Module 6 Topic 6.3 – The Politics of Activating the Learning City

Topic Description

Topic 3 examines several constituents of the city as a learning organisation in more detail and explores how the city can act as a catalyst for the activation of each one. It covers the domains of

Human resource activation through contribution and participation, including mentorship and coaching

How the city can position and market itself externally and internally as a learning city in order to attract inward investment and change the learning culture

How the city can activate partnerships between its stakeholders and thereby increase resource, wealth and effectiveness

How the city can activate leadership and increase the number of learning leaders there

How the city can activating purpose and tolerance through outward-looking programmes with other cities

How the city can improve the learning culture through greater celebration, recognition and rewards

All of these improvements to the functioning of the city as a learning entity require political will, political strength and political action. Few of them entail the spending of large sums of money but they do require a considerable change of mindset and focus.

Topic Objectives

a) to explore how the city can act as a catalyst for the development of a learning culture in several domains of its operation

b) to stimulate learners to make creative and active contributions in these domains for the benefit of the city

[) to increase the number of learning leaders in the city and speed up its progress towards becoming a learning city

Target Audiences

The target audiences for this topic are most likely to be local politicians and professionals who are concerned with the improving the learning development of the city and its citizens, and its image internally and externally. However other audiences will be interested in its contents, such as:

Professionals in local government from all departments

Community Leaders

Educators at all levels

Industrialists and Business people

Voluntary organisation leaders

Citizens with an interest in the development of their community

Students of lifelong learning in universities, adult education institutions and teacher training establishments

Lesson 6.3.1 Activating human resources through contribution and participation – the role of the city as a catalyst

(NB There may be 2 lessons on this topic in the suggestions below. Learning Leaders should plan the time accordingly)

Lesson Objectives:

a) To bring attention to the vast store of human resources to be found in every community

b) To initiate an exercise which measures this

[) To raise discussion on how, what, why and from whom this resource might be activated

Suggestions for Learning Leaders

1. Introduce the subject of contribution. Remind the group that, in a lifelong learning world, we have thrown away the constraints which bedevil the Education and Training paradigm. Learning is now for all (which will vastly increase the number of learners), the focus is on the needs and demands of the learners themselves, and the resources for this will come from wherever they happen to exist.

2. Give out item 1 in the Toolkit. It is a Case Study taken from ‘Learning Cities for a Learning Century’. Divide into groups of 2 and ask them to read the Case Study and complete the exercises which follow.

3. Bring together in plenary at a suitable moment and ask what their ideas were in response to question 1 – Write them up on the board – collectively there should be many more than 30.

4. Discuss with the class the feasibility of increasing resources in this way. What are the advantages? What are the drawbacks? What are the constraints? – use the answers to questions 2 and 3 to stimulate responses.

5. Give out the questionnaire in toolbox 2. Divide into groups of 4. Ask them to complete it. Point out that this ia a much wider sample and concerns only assistance with learning matters.

6. Once again in plenary pull together the totality of skills and knowledge and talents and discuss the implications.

7. Ask them to complete the last box by putting in the amount of time they think they can spare to carry out the tasks they have said yes or maybe to. Add up the times – discuss

NB If time does not allow steps 5 and/or 6 and/or 7 can be given as a homework exercise. In any case suggest an extension of this to be carried out on their work colleagues or their community, the results to be brought back to the next lesson.

8. Discuss with the group what other resources might now be brought into the equation – finance, equipment, transport, gifts in kind etc – and how organisations might be able to tap more easily into the resources available to them.

9. Divide into appropriate size groups and set each one to devise ‘a policy for increasing resources for lifelong learning’ the results, if possible, to be communicated to the Town Council. This may lead to the establishment of database which could be invaluable for the expansion of the Learning City.

N.B A much more detailed topic on the subject of Active Citizenship can be found in Module x Topic x

Similarly more details on mentoring and coaching can be found in module x Topic X

Lesson 6.3.2 Using the Learning City as a Marketing tool

Lesson objectives

a) to explore how the Learning City can be used as a marketing tool externally to the benefit of inward investment and its presentation as a good place to live

b) to develop a marketing tool for the purpose.

Suggestions for Learning Leaders

a) Explain the objectives of the lesson to the students.

b) Hand out toolkit item 3. Explain that it is one of the questions on an indicators questionnaire for European Learning Cities. Ask students to complete question 1 in groups of 3. (Many will not be able to answer the questions).

