Maria Elizabeth Gastal FassaAnaclaudia Gastal FassaNeice Müller Xavier Faria

The importance of understanding the learning process when trying to improve public engagement with health research

5a CRE

Outubro,2008

Human being wonders, thinks, and learns

It is a natural part of being human to look at the world around us and wonder to build questions

It is a natural part of being human try to make sense of all we see, hear, notice to search for answers

It is a natural part of being human to learn to harvest data, to compare, to classify, to conclude

Life is learning, we only survive if we learn if we research

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Learning is essential to survive

to make sense of the environment to be able to deal with it

for the own sake of the mind functioning

Stimuli are the mind’s nutrition. If a human being does not have this nutrition he/she perishes (as the child in hospitalism)

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Sometimes learning does not occur

This natural feature of the human being, the impulse for learning, is sometimes distorted

when it is overruled

there is no space

for the own sake of the mind functioning

to make questions

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Sometimes learning does not occur

This natural feature of the human being, the impulse for learning, is sometimes distorted

when the information is transmitted, is imposed

there is no space

to make sense of the environment

to search for answers myself

The human being does not learn does not harvest data, compare, nor classify, does not conclude

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Learning is a construction

learning requires

effort / willingness it is not a neutral act

a question that awakes the natural sense of wonder, the natural impulse to make sense

a question with which for some reason I identify myself

Learning requires motivation / engagement

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Learning / Engagement

Learning requires engagement without engagement it is only possible to repeat mechanically some algorithms

Engagement is a learning process the engagement arises as part of the knowledge construction

It is like two faces of the same coin

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Teaching / Learning

Traditional education

each one plays own role inside fixed rules fixed and universal curriculum evaluation through tests

stereotyped behaviors teacher teaches what he/she already knows student hear and answer what is expected There is no dialogue, no space for surprise, creation

Teacher pretends to teach and student pretends to learn, there is no real learning

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Teaching / Learning

Participatory education (Paulo Freire / Montessori)

Student builds own knowledge

Teacher organizes environment, stimuli, learning opportunities

Teacher and students are learning partners and lifelong learners

Different power distribution. Different distribution of active roles. Different process’ subject.

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Scientific knowledge communication / traditional culture communication

Scientific knowledge communication think about grand parents’ time

classrooms conference hall

front pulpits low level audience seats one person exposing his/her abstract knowledge

There is not engagement, there is not knowledge building Similar to traditional education Still the most common

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Scientific knowledge communication / traditional culture communication

Traditional culture communication

people sit in a circle at the same level

opportunities for eye contact

personal experience reported through stories

emotion communicated

There is engagement and knowledge building Similar to the new participatory approach for scientific

communication, as the “scientific cafés”

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Teaching / Learning

Human beings are not teachable

Human beings starve for learning

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Amount of available information

It would be impossible for each human being to make the whole path humanity walked in the knowledge evolution, to master all available information

The process of building fundamental concepts, universal values of culture, not having those superimposed, is the basis for understanding any other piece of human knowledge

Using the basis of the fundamental concepts and universal values for critical thinking, it is possible to make any part of this knowledge a personal property/feature through engagement and learning

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What makes people engage and learn?

Person must be subject in the learning/engagement process. Both are processes of subjectivity construction

The process must be self-referenced, people need to have the opportunity to identify themselves with it

Engagement and learning are personal construction, they are effective only from inside, does not work from outside

Engagement and learning imply incorporation, appropriation, “make it mine”

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Transforming information into personal knowledge

One way to transform information in personal knowledge is acting over the information

bringing it to our ground

comparing universal data with our community’s data

comparing stories with the ones we know from people around us

Researching in our community, building opinion and making decisions, choices

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Difference between academic research and engaged learning

Academic research is universal, impersonal, general the number included in the research is anyone no one sees oneself as that specific number

Engaged learning self-referred, particular,

the number is myself, my students, persons with names and faces

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What we are doing

Working with rural teachers

chosen topic: Pesticides

a teachers’ real concern

a teachers’ experiential knowledge

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Methodology

dialogue based on the teachers knowledge about their community and the researcher team knowledge about the universal aspects of the issue research chain

research team representative teachers teachers in the schools students community

every chain’s link will follow all research steps

to build a question to create an instrument to collect data to analyse data to write report

Everyone will be a responsible participant that will have voice to construct a process that is cultural, sociological, political and economical

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Actions resultants from teacher’s research

To divulgate research’s findings and promote better

practices when using pesticides these chain will develop

activities interventions printed materials videos radio programs

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First question

What is the profile of pesticides use in my community?

