Community-Based Learning Commons^™

Applied Theatre For Peacebuilding: Exploring The Value Of Embodied Practice, Emily Machin-Mayes

Capstone Collection

Arts, storytelling, theatre, and drama have been woven into strategic approaches to peacebuilding after conflict to engage with people’s experiences and emotions, share silenced stories, and build trust and empathy. Applied theatre challenges audience members to take a more active role, either through participating in the storytelling or acting itself or through dialogue and reflection activities. This collaborative art form has been used for community-building, reconciliation efforts as well as in post-conflict settings. This study examines the impact and value of an intensive applied theatre workshop, using participant-observation, and semi-structured interviews. Some of the qualitative findings include the value participants …

Youth Alchemy: Non-Formal Learning Around Identity & Agency, Jayashri Sarkar

Dissertation Collection

The social and educational disruption during confluence of COVID isolation and Black Lives Matter protests was critical to learning and agency amongst Youth of Color. This phenomenological qualitative study centers around Youth of Color in Providence, Rhode Island as they contested formal education and sought to make meaning of these events. Drawing on Amartya Sen’s capability approach, a series of in-depth phenomenological interviews with participants to explore the meaning they gleaned from their engagement in Youth-led emancipatory educational initiatives, particularly in terms of their sense of identity and agency. Although existing literature documents Youth resistance, this study explores Youth reflections …

“Mira Cómo Tejemos”: La Construcción De Una Red Comunitaria Y La Educación Ambiental En La Organización Frente Insular De La Reserva Marina De Galápagos, Katie Draeger

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El Frente Insular de la Reserva Marina de Galápagos (FIRMAG o Frente Insular) es una organización para la conservación comunitaria, ubicada en la isla de Santa Cruz. Para explorar el significado del trabajo comunitario de esta organización, este estudio examina dos elementos de la estructura organizativa: los valores y las fortalezas. Al analizar tanto las perspectivas de los líderes y miembros de FIRMAG como las observaciones sobre el trabajo mismo, los valores que buscan construir y servir la comunidad se revelan como 1) un rechazo a la institucionalidad/burocracia y 2) a los fondos extranjeros, 3) la educación ambiental comunitaria sin …

An Exploratory Study Into Empowering Grade 10 And 11 Learners Through Critical Engagement With South African Literature: A Case Study In Cato Manor, Sally Fales

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This qualitative research project explores how critical engagement with Black South- African authored literature empowers the voices of grade 10 and 11 students in the Cato Manor township of South Africa. Located within a Freirean educational framework, this research utilizes a critical pedagogy approach to empower student voices through representation in texts, deconstruction of a knowledge hierarchy, problem-posing pedagogy, and exposure to themes of racial pride and self-agency in selected literature. This study employs a general qualitative design paradigm consisting of engagement with 3 focus groups of 10-11 learners spanning grades 10 and 11 in Cato Manor public secondary schools. …

Discusión Política En Los Liceos De Santiago, Chile: Explorando Las Escuelas Cómo Espacio De Ciudadanía Formación Y Reflexión Critica, Nicole Rodríguez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este proyecto aborda el tema de lo político y las políticas en las escuelas de Chile. Yo me enfoqué en liceos en Santiago. Durante mi papel, exploré los temas de ciudadanía, formación de la menta adolescente, la manera en que el espacio de la escuela está usado por los escolares y por la administración, y cómo la historia influye en las decisiones de los estudiantes. En el fin, muestro qué es muy difícil crear clasificaciones por los tipos de ciudadanía para donde se encuentran los adolescentes. Para cumplir esto, entrevisté dos escolares y una encargada de convivencia de dos liceos. …

La Educación Alternativa Y Comunitaria Y El Rol De La Minka En La Comunidad De Chukidel Ayllu Llakta – Lagunas En Saraguro: Un Enfoque Intercultural Y Multilingüe, Kristin Lynn Vogel

