BeyondLabels

The underlying rationale for the research is based on conducting participatory research that is routed in social change specific to marginalized groups. The research is also influenced and in part shaped in the methodological perspective by the following quote by Martin Luther King:

“We do not ask you to march by our side. Although, as citizens, you are free and welcome to do so. Rather, we ask you to focus on the fresh social issues of our day. To move from observing operant learning …. to the test tubes of Watts, Harlem, Selma, and Bogalusa. We ask you to make society’s problems your laboratory. We ask you to translate your data into direction-direction for action” (King Jr, 1966)

ARC research adopts a performance ethnography approach and associated criteria based on a multiracial cultural studies perspective (Denzin 2002, Diawara, 1996). Such an approach is less certain than other more established interpretive enquiry methods (Denzin, 2003) but at the same time is natural to the ARC enquiry context. From a feminist, communitarian sense, there are various approaches to performance ethnography. For our study the ideologies and ‘world views’ are quite polarized from the drivers of many performance ethnographers but we share the need for performance ethnography in terms of criteria and techniques. Denzin (2003) and Stegner (1990) eloquently described the rationale and methodological perspective adopted for this research project.

"I seek an interpretive social science that is simultaneously autoethnographic, vulnerable, performative, and critical. This is a social science that refuses abstractions and high theory…………viewing culture as a complex performative process, it seeks to understand how people enact and construct meaning in their daily …….. free of prejudice, repression, and discrimination." (Denzin, 2003).

"I seek a writing form that is part memoir, part essay, part autoethnography... I write from scenes of memory, re-arranging, suppressing, even inventing scenes, forgoing claims to exact truth or factual accuracy, search instead for emotional truth, for deep meaning." (Stegner, 1990).

It is important to illustrate further the performances perspective and the idea of performances in public and democratic spaces that has informed this study in method and style. ARC adopted autoethnographic theatre perspective that we adapted for artistic expression. Issues of people coming together, through digital communities of practice, to participate in shared and reflexive performances. For the researchers performances involve co-participation in an interpretive process. Using the above theatre analogy scripts can be considered in context of pedagogic performance art narratives. The idea of edited experiences and often formed from group experiences were embraced. This has been used in exploring identities of refugee and migrants and in stitching together many dimensions and elements of culture through informal learning activities. Performance ethnography is a way to illustrate meaning and understanding about learning experiences in the context of personal identity (Pelias, 1999). Clearly challenging to achieve but natural for a multicultural education approach driven by pedagogy routed in anti-discriminatory practice.

Christian (2000) identifies three interconnected criteria that shape these representations of the world and in the context of this research into informal multicultural education in enabling identity expression through visual arts. These three criteria provide the guiding principles for the ARC research. 1) Interpretive sufficiency – the voices of visual artists need to provide depth, detail, emotionality and critical consciousness through the researchers being part of the collective. This enabled an immersive perspective into the role of informal multicultural education in the context of social movement of people and implications to identity through interpretive enquiry methods. Working together in a co-production process (informal multicultural education) culminating in visual arts acting as ‘voices’ for refugees and migrants. Paula Freire (2001) says conscientization to be formed - the marginalized gain their own expressive voices and collaborate in transforming their own identities. 2) Representational adequacy – the diversity of what became a loose ARC community of practice ensured a no tolerance approach to discrimination and stereotyping such as by racial, class, gender, religious issues and many more issues of importance. 3) Authentically Adequate - in terms of text and visual arts the research was influenced by Christian (2000) by meeting three conditions: (a) multiple voices are represented by exploring the Sonia Neito ‘undergrid’ to multicultural education as a framework for interpreting visual art and associated collaborations (b) deal with morality by challenging, through visual art, stereotype views in our communities and society of refugees and migrants (c) promote the changing of social perspective through creative expression. The performance ethnographic perspective embraced visual art and co-production with marginalized groups to provide a multi-voice that is hoped to empower persons, and discover identity implications (in some way).

