Humane Edutainment in Theory & Practice May 23, 2012 by Bob Lucius

What is “Humane Education”? The Power of Reflection Transformative Learning Framework The “Humane Edutainment” Model The Three Pillars of the Humane Edutainment Community of Inquiry Self-Efficacy & Self-Regulation Forum Theatre Humane Edutainment in Practice The Service Learning Component Assessment Challenges: Does HE really work?

Defining “Humane Education”? To create awareness WRT animal, environmental and social justice issues. To develop specific concrete (hard) skills…e.g., how to be more “green” or how to properly care for a animal companion. To develop specific abstract skills (soft) …e.g., critical thinking, divergent problem solving, perspective-taking, conflict resolution, etc. To foster positive attitudinal changes WRT animal, environmental and social justice issues. To foster sustainable behavioral changes WRT animal, environmental and social justice issues.

The Courage to Reflect “It is necessary from time to-time to have the courage to sort through one’s own beliefs, to set aside the  questionable ones until by introspection and education you eventually discover those that remain unassailable. And then from that vantage point, to begin again to re- asses those contingent beliefs you have set aside in the light of new wisdom. You are able then to see with new eyes.” “In order to improve the mind, we ought less to learn than to contemplate.” - Discours de la méthode pour bien conduire sa raison, et chercher la vérité dans les sciences (“Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One's Reason and of Seeking Truth in the Sciences”), published 1637. René Descartes (1596-1650)

The Road to Lai Châu 9:30 AM, June 27, 2006 http://animalbeat.org/manonamission.html

The Road to Lai Châu

Disorienting Dilemma I do not eat dogs or cats I eat other animals Dogs and Cats are no different than other kinds of animals Dogs & Cats are OK to eat Pigs, Cows & Chickens are no different than Dogs and Cats Confusion Tension Distress Shame Go Vegetarian Dogs and Cats are different than other kinds of animals Rationalize Status Quo I eat other animals

Transformative Learning “Throughout their lifetime, people make meaning out of their experiences. They build a way of seeing the world, a way of interpreting what happens to them, and accompanying values, beliefs, and assumptions that determine their behavior. Much of this framework is uncritically absorbed from family, community, and culture. People do not stop to question everything that happens to them or everything they see and hear – they generally believe their friends, accept media interpretations of events, and follow the principles that have guided them so far. People have a set of expectations about the world that are based on formative childhood experiences, and those expectations continue to act as a filter for understanding life…When something unexpected happens, when a person encounters something that does not fit in with his or her expectations of how things should be, based on past experience, the choices are to reject the unexpected or to question the expectation. When people critically examine their habitual expectations, revise them, and act on the revised point of view, transformative learning occurs.” -(Patricia Cranton, Understanding and Promoting Transformative Learning, p. 19)

Transformative Learning A Disorienting Dilemma Self-examination Critical assessment of assumptions Recognition of shared discontent Exploration of options Planning a course of action Acquiring new knowledge and skills Trying of new roles Building competence and self-confidence Reintegration Jack Meizrow “Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand.”

“Humane Edutainment” “Humane Edutainment” is a methodological framework for fostering transformative learning through a shared experience of reflection and dialogue mediated through theatre. Throughout acollaborative and participatory process, youth are encouraged to examine, question, validate and/or revise their beliefs, opinions, assumptions and habits and to develop a deeper understanding of what it means to be “humane” in the world. By sharing their own experiences and resources in common, participants create “new knowledge”. Humane Edutainment employs various techniques and strategies for stimulating reflection and discourse to ensure that disparate learning styles and sensory preferences among participants are recognized.

The Three Pillars Community of Inquiry Forum Theatre Self-Efficacy

Community of Inquiry “A Community of Inquiry (CoI) provides a peer-centered approach for exploring ideas, beliefs and assumption while fostering shared understanding through dialogical and reflective inquiry.” According to Lipman, this model is “…thoroughly social and communal. Its aim is to articulate the friction-causing differences in the community, develop arguments in support of the competing claims, and then, through deliberation, achieve an understanding of the larger picture that will permit a more objective judgment.” (Thinking in Education, p. 25)

Community of Inquiry Social Presence: The ability of participants to identify with the community (e.g., course of study), communicate purposefully in a trusting environment, and develop inter-personal relationships by way of projecting their individual personalities. Supporting Discourse Social Presence Cognitive Presence Educational Experience Setting & Climate Selecting Content Teaching Presence (Structure/Process) Cognitive Presence: The extent to which learners are able to construct and confirm meaning through sustained reflection and discourse in a critical community of inquiry. Teaching Presence: The design, facilitation and direction of cognitive and social processes for the purpose of realizing personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes.

Social Cognitive Theory & Self-Efficacy Self-Efficacy: Beliefs, perceptions or judgments about one’s perceived capability or ability to successfully do the things that one wants to do. Self-Concept: An overall general evaluation of competence and the feelings of self-worth. Albert Bandura (b. 1925)

Self-Efficacy & Behavior What are some of the ways that increased feelings of self-efficacy impact our behaviors? Mastery Experience Influences the amount of intrinsic interest we have in an activity. Social Persuasion Helps determine how much effort we will expend on an activity, how long we will persevere in the face of obstacles and adversity. Physiological State Influences the amount of stress and anxiety we feel as we engage in an activity. Vicarious Experience Influence the choices we make and the courses of action we choose: People tend to engage in activities in which they feel competent and avoid those in which they do not. Sources of Self-Efficacy