Ted McCadden (at Penn State) discussed how identity formation occurs through performance work, especially with pop culture and mass communication.

He uses psychoanalytic branches of transformative learning theory (Boyd and Myers, Dirkxx) and critical media literacy as the theoretical overview. Take the transformative learning model and add on how the receiver of the message who receives a message and acts upon it (from critical media literacy and method acting). Add to this how the actor is involved in the process.

American theatre either reflects American culture or satirizes it. In this way, theatre can reinforce the entire hegemonic notions that it seeks to criticize. He is showing various video clips (not a single one, surprise . . .  surprise, do I recognize!).

Method acting has an actor in the center of the I / Me / Character, so the actor feels and experiences what the character is experiencing, in order to make it convincing. How does a character portray something about which they have no experience.

Transformative learning theory focuses on the positive, though what happens when there is negative learning or negative experiences? God questions that were just raised and about which I need to think a lot about.

The discussion around what rights people have with transformative learning, when frames of reference are intentionally challenged.

Verisimilitude—your culture that is the recipient of the message must understand your message. Really interesting concept from method acting.

I think I need to know more about critical media literacy. This is around the mass media, so the people who are receiving the messages are interpreted in our own ways through our own lenses.

A frame (Snow and Benford) is a “schema of interpretation” – a way of explaining the society around us. An example of a social frame is a school (children, flag outside, etc.). These are socially constructed. Frame alignment is when people agree on social frames and then these people move forward with social movements. This can be spoken as an issue is constructed as an issue of some sort or another. These frames can be grass-roots or top-down. Framing situations use language based on how an issue is perceived / constructed. Frame bridging is when certain ideologically congruent but structurally unconnected frames are linked. Frame amplification is when something is focused upon, and how this framing is used politically by whomever is empowering the framing. Frame extension is when an adherent pool of the movement is now being partnered with various values—these can implode on themselves. Frame transformation is an alteration of the frames.

These deal with how people use socially constructed frames to push forward some issue or another.

Frame processes that can be used with educational perspectives:

• frame bridging
• frame amplification
• frame extension
• frame transformation

From these four frame alignment processes, how can educators use them to help move education forward as a political agenda? How can these processes be used? How does power maintain itself? One way about this is by showing how opposing frames can be ridiculous, causing it to implore.

It is interesting how these framing issues have turned into a larger discussion about how various issues within professional organizations. The issue about using various keywords that  may or may not be exclusionary was discussed.

Andre Grace is speaking about his new institute at the University of Alberta, iSMSS (Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services), and he explained how he first started doing this work. Quite interesting work. Nice twist with referring to at risk as at promise. Andre always gives me something to think about. He makes a good point about how he now writes for the mainstream, and then slides queer into it. This is a thread which we spoke about earlier in the pre-conference, and I think many issues can be addressed in this light, especially when considering issues of justice and adult education.

Interesting reflection about acceptance and teaching it. As Andre is from Canada, he does not need to speak about acceptance of people; but rather about levels of respect, rights, safety, and security. He blends law and lawsuits into “tolerance” work with educators, rather than speaking about issues directly. In other words, meet people with giving them their WIIFM, especially if the WIIFM involves not getting sued.

Note to self; consider the use of language to best  help the audience accept your message. While I do normally think about this when i teach organizational communication, I do not normally think about this when considering educational issues and focusing on critical pedagogy.

Really interesting work with Camp fYrefly, which I have heard of over the years and which helps youth who struggle with issues around gender and sexual identity, which is referred to as sexual minority status in Canada. Nicely progressive.

This presentation is an interactive discussion on the structures of research as they are used politically, to keep people in hegemonic power and the order of things. What an interesting concept. Wayland Walker is speaking about these issues, and how various civil rights movements move forward while still maintaining the status quo.

Nice discussion at the beginning of the process about methodological perspectives, and from which frameworks he is working in (such as post-structuralism). Interesting about the concept of speaking differently depending on who is in the room, namely queer space. Have not heard that concept before.

Who makes knowledge in adult education? Interesting ethnographic question about this. This group is usually tenured professors who buy and sell education and training. The ritual acts are known as research. The shamans are peer reviewers. I really like hearing about this. He is continuing about how research takes on almost religious or cultural senses. Academia in the US is a religious sense in qualitative methods is listed as the real, in that triangulation and reproducing coding and such are now issues brings qualitative to quantitative.

