Session Information
15 SES 02, Case Study
Paper Session
Contribution
Aims of the Research. This research aims to
operationalise the ’learning community’ concept;
develop a model of the learning processes as social activities
discover, describe and monitor the learning processes (formal, non-formal and informal) in ’learning communities’;
understand and highlight the key actors (researchers and higher education institutions) in the emergence of the ’learning community’.
Background. In the LeaRn Project (Learning Regions in Hungary: From Theory to Reality) supported by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (Contract: K-101867) Hungary and some of her neighbouring territories are investigated. The fields of investigation are a) formal learning, b) non-formal learning, c) personal learnijng, and d) community learning activities.(Kozma et al 2012) The present study belongs to pillar D.
Theoretical and Conceptual Frame. The concept and the word ’learning region’ (LR) has first been used by Florida (Florida 1995). Right from that beginning, the concept emerged and formulated as an umbrella for various meanings and thoughts (Jarvis 2007). The LR concept shifted toward the ‘learning city’ and ‘learning community’ concepts in recent debates (Longworth 2006). The ‘learning city’ concept stresses the fact that creativity and innovations concentrate in the city where the population density is high and the communication among the members of the population is highly intensive (Glaeser 1999, Florida 2012). The ‘learning community’ concept, on the other hand, stresses the learning as social activity which is embedded in every human community. It is the key of social change under special socio-economic and cultural conditions (Longworth 2001, Allison et al 2006).
Social Change by Learning. In the course of the LeaRn Project, several towns and villages were studied to discover their learning activities and to understand their social changes. Up until now seven detailed case studies have been developed (Forray, Kozma 2014). As an example, the case of Geresdlak is presented here.
Situated in the Transdanubian region (South -Eastern Hungary, close to the Hungarian-Croatian border) Geresdlak is one of the small communities of the region with historically rooted ethnic migration (Germans). Germans have been deported from Geresdlak after WW2, Romas as well as ethnic Hungarians (from Romania) moved to their places. When Hungary joined the EU, new migration process began to the whole region, mostly from Germany and the Netherlands. Geresdlak became a holiday place for Finns (from Karelia, Eastern Finnland). Nearly 50 families are living today in Geresdlak occasionally (in the summer) or even permanently. Geresdlak became the place of various learning activities that have essentially changed the community life.
non-formal learning activities (how to maintain the summer houses of the Finns, how to use specific tools and devices in the household, celebrating holidays mutually etc.)
informal learning activities (how to behave, how to greet each other on the street, how to ask for job, how to offer work etc)
formal learning activities (Finnish language is taught to Hungarians and Hungarian to the Finns on formal language courses).
Key Actors in the Learning Activities. The following actors and their activities contributed to the social change in Geresdlak.
The higher education institution (University of Pécs nearby) took Geresdlak as a place to excersize the ‘third mission’ of HE. The University offered language courses and senmt teachers and students (PhD) to Geresdlak.
Researchers (mostly ethnographers of the university) collected cultural traditions both in Geresdlak and in Karelia, presented them and thaught them to the participants.
Social workers worked to bridge the gap between the Finns and the Roma people in
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Allison, J, S Gorringe, J Lacey (2006), Building learning communities: Partnerships, social capital and VET performance. Adelaide, National Centre for VET Research. Florida, R (1995), “Toward the learning region.” Futures 27, 5: 527-536 Florida, R (2012), The Rise of the Creative Class (revisited). New York etc: Basic Books Forray, R K, T Kozma (2013) Közösségi tanulás és társadalmi átalakulás (Community learning and social transformation, Hungarian). Iskolakultura 22 (2013), 12: 5-13 Glaeser, E L (1999), “Learning in cities.” Journal of Urban Economics 46, 2: 254-77 Jarvis, P (2007), Globalization, Lifelong Learning and the Learning Society: Sociological Perspectives. Abingdon, New York: Routledge Kozma T (2006), „Change agents in East/Central Europe.” In: Tjeldvoll, A, P T Nagy et al eds (2006), Balkan Higher Education Challenged to Change. Oslo: Centre for Educational Management, pp. 119-34 Kozma, T, K Teperics, Z Tőzsér, G Erdei (2012), “Lifelong learning in a cross-border setting.” In: Pusztai, G, A Hatos eds (2012) Higher Education for Regional Social Cohesion. HERJ Hungarian Educational Research Journal 2012 Special Issue, pp. 163-80. Longworth, N (2001), “Learning communities for a learning century.” In: Aspin D et al eds (2001), International Handbook of Lifelong Learning. Dordrecht: Springer, pp. 591-617 Longworth, N (2006), Learning Cities, Learning Regions, Learning Communities. Lifelong learning and local government. Abingdon, New York: Routledge
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