Social Frames and Framing

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.

Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services (iSMSS)

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.

Research as a Political Device

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?

LGBTQ&A Pre-Conference

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.

Adult Education Research Conference (AERC2009)

No sooner do I get myself home and settled from my perspective-reinforcing Qualitative Congress, but now I am off again, this time headed to Chicago for the 50th Adult Education Research Conference. This time, I am presenting a paper entitled The Critical Incident Questionnaire (CIQ): From Research to Practice and Back 5008 Again.

If you are in Chicago on Saturday, May 30, from 9:00-9:45 and want to check it out, I will be in room 5008 at the National-Louis University (NLU) Campus, 122 S. Michigan Avenue.

50th-aniv-logo