Interesting perspective that qualitative work is becoming increasingly quantitative. Mixed methods is increasingly being used, so qualitative will have just enough quantitative. In this way, qualitative is increasingly seen as a step toward quant.

There is a great discussion about packaging funding and grant requests in order to get the funding, and then balance the research and advocacy (in whatever perspective) with it. This can be seen as a political issue. Interesting how much there are discussions about funding. Is that what academia has sunken to, constant talk about money? Perhaps in this way, working out in industry is more straight-forward?

Disrupting the theory/practice binary. Reminds me of the work I do in AHRD.

Are there academics in the trenches in adult education? Are adult educators involved in the fight and the movement for social change?

This is the 7th Annual LGBTQ&A Pre-Conference at the 50th Annual Adult Education Research Conference. We are in a nice room on the 5th floor at National Louis University, overlooking the Art Institute of Chicago.

Nice slideshow with an overview of the history of LGBT issues in the US (and beyond). Interesting how this seems interesting, especially after the California Supreme Court decision yesterday. Now, into the introductions . . .

People are mentioning what they have done, published, etc. Some of the online journals, such as New Horizons and Radical Pedagogy were discussed.

It seems the Anglican Church (Episcopal in the US) is considering the expulsion of rebel provinces that do not tow the party line on gays. According to the Times, there seems to be a lot of discussion about being gay and Anglican, so much so that the group is sounding more and more like the Catholic Church and its treatment of being gay.

I wonder what will happen when the conservative winds blow toward removing the ordination of women and divorce.

Technorati Tags: Anglican, schism

I have become more interested in philosophy recently, and spent some free time today looking around online to see what is going on in the area of philosophical research and continental philosophy, when what a surprise but to find a reference on the APA Committee on the Status of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People in the Profession Status of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People in the Profession webpage for John Corvino, a classmate of mine during our undergraduate study years ago at St. John’s University. It seems John is quite prolific in his work in and around ethical theory. Small world after so many years of no contact.

Congratulations, John, on your recent tenure!

Technorati Tags: American Philosophical Association, APA, John Corvino, St. John’s University

Kris Wells & Ray Johnson

Policy and Practice – Positive Space

Ray began by reading a poem

He works in a rural area. Policy #795

Race Relations Cross Cultural understanding and Human Rights – RCH liaison

People would call that they wanted to discuss these issues, but the area is so homophobic and rural and fundamentalist, that people would not do this

he wrote a Preamble that did not have the term tolerance, since that term has negative connotations

he has found that this new policy has released the pent up demand, people do not know how to put this into place.

the problem with education is it is hierarchical, paternalistic, and isolationistic, so he stated this is dangerous work for him. Education is very behind the times in Canada, so he is trying to play catch-up. Teacher and parents and students have these rights and have to be trained to use them.

he teaches in an inclusive manner

the

www.egale.ca – the entire policy is there in PDF format and is downloadable.

policy is one thing, and implementation is another. 

it is about moving out of the community, not only working within the community. This wat peeople, such as the divas, can be part of the community and give back to it by working in it and performing for it, since this is about getting out to the larger audience.

once the policy was approved, and the surface barriers were removed. Then comes the real work of addressing the deeper-seated issues that still tend to counter the issues the policy is established to address

the policy is wonderful, but the systemic backlash within those systems shows how it can be very challenging to implement the policy

“You should offer the legitimate voices of equity their own power” 

“He has a place to give voice to who he is.”

It seems the Worldwide Anglican Communion (Episcopal in the US) is becoming more intolerant and traditional by the day. When the invitations from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, went out for their every-ten-year Lambeth Conference, he neglected to invite the two openly gay American bishops, according to the BBC. I suppose Gene Robinson and Martyn Minns are excluded because they are different from the very tradition that the conservative bishops want to "protect." It is a good thing for them that this did not stop Henry VIII from starting the denomination itself, simply because he did not want to hold to the old traditions imposed by formerly Catholic England. Strange, that such power struggles sometimes seems so far away, especially when those who are religious decide who God likes more than others and therefore who has more of a right to having and using his or her voice. Nothing like being silenced by not being invited to participate.

Perhaps what comes around, goes around? More accurately, how soon we forget our history.