The Communities of Practice discussion group offered ALKC and CCL three recommendations:
- Provide communities of practice with bilingual tools and means
that would enable them to do things for themselves.
The discussion group suggested that the tools could be both virtual
(such as databases), and face to face (such as conferences, forums, and
other types of meetings). One suggestion was to focus next year’s
symposium on the development of communities of practice. Brokering
connections, facilitating awareness, and providing learning opportunities
are all actions that could strengthen relationships between researchers
and practitioners, among practitioners, and between communities of
practice.
The state of the field session on e-learning provided an excellent
example of the benefits of bringing researchers and practitioners
together. At that session, participants discussed the challenge of
dispelling the myth that there is no need for a theoretical foundation
specific for e-learning. The Research-in-Practice movement in the area
of Literacy is a promising recent phenomenon. Further attention should
be given to considering what is missing from the research and discussing
contradictory research findings.
- Develop ways to ensure that CCL’s actions and priorities reflect
the realities of learning for communities, and work from a social,
cultural, and community-based perspective (rather than a
corporate or government perspective).
The discussion group felt that a focus should be placed on action
research that investigates problems that are meaningful to communities.
Other recommendations in this report provide guidance on ways to
strengthen collaboration and build common agendas among
communities and institutions.
- Ensure that ALKC more effectively reflects the francophone reality
through translation, language, and in structural ways.
The discussion group noted that Quebec and Francophone dimensions
were generally not covered adequately in the State of the Field Reviews.
This was recognized as a missed opportunity to learn more about their
unique approaches and significant advances. While all the State of the
Field reports identified gaps in information, the reports on Culture, E-Learning,
Literacy, and Social Movements specifically mentioned the
need for more in-depth study of the experiences in Quebec and other
francophone communities.
It was also recommended that structural changes be made to achieve
more effective representation of francophone communities in the
membership on the steering and advisory committees of the knowledge
centres, and within the ALKC consortium.
DIVERSITY OF ADULT LEARNING Discussion
The discussion group noted that the State of the Field reports effectively
demonstrates the diversity within the field of adult learning. The discussion
group itself showed diversity. This became apparent as the group identified
themselves, their colleagues and students, and their learning areas. There were
representatives from all sectors, including community-based groups,
government, business, academic communities, health, aboriginal groups, policy-
makers, and students. Any adult learning initiative needs to recognize and
incorporate this diversity.
The Diversity of Adult Learning discussion group offered ALKC and CCL
three recommendations: