Mapping strategy.

In my last post here, I was reflecting on the place of story in maps.

Our maps unfold as desire moves us...

The routes taken by others may be a help, an inspiration or an obstacle to our freedom.

I have been browsing Daniel Bassill's Tutor Mentor Site while reflecting on strategy.

I think of strategy as a means to enable adaptive action rather than a template which limits action.

There has been a clear strategy to maximise the possibility for spontaneous connection/play/dialogue.

There is an underlying desire to change relationships to nurture learner leadership.

Thanks to Terry Elliott and his leadership in annotation, I have been picking up on aspects of Daniel Bassill's site.

https://via.hypothes.is/http://www.tutormentorconnection.org/

I am just getting used to Hypothes.is having played with Diigo but am yet to really master it.

I note down annotations from Daniel's site here:

Enabling learner voice

https://hypothes.is/a/AVK79YdgvTW_3w8Lyx5U

I immediately see a connection to what I was doing earlier.

I was thinking of how I have been using learner/teacher/mentor narrative to modify the narrative space in which we work.

I note that this blog is my own narrative space. I suspect that as a narrative space it is also my map.

I think back to Narrative Essence...

It is perhaps atypical but enables me the freedom necessary to be really me.

I take a quick look some of the different resources that I have assembled over a period of five years.

• CLAVIER History

I take a look at how CLAVIER is emerging and try to map the movement this year.

There is a clear movement away from trying to establish a horizontal multiplicity of institutional partners to a core group of partners and then making deeper connections with existing online or offline communities.

• Language Learning Stories

I note that students' narratives are evolving. 

The introduction of blogging enables such stories to be more easily shared.

These articles are typical:

• My English Learning

• How I learnt English

They are more aware of the inequity of access to language learning communities and their motivation to learn is increased or at least their realisation that the classroom system has failed them means that they are less hard on themselves.

The education system not only fails them in languages, lack access to professional networks also limits their future life choices.

I realise aloud here, (up to now I was focussed on language learning) this is a much deeper problem. 

I think back to Daniel Bassill's tutor mentor work...

I resolve to widen my communication...

I resolve to widen mentor development.

I resolve to organise more meetings to work on this intra-institution at first.

• Mentor Stories #clavstories

Mentor stories such as these have had an effect on changing narrative space of students and teachers.

A student remarks on how a mentor has enabled him to widen his horizons as to future employment.

• The Diversity of Job Opportunities in STAPS

The same student talks of learning of the importance of networking thanks to another mentor.

• The Importance of Networks

Networks have been key to my own learning and efforts to build up an effective network of ex-students has proven again and again time well spent.  The institution unlike elite higher education institutions has no effective alumuni association. Students pass through, pass exams, and pass out of view. 

I note with pleasure a conversation with a current student who was able to use my contacts to help him quickly develop an event.

Mapping stories:  

https://hypothes.is/a/AVK8AhAXvTW_3w8Lyx55

The importance of connecting and visualising space and connecting story is remarkably present in Daniel Bassill's site.

I have been obsessed with learning space and its effect on learning. I have collected images of how our learning space has changed from an isolated classroom. A few years ago the learners were anonymous students.

With traditional interaction orders.

To a fluidly connected learning hub.

Where individual learners are reflecting and sharing their reflection on educational roles.

Modifying learning spaces to include diverse personal/professional spaces and reimagining existing learning spaces.

• Images of Learning spaces 

And contributing to local communities while learning English and developing their literacies.

Keeping images of learning spaces has enabled active participation in a wider institutional projects.

• Project for new Learning Space

Communicating more widely has enabled participation in projects to develop local communities.

• Spaces, places and people

Identifying Leaders/Partners

Thanks to student recommendation I have been put in contact with a teacher who is enabling learners to participate in meaningful associative work as part of their course. I have arranged a futher meeting. I am building up cross generational mentoring between year groups and between ex-students and current students and between other diverse mentors.

If I consider meetings over the past couple of weeks:

• Establishing Connection between Finnish educators and local secondary school
• Meeting with passionate young educator in the UK with motivated trainee teacher in France to participate in conference via hangout
• Meeting with research colleagues in France, UK and Poland
• Meeting with Polish employees of local multi-national and making connection with Polish colleagues
• Communicating with Polish preservice teachers mentoring and researching local learners
• Meeting at student-organised salon with key teachers

Redefining communication channels

I need to redefine boundaries of online spaces that I have set up.

Personal Web-Site: Tâches de Sens

CLAVIER Web-Site: clavedu.org

I need to spend a good deal of time to organise and put online the resources - like some of those here.

I need to work on and share my adaptive map of changing educational space.

Such a space is open to local and international communities and builds on narrative and learning which is generated not by a group of 'experts' but by wider community/ies.

This is education for the benefit of wider communities and not for a select number of lobbies who seek to generalise their dominant narrative and profit from the dependence of globally interchangeable, standardised, operatives.

PISA needs to be challenged...

I find myself quoting Abraham Lincoln:

"The best way to predict your future is to create it."