Community Learning Development Resource 401 – 10

EMPOWERING ADULT LEARNERS

THROUGH PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

 

SUMMARY

Personal development learning journeys  which build individual capacity and enable people to move from feelings of powerlessness towards more powerful mindsets are identified. This resource (E301-10) was generated from a practical workshop session of community learning workers.

 

POWERLESSNESS TO EMPOWERMENT – what are the learning journeys?

• Thinking about power as part of one’s capacity for living
• Examples about the changes in individuals, which are about how empowered they feel and how capable they might be
• Thinking about power within individual and community capacity building
• Thinking about how learning might empower an individual and what changes might be observed and understood by the person and the worker

 

The tabulation below is a collection of ideas about learning journeys (suggested by workers) during which individuals are changed by their learning experience in respect of how powerful they feel, and how any changes in power can be observed and understood.

This can also be used with individuals as an informal assessment framework for checking out with them:

• how powerful they feel and in what ways and in what situations?
• what might be changing in them and how?
• how they might be benefiting?
• how they feel about any changes?
• what further changes are possible?

Some learning journeys, which empower people and enable them to move from ‘Can’t Do’ to a ‘Can Do’ ways of feeling and thinking.

PROMPT FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

Might learning need to be put in place to develop and maintain a universal value set in relation to learning for empowerment?