

How does community learning work and how does it help reduce ESL?
Wednesday 11 February 2015, by
With community learning, the entire school community engages in a cohesive and collaborative action with external agents (e.g. sport, cultural, industrial organisations). It promotes informal educator-student relations and teaching methods and thus encourages own action and participation in the learning process of (potential) ESL student. It accounts for students’ needs and interests.
The main purpose of this paper is to define the core principles and aims of community learning and identify ways in which community learning can help combat ESL. In the context of ESL, community learning effects are most evident in community-school ESL prevention and intervention programmes and community compensation programmes. In order to be most efficient, community learning is an integral process that comprises collaboration between different community organisations, local policy-makers, families, schools, teachers and students. It is very important that the process is carried out by qualified educators since teaching methods and approaches are both formal and informal. The community learning approach is based on individualisation (participants’ cognitive, emotional and behavioural characteristics are accounted for) and experiential learning (community life is included as a rich source of knowledge, there is congruency between what is being taught and experienced) and is meant to take place in a hospitable and supportive environment. There is also a commitment to use culturally relevant material. Thus it takes place in various community organisations and its aim is an anti-discriminatory, culture-specific and equal educational and learning setting where individuals develop through their own action and participation. The learning process is supported by a mutual educator-student informally-oriented relationship in which the student’s interests, capacities and needs for physical safety, socio-emotional support, achievement, competence, relatedness and autonomy are accounted for. As such, the community learning approach can have a great positive impact on ESL in the sense of improving students’ learning motivation, achievement, sense of belonging, and can support their emotional, social and psychological well-being.
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