| Case study: Learning communities in Europe | | Print | |
| Silke Schreiber-Barsch | 22.02.2008 | Science - Articles | ||||
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A new publication brings into question the issue of regional network strategies aiming at implementing structures of lifelong learning in the local context, the so-called learning communities. Since the 1970s, the idea of lifelong learning has left its marks on the international education and training discourse. It has proved to be adaptive to different societal and theoretical imperatives. Nevertheless -- or: perhaps due to this --, lifelong learning has been successful in having been awarded a crucial role up to now. However, the main impetus of lifelong learning strategies has indeed changed, leaving its mainly theoretically based position in favour of backing up pragmatic oriented approaches. Thus, we have witnessed throughout Europe since the beginning of the 1990s a rising debate on the topic of regional strategies. Learning regions, educating / learning cities, or, summarised: learning communities have been declared, representing the alliance of the principles lifelong learning, region and network. Facing a broad diversity in their implementation, one can observe on the other hand much less effort to present frameworks that deal explicitly with this subject as a whole. Yet, it seems essential for developing further the discourse and for rendering it adaptive to international debate, to categorise these colourful patterns of practice. For this purpose the book draws attention to three instrumental case studies of learning communities (a Norwegian, an English and a German one) that were conducted within an exploratory research strategy. Designed as a between-method triangulation, the case studies represent a mixed qualitative-quantitative approach. The members of the network and its key stakeholders from the meta-level were investigated just as the local framework itself. The aim was not only to broaden a mere national horizon of the topic, but also to show exemplarily the communities’ origin and to ask for possible key factors. Particular concern was given to the question of lifelong learning and of possible consequences of the communities’ structures in respect of the regional lifelong learning culture. In this regard, the book points out four core characteristics of learning communities. First, there is cross-border cooperation: The objective is to establish networking between different sectors, i.e. beyond the usual borders which we generally know from networks in the regional adult and further education context, and to link them up in a long-term perspective. Second, the element of learning in individual, collective, organizational etc. terms is of vital importance. Understanding it as a comprehensive bottom-up-dynamic and a common purpose, the aim is to establish a trustful, robust, but also flexible learning culture that is supported through the network activities and its management. Third, in order to achieve a powerful, sustainable network, it is imperative to agree on a shared vision of local revitalization, based on the idea of a holistic lifelong learning culture. Finally, of essential significance are the joint intention of following an integrative approach to the region and the belief of achieving more as a whole than as merely individually. These characteristics have to work as a dynamic cycle in order to tap the full potential of the concept. Following this, there are four types of communities proposed: a policy concept of regional governance; an economic cluster-concept; a cognitive concept of regional innovativeness; and a spatial concept of socio-cultural regeneration. Each of these interprets in its own way the listed core characteristics, illustrated in the book by means of the case studies. The objective is neither to distinguish between good and bad types, nor to level out the heterogeneity of communities. Rather, the book underlines that each type implies particular consequences -- and risks! -- for the regional lifelong learning culture. One of the crucial questions to be raised is the possible extension of the so-called Matthew-Principle (that more will be given to those who already have) within the scope of these strategies. Thus, to sum up, a rising distance from the communities’ core characteristics may even provoke a further strengthening of the Matthew-Principle and a consolidation of inequality and exclusion rather than overcoming it and raising participation in lifelong learning. |
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