We also engaged in the research design by ideas of Lincoln (1995) on authentic adequacy in that the research should: (1) reflect the researchers personality (criterion of positionality) in words and visual expression; (2) being able to address issues of the refugee community and promote there voice was core to the research in how it was conducted (community); (3) engage the non engaged in the context of asylum seekers and migrants who are often silenced through giving a voice (voice); (4) the researchers explore their interpretation of the situation, during, before, and after the research experience through exploring the Sonia Neito ‘undergrid’ framework (critical subjectivity); and (5) ARC was routed in forming a loose collective of equal stakeholders and this facilitated openness between researchers, educators and learners by performance ethnography not allowing such a divide to be recognised (reciprocity). ARC realized the conceptualised performance ethnography potential in the context of civic, participatory, and collaborative initiative. It creates a situation of co-participation and co-production in a common exploratory project specific to facilitating, through visual arts, a means for identity expression and facilitated by informal multicultural education practice. This performance ethnography research project clearly pulls from various perspectives including: feminist approach to ethnography, traditional ‘eastern theology’ on epistemology, and neo-Marxist approaches to community development.

The words for the petition is:

The principle of `work for those who can, support for those who can't' should extend to everyone in the UK, including people seeking asylum; notes that thousands of people seeking asylum are ending up destitute rather than returning to poverty and/or persecution; supports Church Action on Poverty's Living Ghosts campaign, which aims to end the needless destitution of people seeking asylum; believes that it is in the interest of the whole of UK society for people seeking asylum to be allowed to take paid employment while they are in this country or NASS support if the are unable to work; and recognises that this would stop many people disappearing into destitution.

The online petition is on the official Downing st website so is actually legitimate. For more please go to:

Many other petitions also worth checking out in support of the right to asylum....

Ofiicial Downing St Petition

The decision to declare 2008 the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue sounds excellent focus. focus is on: * The promotion of cultural diversity in Europe and in the world * A fundamental component of active European citizenship * Ameans to promote flexibility and adaptation to the changes in humanresources brought about by the success of the Lisbon strategy * A solidarity dimension at the service of social cohesion * An element of credibility in policies towards neighbouring countries and external relations in general The Yearis intended to highlight and raise awareness through activities of the cultural industries and beyond. As the DG states the success and impact of the European Year of InterculturalDialogue in 2008 will depend on the active involvement of civil societyand implementation at the grassroots level. And yes this is essential to ensurethat it becomes a long-lasting and durable process extending beyond2008.

I have been intending to post my view in the recent media coverage of the wearing of the veil but time pasted... I struggle with the logic and Jack Straw (MP) should be far more aware of the situation (he is loosing the Asiam vote due to the war on Iraq/Afganistan and no voice on Lebanon so why kick even harder). The response seemed calculated from the Labour government and I guess to some extent well discussed way before the public comments from Jack Straw. Such comments increase the atmosphere of Islamaphobia and anti-Muslim racism in the country. The follow up in the context of wider issues of citizenship also has the potential of moving the country towards models being pushed in other European countries and away from what is still a more pluralist rather than secular approach here in the UK. In England we now see the situation of the Liverpool woman having a veil ripped off, woman suspended from working in a school for wearing a veil and racist attacks near many Mosques. I thought we had open views in the UK and legislation that is intended to protect from religious prejudice and the Race Relations Act. We should keep with the Multiculturalism and celebrate the diversity that it has enabled through positive anti-discriminatory action.... Northen towns such as Blackburn have no problems in community relations but have significant economic deprivation. This is the challenge not what people are wearing and the comments from many leading people in the Labour party are intrusive and discrimatory in attitude. For many women the veil is a sign of liberty and in the UK many more women have decided to wear the veil since the war on Iraq. For many more its part of there identity and a choice. In Europe typically it is a choice and a sign for many of controlling there own way of doing things. For others it is a central part of being a Muslim.. In other words for many women it is central to what they are and a choice in a free society that has no impact on others.....

