLES,
51
self-help, leadership development) and community organisations that pro-
vide community-based education (localisation, integrated delivery of ser-
vices, maximum use of resources, inclusiveness, responsiveness, and lifelong
learning principles). The general purpose of community learning is to devel-
op a community as a whole by acknowledging and supporting its members
and their capacities as a priority. Participants of community learning are
actively engaged in the process and seen as equal and the most important
agents in developing the educational process based on educational equali-
ty and mutual, informal educator-student relationships (Horyna & Decker,
1991; Rubenson, 2011; Scottish Executive, 2004). Also of great importance
is collaboration between community organisations, families, schools and
students. Different research results (e.g. Epstein, 2001; Epstein et al., 2002;
Blank, Berg, & Melaville, 2006; Shumow, 2009) show that in case of such
collaboration schools and teachers are able to provide ESL-prevention-based
programmes that acknowledge students’ culture, families, beliefs and expec-
tations, connect the individual’s interests and community resources with
school courses, and provide an environment where all students feel accept-
ed, related, competent and autonomous in the learning process.
Besides ESL-prevention- and intervention-based programmes, com-
munity learning plays an important role in ESL compensation activities in
which communities, different local agents, schools and teachers collaborate
in programmes for students who have already left the school system early.
Although the focus of the TITA project is mainly ESL prevention and inter-
vention strategies, those can also be improved by understanding the com-
munity-based compensation programmes. That is why this article also ad-
dresses community learning as a form of ESL compensation activities.
In the paper, we discuss the basic principles of the community learn-
ing concept and, by reviewing good practices of ESL prevention and com-
pensation community-based programmes, present the crossing points
where community learning can make a difference – complement the regu-
lar school process and apply its advantages to reducing ESL. The described
characteristics and principles of community learning do not imply that
these are simply not present in formal school settings.
Methodology
In the process of reviewing the literature in field of community learning,
we first conducted a literature search of the scientific EBSCOhost online
research databases (Academic Search Complete, ERIC, PsycARTICLES,
51