[) Use this exercise to stimulate a debate in the groups about why the fact of a Learning City is a good marketing tool for the present and future. Ask them to produce 5 good reasons each group.

d) Collect the combined efforts of the groups in plenary.

e) Ask the class to complete question 2 individually and to develop 3 further methods on how the message can be promoted externally to the outside world.

f) In small groups of two ask them to develop an attractive poster for the city information department which presents the city as a Learning City and as a good place to live and work. Each couple puts up their poster on the wall and others give it a mark out of 10. The winning poster is sent to the City information/development department.

g) Homework exercise – ask the students to collect examples of Learning city brochures from various cities. This can be done from the net or by writing to cities such as Southampton, Espoo (Finland), Gothenburg (Sweden), Edinburgh, Derby, Norwich, Birmingham etc. These can be used as toolkit items for the next lesson.

Lesson 6.2.3 Selling the Learning City idea to the citizens.

Lesson Objective

a) to devise a means of informing and marketing the idea of the learning city internally to its citizens

b) to develop a marketing tool for the purpose

Suggestions for Learning Leaders

a) Revise the previous lesson, pointing out that this was for the benefit of an external audience and was valuable for the reasons given, developed and discussed. Introduce the subject of in-city marketing to its own citizens. Ask for a few ideas on this.

b) Hand out toolkit item 4. Again explain that this a part of a European survey on indicators, and ask each class member to complete question 1 to their own present knowledge. Discuss the answers and the implications of the answers with the group.

[) Similarly ask them now to complete toolkit question 2 in groups of 3 – use this as a means of discussing the problems of communicating the idea and the various options open.

d) In the same groups ask them to design any one of the communication tools shown in question 2 with the task of convincing the reader a) what a learning city is b) that it is vital for the future of the city and the citizen. Results to be displayed and marked.

Lesson 6.3.4 Increasing Leadership in the Learning City

Lesson Objective

The overall objective of this lesson is to demonstrate that leadership in a learning city can come from many sectors of the community. It identifies which these are and encourages creative thinking in the training and development of new leadership strategies.

Suggestions for Learning Leaders

1.Introduce the idea of leadership. What does it mean to individuals in the class? What defines a leader? Is it telling others what to do? How many people in the class regard themselves as leaders? Move to the topic of the learning city. Hand out toolbox item 5 and ask the class in groups of two to complete section A.

2.Compare answers in plenary. Who were the leaders identified? What were their characteristics? What advice would they give etc. There may be some lively debate about leadership and what it entails.

3.Ask the groups to complete section B. Again compare answers in plenary. What conclusions were arrived at? (probably very little knowledge anywhere – how can this be rectified through a leadership strategy?)

4.Complete section C individually. After completion, bring into plenary and ask who would be a good leader for the future – try to come to the conclusion that leaders can be found anywhere in the city – wouldn’t the unemployed for example have some additional insight into problems of the workplace? What innovative ideas have they had for increasing leadership and awareness?

5.Hand out toolbox item 6. They are two contrasting ways of increasing leadership. Divide the class into half and get each group to a) identify what additional questions would need to be asked and b) to put together a powerpoint or slide presentation on one of the methodologies described. It should then be delivered to the whole class.

6.Debrief. Recapitulate the points made in the lesson about the importance of good leadership and how it can be developed.

Lesson 6.3.5 – Inter-sectoral partnerships and how they can promote Lifelong Learning in the City (2-3 hours)

(NB This is a modified version of lesson 1.3.2 in the introductory module)

Lesson Objectives

a)To explore how different kinds of partnerships can improve the development of a Learning City, Town and Region

b)To examine existing data on partnerships development in cities

c)To study an example of good practice from London

Suggestions for Learning Leaders

(NB You may wish to divide this into 2 lessons)

a)Give out the questionnaire in item 7 of the toolbox. Answer first 4 questions on personal experience of partnerships in small groups of 3. Discuss the answers in plenary.

b)Ask for answers on questions 5-8 - city participation in partnerships – hand out the TELS results – item 8 of the toolbox and discuss with the group. Stress the advantages of partnerships without specifics.