The general focus for the talk is around ‘opening up’ education. My main area of multicultural education research is focused on pedagogy equity in the context of learning styles, education & identity and intercultural dialogue. In this talk I will explore some tensions and opportunities between multicultural education, learning styles and Web 2. Give you an insight into my experiences in integrating learning diagnostics into the teaching process and finally share some lessons I have learnt. Some broad but central questions for my collaborative research are: (1)How do you deal in an equitable way with the increased diversity in our classrooms? (2)How can we deal with discriminatory practice in our teaching and learning process? (3)And finally how can we use technology to enable pedagogy equity? Being a teacher in the University sector it is clear we have moved a long way in supporting diversity but as we all operate directly or indirectly in ever increasing globalised society/communities this has significantly influenced the form of the educational provision required. The diversity in our communities and institutions requires proactive responses towards equality and this has to be in-tune with our regional communities. With no change in educational practice the implications of diversity may be oppressive to many. Many policy documents from the EU also call for greater integration between informal to formal learning and it is viewed that technology has an instrumental role in widening opportunities for people and meeting regional priorities. In addition understanding the informal and formal learning process and supporting integration between them also offers the opportunity to increase understanding of the changing needs of business and the community. For my research specific to ethnic minority groups and social migrants, and as a teacher, I feel undertaking community based education offers provides knowledge to increase depth of understanding of changing society needs for marginalised groups with high risk of being disadvantaged in our communities and in the workplace Before moving into the education perspective we should also consider some important milestones in England that informs and influences my research perspective. •Scarman Report (1981) - Commission as a response to understanding what was termed the race riots across the England. Did not find evidence for institutional racism and rejected •Swann report (1985) – ‘Diversity within unity’ and the need to identify common values and norms. Racism was seen as a major barrier to education for all. •Stephen Lawrence (1999) Enquiry – A response to the death of an innocent man in the ‘hands’ of the police that led to the MacPherson report. Institutional racism accepted as being in our organisations and institutions The above states the driving questions for the research and the climate that re-enforces the need for multicultural education research to enable changes to pedagogy practice in our classrooms and workplaces. So why multicultural education and learning styles? The rationale is to directly deal with the balance between the teaching and learning process. Multicultural education is viewed as a pedagogic perspective (critical anti-discriminatory perspective) and based on teaching styles. Even though the learner is integral to the pedagogic practice this is clearly based, in most instances, on teaching style and approach. Learning styles is view as integral to multicultural education provision and there is a lack of research directly exploring multiculturalism and learning styles. This talk is about exploring learning styles through using learning diagnostics as an intervention to raising awareness of learner needs in the multicultural pedagogic design process. This has the potential to deal positively with increasing diversity and education for all.

Really enjoyed the presentation from Graham and the chat. The summary of Graham supporting information also useful for me. Suggest a read.

Also much respect and thanks to my lovely friends from Ethnic Minority Cultural Initiative and the Mighty Zulu Nation Theatre Production Company. Look forward to working with you all again soon

So I have got there MC-DIP Question set now complete, and uploaded to Plone project site, for those I have been working with on the project - Al, Anna, Mike, Steve etc.. Massive task as the diagnostic cuts across three theoretical lenses - Multicultural education, learnign styles and creativity. The logic behind the questions sets that the diagnostic software will be built around is supporting pedagogy equity for educators and learners. In the environment I work in an imbalance on the teacher and on the Web you can see in many circles an imbalance on the learner through what is frequently termed 'autonomous learning'. The Diagnostic 2.0 software is about intervening for positive educational action for social change and hence fits well with much of the e-learning 2.0 developments and for me logical fit with Knownet software apps.

Just a little more on the background need for such an approach and underpinning thoughts. .....

For me the challenge is to create learning environments that maintain the cultural integrity of every person while enhancing their educational success. At the classroom level, culturally responsive teaching essentially involves using students’ cultural experiences and background as a medium for helping them learn important academic skills. There has also been a general agreement that the development of individual cultural identity is a major process of acceptance of the cultural norms, beliefs, attitudes and values of one cultural group rather than another. Hence multicultural education is important and necessary in order for students to be able to develop personal autonomy. To create inclusive education we need learning environments to re-configure to be in a proactive position to support diversity and equality.

Thats enough for now.. Will be posting over next week specifically on Multiculturalism, Learning Styles and eLearning 2.0 from how I see things..

This article by Jana Noel (California State university, Sacramento) examines the idea that students construction of identity can be linked to their understandings of multicultural education. This article was written from the prespective of the teacher/educators in the sense that they need to have a good understanding of why our students have such a wide range of definitions of multicultural education. This article ties in really well with my PhD in the sense that, one of my dimension is looking at the identity implication form the learner perspective as well as teacher's perspective. There are not as many discussion around in terms of teacher's identity compared to learners's identity.

Jana discussed how she found out for the first time from her 'student teacher' ......" I don't need to take Multicultural Education, because I'am in Agricultural and we feed the world". Such perception about multicultural eduation is and if it is part of the 'student teacher' thinking has made Jana more determined to gain a better understanding of why her students have such a different understanding of multicultural eduation.

"We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals what is deep inside of us as valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can rick curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit." (e. e. cummings, 1923/1976)

The above quote is the main discussion in an article by Nancy.P. Gallavan & A.Maria. Whittemore that I found very fascinating and deeply involved. It uses the narrative dialogue in its approach and it gave us a deeper understanding of the situation.

