Community Conversation on Learning advances to the next step

Facilitator Stephen Hurley

Toni Lucas

Approximately 75 people attended 'A Community Conversation on Learning' held at the Pincher Creek Community Hall on Tuesday, November 25, facilitated by writer and educator Stephen Hurley. It was a continuation of the discussion on education held last June. At the June discussion the people at each table tackled several questions including: 'For a successful future, what do you believe is essential our children and youth learn by the time they complete their high school experience?' The answers were arranged on a board and grouped into similar answers, then categorized. A few of the emerging categories included: Community Focus, Relationships, Social Skills, Learning Styles, Citizenship, Critical Thinking, Applied Skills, Competencies, Real-World Skills, Academics, Self Awareness, Leadership, Wellness, and Ethics. These categories were identified locally in June as necessary skills and abilities for a high school graduate and learning centres going into the future.

Related story:  Education conversation held in Pincher Creek

The November 25 event began the next phase of the initiative in Pincher Creek. "We are here to continue a Community Conversation on Learning that began back in June, based on some of the ideas that came out the inspiring education document from the Alberta Ministry of Education," explained session facilitator, writer, and educator Stephen Hurley.  "That really encouraged communities to begin to look for ways to engage the community in learning beyond school.  I have been doing some work with the Canadian Education Association over the past number of years across Canada on change in education." He said was impressed by the work that has already been done in the area, explaining he has worked coast to coast on learning initiatives, and this is the first community that he is aware of to take the next step. "Tonight we are getting to a stage where a lot of groups don't get - past the talk and into the action. Tonight is focused on 'If these are our ideas, what are some of the prototype initiatives that we can put into place now?' and design a future for Pincher Creek that is unique and resonates with the community."

Hurley encouraged everyone in the room to take a new perspective for the evening.  "We need to become foreigners, to become strangers," he said,  explaining that that this distance would "allow everyone to see everything in a new light."

Noah Taylor capturing some of the event

Each table became a group facing assignments throughout the evening. For one of those assignments each person was asked to write down a personal and meaningful learning experience that was then shared with the group. For those that struggled to find their own story of learning, Hurley reminded everyone that "Learning happens everyday." Some stories were shared with the room at large. He inquired and found out that many had to struggle to find their story. Then the stories were examined and commonalities were identified. Some of the items examined within those stories were the individuals, relationships, context, and content of the stories. Each was examined for what made it a powerful and memorable learning experience. "It's really strange that most of my own work over the last few years has been tackling the problems with engagement in schools: engagement of students, engagement of teachers, engagement of a community. If these personal learning experiences are so engaging, why are we talking about disengagement in the context of a traditional school?" asked Hurley.

Theo Gee videotaping from above

Hurley brought forward the metaphorical idea of a constellation. "A constellation is an identifiable or recognizable pattern among stars, as opposed to the stars themselves. Part of what we are getting people to do tonight is to see new patterns. The school tends to be the center of learning in many peoples minds, and we want to change that, build on that. When we bring some sort of meaning, or order, or identification to the pattern, then that becomes a constellation. I would like us to start looking outside of the school into the community for Pincher Creek and area and ask ourselves what other connections can be made? What other constellations can we make or imagine? When it comes to learning opportunities in this community, what are the resources can you identify, those resources for learning that exist?" He suggested a few types of these resources could be human, physical, or monetary. "What resources are out that that you recognize?"

Jeremy Bramer, Karen Tamminga-Paton and Emma Fitzgerald working on mural

Next, each table was invited to do some design thinking and take one prototype idea based on the resources that table had identified as a model for sustainable community learning. Throughout the various exercises and discussions happening in the main body of the room, there was also action that occasionally caught the attention of everyone. On one wall, artists Karen Tamminga-Paton, Jeremy Bramer, and Emma Fitzgerald started the evening with a wide swath of blank, papered wall that they used to make a collaborative mural while the session progressed. Photographers and videographers worked to capture the essence of the whole session.

"Graphic facilitation, and graphic recording, based on the idea that a large majority of people apprehend, learn and retain things visually," explained Hurley. "If you can stand in front of a group of people as a facilitator and do this sort of thing and connect peoples ideas in a way that is visual it can be very helpful." The mural unfolded into recognizable images, and as the conversation continued, the images were added to, an sometimes metamorphosized incorporating some of the items being discussed.

Livingstone Range School Division Off Campus Coordinator John Taylor has been part of this initiative since the inception. He commented that the mural was graphically symbolic. "It was to add another dimension to what we were talking about."

Taylor is trying answer a few questions related to our area with these discussions. "How do we leverage the strengths and resources in our community to ensure to create lifelong learning opportunities for all citizens in Pincher Creek? How do we work together to open up opportunities for everybody in the community? It's about community development, and preparing our young people for their future." Taylor explained that the whole initiative is taken in steps, with a new working group formed as the last step is completed. The data that was created at this meeting will be sorted and made into a report that will go to the newly formed working group. They will be meeting in 2015 to look at this information, and to decide of further direction and actions. "They will take it to the next stage, and then the same thing will happen. That way people can put their energy into it because they know it's for a short period of time, and they have an interest they keep it alive, but it keeps regenerating itself."

The Community Hall presentation

Taylor said that some of the ideas that came forward in this session included a number of opportunities for learning in our area: renewable power sites, waterway stewardship, learning tourism and food services, business internships, and information sessions with local businesses to name a few. "We need the community to be able to do those things."

Emma Fitzgerald, Karen Tamminga-Paton, and Jeremy Bramer, early in the evening

"Next is how can we move forward with this," explained Taylor.  "Who is going to champion these ideas, and get them going. Some of them we can get going right away because they are not that complicated, and others require more collaboration between groups with different mandates, and some may never happen. It's prototyping, experimenting, and scaling it up. We will see what happens."