Journeys into transformation? Study visits as sites for intercultural learning BERA annual conference September 2012 Dr Fran Martin & Dr Helen Griffiths University of Exeter 0

Research Questions “What impact do two North-South study visits have on teachers’ understanding of development issues and how does this inform their understanding of, and practice in, global partnerships?” 1.How have two Global Partnerships developed and what context do they provide for educational study visits? 2.What do teachers from both North and South learn about development and global issues from their involvement in study visits? Equal emphasis on learning of both northern and southern teachers 3.What are the key factors that prompt any changes in knowledges and beliefs? 4.How does this learning inform their practice over time? 1

MethodologyMethodology UK principal investigator and research fellow Indian research consultant Gambian research consultant Intercultural Mutual Learning Increasing perspectives 2

Transformative Learning Theory Jack Mezirow (1985) Learning in adult contexts Psycho-social Form and process 3

‘Life-changing experiences’ 4

Transformative learning processes Learning Disorienting dilemmas Examine assumptions Acquire new knowledge Seek additional perspectives 5

Understandings of development the developed world needs to stop holding itself out as a model for emerging nations to emulate.. (Melissa, Phase 2 GSVC, UK) I was thinking that their level of development is quite different from ours [...] it was through that interaction I’ve realised that definitely we are equally good like, if not better. (Ebrima, NEA ESDSC, The Gambia) The Western world assumes its developed and that developing countries are developing to become more like Western countries. (Maxine, Phase 2 ISSV, UK) I was astounded at the degree of poverty in the tribes... I just couldn’t believe that people were living like this in this day and age. (Rachel, Phase 2 ISSV, UK)

Making a difference Participants rethinking their views on charitable giving & how it could perpetuate a donor culture: “particularly important in schools, where what we model is so important and where we do not want to offer over simplified solutions which might block a real understanding of the issues” (group notes, GSVC follow-up session) Colonial patterns of relating to others ingrained in both the North and the South (e.g. participants being asked for money, sweets, favours) It made me want to help smaller charities in countries less well off than our own. (Phase 3 ISSV, UK) Realising I cannot make such a difference just because I have more money than people we met and actually they taught me more than I could offer them. (Phase 3,ISSV, UK) 7

Alternative pedagogies 8 Like S I think is a really inspirational guy. I thrive with having mentors or role models around that I can aspire to be like [...] the relationships he built with people, the kind of networking that he could do and the capacity building that he built in us [...] I think that they changed the way I teach. (Jackie, Phase 3 ISSV, UK) I gained that experience of you know listening to people’s ideas and it made me avoid imposing on my children [...]all these ideas I was able to gain from the partnership because of the workshops that we convened. During these workshops how we interact you know, how we exchange ideas and how we try to make everything become useful to schools and how we try to avoid saying, ideas to be nonsense and things like that. We feel during our interactions that whatever comes up has some use and has some importance (Gerald, NEA ESDSC, The Gambia)

Lasting nature of transformations It was life changing and I would love to get the opportunity to do something similar again. (Phase 3, ISSV, UK) A deep and long lasting impact that will bubble away under the surface for a while and occasionally come to the surface. (Phase 3, GSVC, UK) the longer it’s been since, I think more the impacts have become clearer to me about...it’s more to do with changes in the way I see things and the way I approach things and my view. But it is over a very long period of time. Certain things come back to you, don’t they, over a period of time. (Ranjini, Phase 3, GSVC, UK) 9

Case study 1: Tide-NEA Ranjini (phase 3) Transformative change in pedagogy and career choices. I often think back to the processes that we used and the discussions we had, and just kind of feel much more comfortable working in that way. (focus group) I know that doing the Gambia trip confirmed for me that international development was a growing interest [... ]and led to me doing VSO and led to working in a certain sector. (focus group) Nigel (phase 2) Frozen narrative: resistance to having worldview changed. It’s just reinforcing what I’ve already seen or what I’ve already taught about. (study visit interview) Signs of neo-colonialism in actions: Purchasing a bag of rice as a gift to ‘unofficial’ Gambian guides. It must be emphasized that hand – outs or relief assistance often increase unrealistic expectations from recipients […] What The Gambia really needs today is to encourage its young generation to look inwards for self- development (Gambian research consultant, reflective comments) 10

Case study 2: NEA-Tide Gerald (phase 2 & 3) Transformation of self-in-relation to other Increase in confidence: result of participating in partnership over a number of years & visiting the UK to attend the interim conference Well, it was overwhelming I would say, but it was interesting at the same time, because the interaction I had was...I just felt at that moment that we were equals. (follow up focus group) Musa (phase 2) Frozen narrative: Stuck in colonial type relationship (‘decolinisation of the mind’ not happened) New to the partnership On Monday and Tuesday I was in a group with Musa, of OJ School. On Tuesday when we were walking to his school for our first visit of the day, he asked me if I could help him get onto a course in the UK. Fran, reflections on GSVC Feb 2010) 11

Case study 3: CCCU-GCH Maxine (phase 2) Evidence of deep transformation: relating to others (UK & the South) The thing that I feel has really happened to me is that I don’t have a sense of people being ‘over there’ anymore [...] I don’t have that sense of othering that I had before Moving from binary views of us/them, rich/poor to more relational views of how we relate to others. Jackie (Phase 3) Elements of transformation : but not in the area of school linking and fundraising. I just think that it’s an opportunity that you’d never get and for me it changed everything, it changed loads of stuff. It changed what I wanted to do...the kind of more practical approaches I took to things (focus group) What is the alternative? There is no alternative is there, there’ll always be a place for charity, because [India’s] never going to catch up quick enough... It will always be developing in relation to developed economies. (focus group)

Case study 3: GCH-CCCU Sanjeev (Phase 2 & 3) Evidence of transformation: understandings of development and relationship between UK & India Experience of young girl begging during visit to Exeter: questioned what it means to be a ‘developed’ country and why CCCU students visit India and donate money. I didn’t expect before I come to England, beggars and homeless people[...] in my dreams I didn’t expect in England. It was affected me a lot. English people are giving a lot of money for the home see here, for India, why? (follow up focus group) Annabel (Phase 2 & 3) Evidence of change: more about self than self in relation to Confidence: visiting the UK (on return got a new job) Seeing self and home differently- relating to daughter & pupils differently after visiting the UK (classrooms more noisy ‘but I know they’re learning’) 13

Positioning in intercultural conversations Southern worldviews Western worldviews 3 rd Space What is required to enter this space? Role – tourist, educator; host of tourist, educator? Trying on new aspects of self / identity – clothes, eating with right hand … fitting in? … Loss of ‘self’? 14

Adding to theory & practice 15