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta monografía discute dos casos de educación alternativa y comunitaria, respectivamente, entre el espacio educativo Yachay Kawsay y la escuela comunitaria Inti Raymi en el pueblo de Saraguro en la provincia de Loja, Ecuador, utilizando la información de la observación y las entrevistas. Específicamente, yo examino la práctica indígena de la minka, lo que es y cómo desempeña un papel en el funcionamiento de la educación en la comunidad de Chukidel Ayllu Llakta – Lagunas, del apoyo por los padres a la alimentación de los estudiantes hasta la recaudación de los fondos para propuestas educativas. Además, yo examino la metodología …

Improving Pre-Departure Training For English Teacher Volunteers In Costa Rica: An Examination Of Aliarse And Recommendations, Derek Schwartz

Capstone Collection

Volunteering outside of one’s country and culture is a challenging endeavor. While abroad, international volunteers generally encounter a new language, culture, and lifestyle which can create challenges for volunteers. Pre-departure training can buffer and lend nuance to the difficulties that volunteers face. In Costa Rica, the organization Aliarse manages a volunteer project that experiences high volunteer attrition and incorporates minimal pre-departure training. This case study draws on quantitative and qualitative data collected from questionnaires and semi-structured interviews of former Aliarse volunteers over two months. Results from the data found that ninety-four percent of the interviewees said interacting either directly or …

Marrying Science And Experience: An Exploration Of How Multilinguals Interact With And Between Languages And Cultures, Allie Heeg Polzin

MA TESOL Collection

This paper will begin exploring bi- and multilingualism at an individual level. The author will explore previous research written on how the brain processes several languages, how languages might affect individuals emotionally, and how one switches between languages as well as the effects of this, if any. Beyond this, the experience of navigating languages between discourse communities and balancing two or more cultures will be considered. As the title suggests, the science of multilingualism will be married with the diverse individual experience while considering both intrapersonal and interpersonal relations. The author will look at her own experience as well as …

La Integración De Las Necesidades Especiales Educativas En Aulas Convencionales Chilenos: Investigación Y Experiencias Vividas, Julia Alfiere

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El movimiento hacia la integración de estudiantes con necesidades especiales educativas (NEE) en aulas convencionales ha ganado tracción en los últimos veinte años como un asunto no solamente del reforma educacional, pero de derechos para estudiantes con discapacidades y necesidades educativas especiales también. Este informe investiga los resultados del movimiento hacia la integración con relación a la experiencia de integración en sí, y el rendimiento académico y la experiencia en el aula de los estudiantes con NEE. En el proceso de investigación para este informe, se entrevistaron varios partes interesadas, como docentes de educación diferencial y padres de estudiantes con …

Luchando Por El Derecho A La Educación. Un Estudio Sobre Las Relaciones Existentes Entre La Educación Popular Y La Efectivización Del Derecho A La Educación Desde La Perspectiva De Docentes Y Trabajadores De Bachilleratos Populares., Madeline Samson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Las políticas neoliberales basadas en el mercado aplicadas en Argentina y que concluyeron con las devastadora crisis económica de 2001, dejaron una cantidad significativa de jóvenes expulsados y excluidos del sistema educativo secundario. En la búsqueda de una alternativa para que el derecho a la educación se viera efectivizado, muchas organizaciones sociales abrieron escuelas secundarias populares en toda la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, conocidas como bachilleratos populares. Este escrito analiza la conceptualización del derecho a la educación en Argentina y, desde las perspectivas de docentes y trabajadores de dos de estos bachilleratos, se propone conocer la historia y las características …

Factors In Refugee Resilience Building During Humanitarian Response, Rachel Starner

Capstone Collection

If countries hosting refugees want to build resiliency and reduce dependency on foreign relief, humanitarian response and local development need to be addressed simultaneously, and collaboration at all levels of stakeholders needs to take place in planning and decision making. Additionally, innovation and strong leadership are strong factors in creating and leading new ideas as funding and world leadership dynamics change, especially with traditional leaders such as the US and the UN losing influence. Observations made at the Mahama Refugee Camp in Rwanda as well as existing document analysis reflect these traits by active efforts of camp administrators and humanitarian …