c)Hand out item 9 of the toolbox, ask them to read the actual Case Study and set the exercise as a group of 3 brainstorming-role playing exercise – one person acts as the school representative, another as the industry representative and a third as the coordinator. Ask the groups to produce as many ideas of beneficial projects between these organisations – both ways. Get them to aim for 20. After a time pull together into plenary and continue the brainstorming. Put up the subject of the brainstorm on the flip chart ‘What mutually beneficial projects would be possible between these two organisations?’ Encourage wild answers and lots of humour – aim for 100 possible projects in total .

d)Categorise the answers into social, workplace, business, curriculum etc

e)De-brief the brainstorm by handing out item 10 of the toolbox – what actually happened. Discuss with the group how this might be extended to their own situation. Emphasise i) that partnerships such as this create whole new resources for both partners and b) that creativity is the key.

f)Move on to a discussion of what constitutes a good partnership. Divide the group into threes and ask each to devise their own 5 key points which would define a good partnership. (Use poster sessions if there is time – each 5 points put up on the wall, groups walk around and tick which ones they considered important).

g)Bring together in plenary and group the points together. Distribute item 11 and ask the class to identify those they had thought of and those they had missed.

h)Show Item 12 of the tool box – divide into groups of 2 and ask the class to complete the white boxes as they see fit. Bring together and compare notes. Distribute item 12 and ask for comments. Which particular organisations in your city? How do they work together? Point out that, in a true learning city, these are just some of the organisations that would be working together – which are the others? – police, finance, health, community organisations etc.

i)Divide the class into 6 groups, each representing one sector on the chart. Take one from each group and put together in circles. Ask the new mixed groups to discuss what each can do for the other in an innovative partnership within the city – this will be a series of bilateral negotiations. Pull the results together in plenary.

j)Complete the lesson by emphasising the role of partnerships in the creation of a learning city

Lesson 6.3.6 – The Learning City looking outwards to the world (2-3 hours)

Lesson Objectives:

The principal objective of this lesson is to demonstrate that Learning Cities have much to give and much to receive from interaction with other cities world-wide in all departments, and that such interaction can result in a profitable and fulfilling outcome for a large number of organisations and people.

Suggestions for Learning Leaders

(NB –dependent upon the time available at any one time this may be one lesson or two)

  1. This is a follow-on from the previous lesson on partnerships. Recapitulate its main points and remind the class that partnerships are part of an integrated city. Show toolbox item 13. Divide the class into groups each representing one sector shown in the diagrams. Ask the class to complete the box under the first circle with the name of the city in which the course takes place. Ask them to complete the box under the second circle with a North American City (agree which one).
  1. Those from each sectoral group now meet together in a circle. Half of them represent the home city and half represent the second city. They are asked to develop some ideas on fruitful cooperation within the cities within that sector. (write these into the boxes provided below). Aim for 5 or 6.
  1. Bring together in plenary – each group presents the results of their deliberations while the others write down the main points into the other boxes. The result should be more than 30 possible interactions between the two cities.
  1. Synthesise the results to date. How many of these are feasible? Which are economically profitable? What other types of profit are there as a result of such interactions?
  1. Distribute toolbox item 14. Ask the class to insert the two cities as before and also

one city from South America,

one city from another part of Europe,

one city from the developed part of Asia

one city from the more developed part of Africa

  1. Divide the class into groups representing the 6 cities. Each person now represents all the people mentioned in the circles in discussion with their representatives of other cities. Create as many city groups as appropriate. Ask the groups

to suggest what these people might do if they were interacting

to suggest a means of carrying out these interactions

to suggest a way of involving more people in the interactions

to suggest other people who might be involved

  1. Bring together in plenary – each city group makes a presentation according to their discussions. Concentrate particularly on the methodology of how it might be done.
  1. Hand out toolbox item 15. Ask the class to read it. Ask for their reaction in plenary.
  1. Hand out toolbox item 16, divide the class into groups and ask each group to include one city from the underdeveloped world eg from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Africa or South America in the set of cities they are to consider. Ask them to complete the white boxes with the names of community groups or people types where they think they can they can make a difference to all.
  1. Convene in plenary and discuss.

(Design a logo)
Lesson 6.3.7: Learning Cities Celebrating, Rewarding and Recognising Learning

Lesson objectives

The major objective of this lesson is to explore the city’s commitment to celebration, recognition and reward, and to design a Learning Festival that would increase the take-up of learning within the city.