Allan Nicholson
Lifelong Learning Process
GSLL 6206 Sec 60
Blog Post #2
For my second assignment, I have chosen my involvement as
a volunteer with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of both Manitoba and Nova
Scotia. There was and there continues to
be a basis for my participation with the valuable organization. I have been a volunteer canvasser since 1992
(1992-1999 as a resident of the province of Manitoba) and (2007-2012) as a
resident of my place of birth, Glace Bay, Nova Scotia.
I personally feel the Heart and Stroke campaign is an
ongoing community of practice. I felt as
if I had to do this when I was initially approached to volunteer my
services. I remember feeling “somebody
has to do the canvassing,” however, I did not feel obligated. I had the opportunity to participate and I
did not resent my decision. This voluntary
act is a refreshing sense of personal fulfillment. We learn all of the time as mentioned in our
class discussion and the majority of the time we learn in communities of
practice. In the book, Situated
Learning-Legitimate Peripheral Participation, Lave-Venger say, “... learning
involves the whole person; it implies not only a relation to specific
activities, but a relation to social communities-it implies becoming a free
participant, a member, a kind of person...learning involves the construction of identities.”
(pg.53)
This method or state of learning is “learning as
something special.” It is not something
learned in the school environment. The
individuals I am associated with make up or constitute a collaborative working
group. I am working in a community of
practice. In the social practice, there
are different roles. The Campaign
Chairperson, the volunteer canvassers like me, and the generous people of the
neighbourhood, the donors, are all participants in this community of
practice. Wayne, the Campaign
Chairperson, has made me feel as if I belong to the Community of practice. It is important and very satisfying. I knew him as a colleague, but now we also
communicate through our affiliation with this organization.
It is obvious to me there is a good healthy negotiating in
this community of practice. There is a
great deal of networking transpiring. We
are all trustworthy. I have connected
and developed relationships through conversations and stories. I recently spoke with one of the donors who
mentioned the upcoming demolition of her family home. I was very aware that is was an old
home. She said it was her father’s
home. He recently died while in his
one-hundred- and first year. She also
said it was the Bairncroft Orphanage before her father’s family purchased
it. I was not only contributing my time
to a worthy cause, but learning a piece of history about my street as
well. I am adding a piece of myself every
time through these conversations. I feel that I am a legitimate peripheral participant
due to the connections I have made through the course of the campaigns. Lave-Wenger mentions how “particular forms of
apprenticeship can prevent rather than facilitate learning.” (Pg. 76) “Gaining legitimacy” has not been difficult
as I have been free to contribute as a peripheral participant.
I have also experienced and observed as to what a
legitimate peripheral participant could be and should be from both of my
parents. I learned from both of them in
a community of practice. I saw how they
contributed to society and the community itself. I recall my father delivering chocolates to
families in need at Christmas. He was a
member of the Glace Bay Kinsmen Club, “a newcomer’s tasks are short and
simple...the apprentice has little responsibility for the activity as a
whole.”(Pg.110) My Mother was a consistent
volunteer and a canvasser for several organizations relating to my “community
of practice.” She was also a member and
reliable supporter of the Glace Bay Citizen’s Service League in both their
Nursery School and Books on Wheels programs.
She as well was a legitimate peripheral participant due to her ability
to trust people and her expertise in Community with them. According to Lave-Venger, “acceptance by and
interaction with acknowledged adept practitioners make learning legitimate and
of value from the point of views of the apprentice.” (Pg. 110)
No comments:
Post a Comment