Critical Embodied Praxis For Social Justice And Peace Educators: A Story Of Personal Transformation Through Analysis Of My Jewish And Settler Identities, Cara Michelle Silverberg

Capstone Collection

In this paper, I examine definitions of and relationships between violence, oppression, peace, liberation, and embodiment in the context of critical pedagogy in order to construct a theory of critical embodied praxis for social justice and peace educators. Considering the body to be a tangible vessel through which narratives and mechanisms of violence are expressed and maintained, I explore the potential of the body to be a vessel through which liberatory narratives may be generated and shared. After constructing a theory of critical embodied praxis, I illustrate this framework in action through a personal narrative that explores the intersections …

Radical Moves: Negotiating Community And Transformation With (Some Of) Sit/South Africa’S Students Of Color, Kavita Sundaram

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Finding its foundations in inquiries of community, knowledge(s), relational truths, and radical transformation, this project wonders specifically how students of color from the School of International Training (SIT)/South Africa: Multiculturalism and Human Rights Spring 2019 semester abroad in Cape Town experience, negotiate with, and envision the potential futures of community/ies in and around the program. My research operates within a socioprogrammatic context which is highly racialized, seeking to listen to, document, and place in conversation the perspectives of our students of color. My meditations ground themselves in the individual and collective narrative(s) of our students of color, explored primarily in …

Towards An Agreed Definition Of Sustainability: Exploring The Concept Of Sustainability In Amherst, Massachusetts, Babatunde Ajao

Capstone Collection

Many educators agree that to learning about sustainability and discussing it’s implications on values, ethics and the role of humans are essential. With so many moving parts it is difficult to determine a sustainable assessment to encompass the changing world. The time has come for us to ask reflective questions about what exactly sustainability means. How has the term sustainability been used worldwide? What was the goal of sustainability and what is the result? Is there a better alternative to achieving this goal? By identifying the characteristics of best practice for sustainability, we take a step towards understanding the concept …

Informally Shaping A Child's Mind Around Genocide Within Rwandan Families, Cameron Voss

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

While policy and education are subject to change from research oriented projects, my research rather drives to understand and record how caregivers portrayed their own, others, and their country’s past to the next generation. The informal aspects of family structures, while highly influential, are difficult to navigate and track, and this research endeavors to unveil some of the hidden trends that are throughout Rwandan families with children born after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The generation that has matured in the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda have faced many challenges that few outside of …

Engaging America: Unearthing The Middle Way In The Conflict Between Liberals And Conservatives, Noah Cadet

Capstone Collection

Liberals and conservatives have waged conflict over development strategies since the founding of the United States of America. Observers of the 2016 Presidential Election may have noticed an escalation of a preexisting trend of destructive engagement between Democrats and Republicans. The researcher pursued primary and secondary research in an attempt to understand how conflict within and between development paradigms in the United States can be transcended. The central research question was regarding how this conflict affects efforts towards peacebuilding at the grassroots from the perspective of a liberal. The literature review provides a brief histories of US American Political Economy …

“Karm Hi Pooja Hai (Work Is Worship)” The Determinants That Influence The Subjective Health And Well-Being Of Cycle Rickshaw Wallahs In Varanasi, India, Benjamin Bryer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

A total of 11 interviews were conducted over a 4-week period to study the subjective health and well-being of cycle rickshaw drivers in Varanasi, India. Varanasi was chosen as the location of the study because cycle rickshaws remain an integral and common mode of transportation within the city. Using ethnographic and qualitative research methods, participants were asked semi-structured interview questions to determine their personal definitions of a good and healthy life. Participant observation was also a critical method of data collection, as it gave insight into the daily routine and schedule of a rickshaw puller.

