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Telling Tales: Metanarratives, Telling Tales: Metanarratives, Counternarratives and Other Counternarratives and Other Stories in Lifelong Learning Stories in Lifelong Learning

Successes and FuturesSuccesses and Futures

P. A. DanaherP. A. DanaherCoCo--Editor, Lifelong Learning Conference ProceedingsEditor, Lifelong Learning Conference Proceedings

Faculty of Education and Centre for Research in Faculty of Education and Centre for Research in Transformative Pedagogies, University of Southern Transformative Pedagogies, University of Southern

Queensland, AustraliaQueensland, Australia

Invited keynote address presented at the 5th Invited keynote address presented at the 5th International Lifelong Learning Conference,International Lifelong Learning Conference,

Rydges Capricorn International Resort,Rydges Capricorn International Resort,Yeppoon, 17 June 2008Yeppoon, 17 June 2008

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Multiple ThanksMultiple Thanks

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The opening keynoteThe opening keynotepresentationpresentation

The emotional dimension of lifelong learningThe emotional dimension of lifelong learning

Help!!!Help!!!

A public health warningA public health warning

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Overview of presentationOverview of presentation•• Initial musings and conferenceInitial musings and conference

themesthemes•• Some conceptual resourcesSome conceptual resources•• Five potential sites of metaFive potential sites of meta-- andand

counternarrativescounternarratives•• The other keynote presentationsThe other keynote presentations•• Three broader and deeper tellingThree broader and deeper telling

talestales

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Initial musingsInitial musings

•• Lifelong learning as life imprisonmentLifelong learning as life imprisonment•• ““When would the fun start?When would the fun start?””•• Lifelong learning as potential:Lifelong learning as potential:

-- discoursediscourse-- metaphormetaphor-- rhetorical devicerhetorical device-- talismantalisman

•• ““Telling talesTelling tales””

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Conference themesConference themes

•• 20002000•• 2002 Building learning communities 2002 Building learning communities

through educationthrough education•• 2004 Whose responsibility and what is 2004 Whose responsibility and what is

your contribution?your contribution?•• 2006 Lifelong Learning: partners, 2006 Lifelong Learning: partners,

pathways and pedagogiespathways and pedagogies•• 2008 Lifelong Learning: reflecting on 2008 Lifelong Learning: reflecting on

successes and framing futuressuccesses and framing futures

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Some conceptual resourcesSome conceptual resources

••MetanarrativesMetanarratives••CounternarrativesCounternarratives••Other types of lifelongOther types of lifelonglearning storieslearning stories

••Four caveatsFour caveats

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Traveller educationTraveller education

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Educational researchEducational research

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Measurement and evaluationMeasurement and evaluation

•• Part of rationale for Part of rationale for ““reflecting on successesreflecting on successes”” in in conference themeconference theme

•• Good for identifying who is in and who is out and Good for identifying who is in and who is out and differential levels of access and equitydifferential levels of access and equity

•• Integral to accounts of acquiring competence, Integral to accounts of acquiring competence, online education, student achievement, selfonline education, student achievement, self--assessment, work readiness, graduate assessment, work readiness, graduate satisfaction, workplace learning and community satisfaction, workplace learning and community engagementengagement

•• Focus on respecting diversity and situating Focus on respecting diversity and situating understanding might collide with reducing such understanding might collide with reducing such diversity and standardising experiences and diversity and standardising experiences and aspirationsaspirations

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Information literacyInformation literacy

•• A major theme in every conference has A major theme in every conference has been information literacy as both crucial been information literacy as both crucial for, and a means of reflecting on, lifelong for, and a means of reflecting on, lifelong learning successeslearning successes

•• Partly those successes associated with Partly those successes associated with developments in generic skills, graduate developments in generic skills, graduate attributes, benchmarks and standardsattributes, benchmarks and standards

•• Those same developments potentially Those same developments potentially metanarratives if their assumptions are not metanarratives if their assumptions are not interrogated and if their applications are interrogated and if their applications are generalised and imposedgeneralised and imposed

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Informal learningInformal learning

•• Increasing focus in this conference seriesIncreasing focus in this conference series•• E.g., older adults in New Zealand, E.g., older adults in New Zealand,

University of the Third Age in Victoria and University of the Third Age in Victoria and British National Federation of WomenBritish National Federation of Women’’s s InstitutesInstitutes

•• Informal learning as counternarrative by Informal learning as counternarrative by disrupting deficit views of particular groups disrupting deficit views of particular groups of learnersof learners