The article "When Parallel Lives Intersect: Experiencing Multiple Perspectives in Our Own Journeys" is based on two lives (personal experiences of the two author in the article) of completely different people and how they have openly talked about their own experienced. It highlighted the above quote very deeply and it was quiet emotional for me when I read the article.

Maria is a black female growing in the 50's and she explained how difficult and challenging it was at time being black and female. How she was the youngest of six and lived near the railroad tracks on the far end of town. The house she was living with her family was burnt-out machine shop with no bathroom and her family was the only black family in the community. Her and her siblings had to go to a segregated school which was 8 miles away. Maria was top achieve in the school and when she finally accepted in the white school, she was going through difficult times with other white children who making fun of her but luckily her white teacher see beyond her colour and gave her all the help she needed......

Nancy was too growing in the 50's and was the only white girl who lived in the house with her family who hired the black domestic. Her father was the owner of the local feed mile who hired black laborers and her mother gave her hand-me-down clothing to the black domestics family. Her parents also donated money and many other furnishing to the black families. Her parents also helped the black children to attend college. Nancy always wondered why the black children were not allowed to the while school and...

This article concluded with discussion and gone back to the quote above that we have to accept the person as he/she is and must look deeper and NOT discriminates. For Maris, her life story empowers her to see DIVERSITY as a STRENGHT and not deficits and to model this belief to everyone around her. Same with Nancy, her heart and head were reopened to many bias and social injustice inequalities she experienced in her childhood and how these now clearly apparent to her many years later as a professor of cultural diversity.

IRR journal Race & Class leads with an essay by Matt Carr who writes................ Seems to be a grrowing consensus on both sides of the Atlantic that is presenting Europe as a doomed continent that is being transformed into an Islamic colony called 'Eurabia'. Writer and journalist Matt Carr takes the reader  through the writings of conservative historians and newspaper columnists, right-wing Zionists and European neo-fascists, who find common cause in the dangerous Islamophobic fantasy that 'Judeo-Christian' civilisation is under threat from Muslim immigrants. Hey whats this 'one world order' thing we are being pushed......

Inspiring stuff. Insight into wide range of issues that me, Aishah and little Liyana was at. Good catch all for whats happening internationally and priority issues for time. Also catching up with friends ..

Recent event in the north England. On going collaboration with EMCI. Always fun and amazing theatre education for children and powerful message below the fun.............. bridging learning styles and theatre/performance loads of potential and needs more exploration 

An article I picked up from the Futurist magazine is fascinating. It discussed how the west can learn from developing countries with regards understanding different cultures or some people use the term intercultural understanding. It also shows that the issues of cultures were discussed greatly at the time. the world major problems such as poverty, war and hunger are inherent in the current system of world order based on nation-states and economic competition.
The authors believed that these can be solved if people know and understand one another on a global, grass-roots basis. I couldn't agree more with the author. We are still seeing these problems in this modern world and little has been done to improve the situations globally. We must strive to appreciate and understand other cultures so that we can understand and reform our own culture and use these understanding to help us with a platform from which we can see ourselves.
These concepts of culture understanding could open new vistas for all of us. The authors were astonished with the community cooperation in one of thee visit in the pacific. In Fiji, the villages’ still harvesting, drying and exporting sea cucumber to Japan and all the earnings went to the village elders for community project. This shows that collaboration rather than competition makes more available to everyone.
The authors also discussed the option for our future. "The idea that land is something that can be owned by an individual is almost unique to Western culture". For example, the Australian aborigines have no concept of land ownership. they are owned by the land. The land is also a holy place and the spirits of their ancestors.
We have the opportunity to design our own future and we must find a way to escape the norm and biases that inherent in our current culture and open our eyes to the options for a more positive future.

Radical Journalist Gary Younge talks about his latest book “Stranger In A Strange Land: Encounters In The Disunited States”. This book is divided into four sections –war, race, politics and culture. The overarching theme is division. The book talks about how divided US really is. Gary explained how….” the era of former US president Bill Clinton ended with one of the closest elections that we can remember- one that George Bush had to steal in the end. So Bush, and the way that he came to power, was an expression of division. When Hurricane Katrina landed, another clear division that came out if it is Race. Black, opinionated, and from a working-class background, Gary Younge is not your typical foreign correspondent. Yet, in three years as The Guardian newspaper's New York correspondent, Younge has acquired a transatlantic reputation as one of the most thoughtful commentators on contemporary America. (Book description on Amazon)

Just came across the words below and it gives a feel for the climate in the UK. Issues of interest for me here are cultural pluralism and the notion of integration being put forward in the UK. Roy Jenkins' classic definition, integration is 'not a flattening process of assimilation but equal opportunity accompanied by cultural diversity in an atmosphere of mutual tolerance' is what we should be thinking in Europe and move away from the push to assimilation. A Sivananda provides invaluable insight and I suggest check out the full interview where the quote below can from.