Three overarching themes were identified …

Cacao Together: A Model For True Sustainability In The Chocolate Industry, Kerstin Roos

Capstone Collection

This Course Linked Capstone provides a critical analysis of the concept of sustainable development and then uses this analysis to create a social venture plan for a non-profit called Cacao Together. This capstone project will identify challenges in the sustainable use of cacao by first critiquing the mainstream sustainable development initiatives of certification schemes and corporate sustainability programs. It then offers an alternate framework through the 5 Capital Livelihood assessment tool which when applied, shows the gaps in cacao sustainability initiatives generally. I then propose a social venture that will addresses the needs of many parts of the chocolate supply …

Convivendo Na Lagoa Do Mineiro: An Education In Living And Loving With, Daniela Aldrich

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

One of Brazil’s most pressing issues is unequitable land distribution and agrarian land reform. Movimento Sem Terra (MST) is at the forefront of this struggle and has redistributed land to approximately 1,250 families so far. As well as access and right to land ownership, MST addresses issues from youth development, to education, to ecology and more with the mission to create a more just and inclusive Brazil by training its future leaders. This vision includes moving away from the capitalist system that currently enables hierarchies of power to control Brazil at the expense of many of its citizens and natural …

La Música Como Una Forma De Educación: Canciones Para Cambios Sociales / Music As A Form Of Education: Songs For Social Changes, Di Hu

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este proyecto de ISP no tradicional busca recrear un mini EP de tres canciones basado en el entorno problemático del sistema educativo chileno y sus influencias negativas en los estudiantes. Las canciones pretenden pedir cambios sociales y aumentar la conciencia al criticar los problemas y al mismo tiempo servir como una forma de educar a los jóvenes de la nueva generación sobre las realidades del sistema educativo actual. Usando información de observaciones escolares anteriores, inspiraciones de la música de diferentes músicos y lo más importante las narrativas de entrevistas, estas tres canciones tomaron forma en tres temas principales: un llamado …

A Danza De Las Tijeras Continuidad Dinámica Y Reivindicación De La Identidad Indígena Andina / Dance Of The Scissors Dynamic Continuity And Reclamation Of Andean Indigenous Identity, Cinthia Durán

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research project aims to analyze the contemporary ways in which the Dance of Scissors is practiced and reproduced to determine if its continuity outside the place of origin, with all the modifications that it has experienced, can be considered a form of cultural resistance. Resistance in this context is addressed in two specific ways: as a dynamic continuity of Andean indigenous identity and as a tool of cultural vindication. To achieve this goal, during the work period the research methodology consisted of interviewing dancers and scissors musicians; be a participant as observer of skills and essays of Tijeras dancers …

Exploring Rwanda's Continuing Education Capacity For Information Communications Technology (Ict) Skills, Li Keen Lim

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As Rwanda strives to become the ICT hub of the region, it will need to develop its greatest asset: its people, in ICT skills. This exploratory study used 30 semi-structured interviews, observation and secondary data from different sources, schools, students and NGOs, to answer a simple question: how does an everyday, working adult Rwandan learn new computers skills for a new computer age? This study found that a wide variety of suppliers fulfil different niches that give prospective students a range of prices, content, schedules, certification, practices, etc., and that demand is increasing for a host of different reasons. It …

The Dynamics Of Participatory Monitoring And Evaluation (Pm&E) In Traditional Pakistan., Aamer Shams

Capstone Collection

This research seeks to explore the interpretation and application of Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (PM&E) in the context of Educational Empowerment by analyzing insights gathered from multiple stakeholder groups in four cities of Pakistan, Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta, and Peshawar. Analysis of the findings reveals nuances of PM&E, including “Equality and Equity, Respect and Tolerance” (pg. 58-61) that limit the potential of this transdisciplinary empowerment process. Empowerment and educational programs often employ the continuous processes of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) to gain an understanding of the implementation, efficiency, impact, and overall performance of the program. M&E also provides valuable information about …

Towards Soulful And Sustainable Service: The Role Of Ethics In Global Service-Learning Programs Within Faith-Based Tertiary Institutions, Corrie Johnson

Capstone Collection

This research evaluates the practices of specified faith-based institutions within the field of undergraduate global service learning through the lens of each of the major themes in the Fair Trade Learning framework. These themes include equal partnership, mutual learning, cooperative and positive social change, economic equity, transparency, and sustainability. Initial survey outcomes present an overall picture of where these particular universities are at in regards to balancing student and community outcomes. Interview outcomes provide a more in-depth perspective of how mutual benefit for student participants and host communities is being considered within the global service-learning programs these programs facilitate. Some …

