Developing Curricular and Appropriate Learning Strategies for Community Development and Peace Studies
Author(s)
Chantrill, P.; Spence, R.
Abstract
This article reflects on the motives, process, and outcomes of efforts to develop a dynamic course structure in which to teach current community development practice and peacemaking. We recognize the need for more applied learning to better support a student profile that is increasingly made up of community development practitioners and peace workers. The learning environment we seek to provide at the University of New England, a regional university in New South Wales, Australia, offers students the opportunity to: (1) consolidate and monitor their own practice in the field; (2) evaluate their own workplace environment and learning experiences in the field with reference to other students’ comparative experience; and (3) interact with teaching staff who act as providers of resources, networking contacts, and people with whom to engage in critical reflection. The paper concludes that a dynamic, flexible, and cooperative approach to learning is highly appropriate to contemporary adult and professional workplace education.