There's a new ballgame here - with the 2001 riots in Britain and 7/7, the government has been thrashing about for answers as to how to handle its ethnic minorities. First, with the riots, it blamed the self-separatism of Asian communities for the disaffection between Asians and whites - never acknowledging that successive governments' policies of culturalism, combined with their neglect of the inner cities, had created the enclaves which had turned Asians against whites and vice versa. Thus, the government's thinking this time was not on the lines of 'ethnic disadvantage', as Scarman had it, but of (too much) ethnic advantage, too much 'multiculturalism', not enough integration/assimilation or the much more euphemistic term 'community cohesion'. And now, after 7/7, despite the discovery that the suicide bombers were home-grown and wholly British, the thinking in the UK is to embrace the backward and undoubtedly Islamophobic discourse that is issuing from mainland Europe. Cultural pluralism has gone too far, it threatens our values and our very national safety. A line has to be drawn on difference. Ethnic minorities have now, in the domestic context of the War on Terror, to effectively subsume their cultural heritage to Britishness.

Sivanandan, May 2006

Do most people in one culture learn differently from most people in another culture?
Do most people in the same culture basically learn in the same way?
Relationship between high/low achievers and learning style
Are we measuring ability or style through assessment?
Learning styles and time: How does style evolve?
Are the majority of teacher 'analytic'?
Cultures and attitude towards school:
Learning styles and role of counselling
Inventories/profiling/diagnostics and teacher-learner equity
Learning styles implementation: diagnostics, environment, Personalised learning

I am fascinated by all the PLE's push but the part that works most for me is the distributed and uncontrolling edge to the moves in this area. But at the same time the individualist push may also be seen to be driven from a technology driven culture. As often happens I feel with learning environement apps developed by technical and tested with users who may be learners of some sort. Mike mentioned 'this is suttle stuff' and totally agree and how can we engage educators. Questions for me ... is this movement being driven by the current european constructivist type edge. In parts seems to be. What about educators more interested in intervension through education - positive actiion for social change. Clearly some of the tools ideal for this but 'sutble' is the word and how can we project this to educators and educators who are not coming with the view to learners as just get on with it type approach. Self organising groups with appropriate interventions based on collective choice is where I am keen to explore more... How do you manage the collectivity and diversity?

The short motion graphics of myself, produced by Rob Chiu, is compiled from a few different times/events that provides an insight in areas of activity but just as importantly a tool for me to explore and reflect. This approach is used as a means to illustrate where I want to push the BeyondLabels initiative with friends and partners. The main focus needs to remain routed in multicultural education as a critical pedagogic approach but also reach out to partnering areas related to social change and direct action related to exclusion.

Such a time eating project but fantastic and look forward to where next. The idea is one book per year on challenging issues and led by design/illustration and the core communication route. Rob Chiu creative director with his unique vision of things and me as research director routed in education for social change and community action for ethnic minorities and migrants. The trailer of the short film provides a taster and again loads of food-for-thought on where next. The media is clearly instilling fear in society with regards terrorism and there seems to be a need for collective and balance reflection on terrorism and the real situation. Hence our next project..... and hey hopefully it can financially continue to sustain itself.

Note: Thumbnail image by Lim Fung Wee Lee Fung Wee

BlackDayTo Freedom BD2F

Multicultural education and diagnostics as a means of supporting the learning in the educations experience is an area that needs exploring. In particular major research project have been undertaken into personal and group learning needs and how the way people learn, based on individual preferences, directly impacts on education performance (Dunn & Dunn, 1997).

An issue that has always been a problem for educational institutions is how to apply many of the learning styles techniques to large groups and mass education. Technology is undertaking an important role in making learning styles possible for large group sizes and also as a means of enabling teachers to connect again with learners. For example have a picture of detailed profile of individual learners and potential impact on group dynamics has great potential. Learning diagnostics tools are important as enablers and as it indicates diagnostics is view as next generational tools to say Honey & Mumford style 'learning inventories'. As learning diagnostics indicates there is a need for profiling but diagnosing as a means of supporting pedagogy of equity. MC-DIP as an initiative is further developing this an on-going initiative led by the University of Huddersfield. Also Knownet are transforming existing software into a web services application.