The Heart Of Experience: The Education Of A Practitioner's Journey, Tai Mesches

Capstone Collection

This Capstone, The Heart of Experience: The Education of a Practitioner’s Journey, is an illustrative reflection of myself experiencing my learning cycle, taking the reader through my own journey of growth as an experiential education practitioner. To engage the reader, I first shine light on the context of what role experience played in my life as a form of education, specifically reflecting on my time living abroad in China and my cross-cultural work with Chinese youth in Manhattan, New York, emphasizing basketball’s involvement as a tool for engagement. I describe how such experiences helped me return to school. To portray …

Bridges Out Of Poverty As An Anti-Poverty Strategy In Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, Katlyn M. Uhler

Capstone Collection

This paper explores the initial results of the Bridges Out of Poverty (“Bridges”) community framework as implemented by the organization Kennett Area Community Service in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The aim of this research is to provide perspective on Bridges Out of Poverty’s contribution to the understanding of poverty in the United States and its potential as an antipoverty intervention. It does so first through an exploration of the historical and current discussion on poverty and anti-poverty interventions in the United States, followed by research on the Bridges model itself and its implementation in Kennett Square. This latter research includes content …

Sustainable Tourism Study Through Solimar International, S Silongwengjia

Capstone Collection

This inquiry explores a pragmatic approach of sustainable tourism and its application as a transformative development instrument. It seeks a general understanding of the global tourism sector, looks specifically at an individual tourism enterprise, Solimar International, and examines rural tourism, and its proposed standards. It discusses the opportunities and threats to the culture, ecology, and livelihoods of the residents of destination tourism and the unique experience to geotravelers. It analyzes the theoretical development history of tourism and the integrated approach of Solimar International as a leading agency in the tourism industry sector. And it seeks to understand a new type …

Connecting Beyond The Circle: A Restorative Approach In Co-Creating A Safe Space For Social Justice Education At Utec, Nikki F. Pelonia

Capstone Collection

“Social justice is both a process and a goal. The goal of social justice education is full and equal participation of all groups in a community that is [co-created] to meet the members’ needs. Social justice includes a vision of a community that is equitable and all members are physically and psychologically safe and secure” (Adams, Bell, & Griffin, 2007, p. 1). In the process, one is used to going straight to issues of social justice before connecting by building trusts and relationships. This Course-Linked Capstone in Training focuses on SIT Graduate Institute coursework from Training Design in Experiential Learning …

¿Trabajando Juntos? La Dinámica De La Relación Entre Movimiento Estudiantil Y Movimiento Docente De 2014-2015 / Working Together? The Dynamics Of The Relationship Between Student Movement And Teacher Movement 2014-2015, Klielle Glanzberg-Krainin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación explora la relación entre movimiento estudiantil y movimiento docente en período de movilizaciones por demandas educativas. Para investigar esta relación, este proyecto se centra en los años 2014-2015 como un estudio de caso, porque durante esos años, hubo una movilización docente grande, y casi al mismo tiempo hubo una movilización estudiantil. Por eso, es viable la pregunta acerca de si existía una relación y si existió, cómo fue a través de estos movimientos, porque estaban sucediendo simultáneamente. Este proyecto se realizó a través de entrevistas con personas que estaban involucradas con los movimientos. Después de recopilar toda la …

A Glimpse Into Life On Avenida Caetano: An Auto-Ethnographical Study With Emphasis On Community Health And Social Determinants Of Health Within An Urban Context In Brotas, Salvador, Brazil, Harleen Bal

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Community health is a concept that encompasses many facets of life beyond simply the physical health of a community. Community health refers to the collective health, mental, physical, and emotional, of a specific community, encompassing all ages and genders within that group. In Brazil, the universal healthcare model focuses much on primary care and community health workers (Kahn, 2008; Gragnolati). In a particular community in Brotas, while the community has some resources, it is still lacking in jobs, education, financial resources, and perhaps also faces issues of violence and racial inequities. This study strives to utilize participant-observation methodology, interviews, and …