•• Informal learning potentially as Informal learning potentially as metanarrative when we are urged to metanarrative when we are urged to ““make make informal learning workinformal learning work””

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Hamish CoatesHamish Coates’’s keynote presentations keynote presentation

•• ““Emerging trends in evidenceEmerging trends in evidence--based quality based quality enhancementenhancement””

•• Australasian Survey of Student EngagementAustralasian Survey of Student Engagement•• uniTESTuniTEST•• Work Readiness Assessment PackageWork Readiness Assessment Package•• Student engagement and quality assurance Student engagement and quality assurance

clearly vital to maximising various enactments of clearly vital to maximising various enactments of lifelong learninglifelong learning

•• Like any discourse, student engagement and Like any discourse, student engagement and quality assurance potentially at risk of narrowing quality assurance potentially at risk of narrowing the focus and homogenising the experiencethe focus and homogenising the experience

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Lana JackmanLana Jackman’’s keynote presentations keynote presentation

•• ““National Forum on Information Literacy: Advocacy in National Forum on Information Literacy: Advocacy in actionaction””

•• Information literacy as Information literacy as ““The core foundation for The core foundation for effective lifelong learning practiceeffective lifelong learning practice””

•• Information literacy also as Information literacy also as ““A habit of mind and skill A habit of mind and skill set essential for empowering individual growth and set essential for empowering individual growth and achievement in the Age of Informationachievement in the Age of Information””

•• Evidence of success in disseminating awareness and Evidence of success in disseminating awareness and ownership of information literacyownership of information literacy

•• Challenges and opportunities in globalisation, Challenges and opportunities in globalisation, technological advances and demographic changes technological advances and demographic changes worldwideworldwide

•• Discursive dissonance between evidenceDiscursive dissonance between evidence--based based research and some approaches to information literacyresearch and some approaches to information literacy

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Fred LockwoodFred Lockwood’’s keynote presentations keynote presentation

•• ““Meeting the challenge: Increasing access, Meeting the challenge: Increasing access, exploiting the use of C&IT and enhancing the exploiting the use of C&IT and enhancing the quality of learning and teachingquality of learning and teaching””

•• Access, educational media and quality Access, educational media and quality (assurance) are all vital elements of (assurance) are all vital elements of counternarratives contesting existing inequitiescounternarratives contesting existing inequities

•• Access, educational media and quality Access, educational media and quality (assurance) are all potential vehicles for (assurance) are all potential vehicles for replicating those inequities by means of replicating those inequities by means of metanarrativesmetanarratives

•• Access, educational media and quality Access, educational media and quality (assurance) can also tell other kinds of lifelong (assurance) can also tell other kinds of lifelong learning tales (e.g., about change, innovation learning tales (e.g., about change, innovation and/or sustainability)and/or sustainability)

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So what?So what?

•• The interplay between metanarratives The interplay between metanarratives and counternarrativesand counternarratives

•• Power and resilience of metanarrativesPower and resilience of metanarratives•• Difficulty of identifying permanent and Difficulty of identifying permanent and

incontrovertible lifelong learning incontrovertible lifelong learning successes to be reflected uponsuccesses to be reflected upon

•• Framing lifelong learning futures must Framing lifelong learning futures must encompass the telling of and listening encompass the telling of and listening to multiple tales to multiple tales –– metanarratives, metanarratives, counternarratives and many otherscounternarratives and many others

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Broader and deeper telling tale no. 1Broader and deeper telling tale no. 1

Retrieved May Retrieved May 3, 2008, from 3, 2008, from

http://en.wikipehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imdia.org/wiki/Image:Wind_in_thage:Wind_in_the_willows.jpge_willows.jpg

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Broader and deeper telling tale no. 2Broader and deeper telling tale no. 2

Retrieved Retrieved May 3, 2008, May 3, 2008,

from from http://en.wikihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wikpedia.org/wiki/Image:The_i/Image:The_Scream.jpgScream.jpg

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Broader and deeper telling tale no. 3Broader and deeper telling tale no. 3

Retrieved May 3, Retrieved May 3, 2008, from 2008, from

http://en.wikipedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagia.org/wiki/Image:JohnSteinbecke:JohnSteinbeck_TheGrapesOfWr_TheGrapesOfWr

ath.jpgath.jpg

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Telling tails 1 of 2Telling tails 1 of 2

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Telling tails 2 of 2Telling tails 2 of 2

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Invitation to a couple more tellingInvitation to a couple more tellingtales/tailstales/tails

•• Discussion (if thereDiscussion (if there’’s any time left!)s any time left!)