To become engaged the person needs to identify him/herself with the issue. The “number” is myself, is my student…

The question makes the focus self-referenced

It is important to be aware that from this general question can arise different specific questions that will be the central question of the research of one of the chain’s link.

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We need to be “glocals”.

Contextualize the research to the

community.

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Teacher research

Bridge between the global knowledge and the local context

Focus on question of the community’s specific interest Turns the research from

“general”, not referring to anyone that is next to me to an issue referred to people with faces and names

Teacher researches own reality

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Research word that scares

Research is a state of mind completely aware willing to live entirely the present willing changes, searching solutions instead of “letting

it be” In some sense everybody researches ➠ children

research incessantly Children knows how to approach father or mother

“maybe = no” and “eventually = yes”

Research gives us control over our environment

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Demystifying...

Every teacher has questions searches for solutions tries strategies takes conclusions

researches, even not writing the report …

in the same way as mothers and cookers and everybody who loves their own work do

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Demystifying...

Good teachers Observe the student Analyze his/her needs Adjust the curriculum to meet these needs

Teacher research is a natural extension of the good pedagogical practice. So, we begin where the teachers have ground

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Teacher research

Systematic process to discover essential questions gather data analyze them to answer the questions

personal and real questions

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My questionAnswer makes

difference in my daily life

Teacher Research

In relation to public engagement, aims deeper reflection better comprehension of the reality better comprehension of the students the habit of systemic thinking the habit of writing thoughts and observations to

compare and follow processes to be a learning model to the students, involving students

in research

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Reports on teacher research

Similar to good literature

Rich in anecdotes and personal stories Immediate, first-person tone Metaphors as a way to highlight key findings Stories as critical tools to illuminate deeper theories or

subterranean processes

These are reports that teachers read and information they use in their classrooms!

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Teacher’s interest to be a “bridge”

To be heard To have voice in the decisions that affect their

community To better support their community in the search for life’s

quality

Numbers are the base for the government decisions Quantitative reports are not useful as model, they do

not promote identification

Many times stories can be completed with quantitative tables

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Social interest in having teacher as “bridge”

Human beings “story tellers” learn and pass on culture through stories

Attitudes are modeled only in a “personal” and meaningful context

Teachers are able to integrate research findings important for our communities in personal and meaningful contexts➠ transforming them in stories, making them attractive for public engagement

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Student research

Learning through project = through research excellent outcomes

Students questions naturally personal and in the context can be inserted in the curriculum

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Teacher research/ student research

Search answers through research

Write reports on their process

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Teacher’s research outcomes

engagement of teachers and students on health research community’s use of research findings for bettering people life

best practices when using pesticides empowerment of teachers and students

the generalization of an attached to reality, investigative, critical and systematic approach to other relevant issues in the community

understanding about the potential impact of health research on the improvement of their life

more openness to use other scientific knowledge

Teacher’s research is a powerful tool that will bring teacher to another level of thinking and will be available to these teachers from now on to continue researching

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“Glocal” research leads to changes in attitudes

Reasons why teacher research brings changes the teacher natural leadership

the teacher and research integration in the context

his/her direct relationship with his/her students

The teacher will translate his/her conclusions to the community not only with numbers, but also with the tissue of the life of the observed with stories

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“Glocal” research leads to changes in attitudes

Reasons why student research brings changes the question is personal and contextualized

the adolescents are building attitudes and behaviors and will stand on their discoveries for this building

they are open minded

they have influence over their parents behavior and ideas

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Education / public engagement

education fosters public engagement public engagement fosters education

promoting critically and systemic thinking bringing thinking to a formal level

All children should fulfill their own potential Children engagement with research and children health

awareness, since very little, foster a formal level of thinking Leading to education equity health equity➠

Obviously we would not see the results in short term, but these results would be incredibly worth

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Maria Elizabeth Gastal Fassabebethfassa@terra.com