Activist education is conducted by and with activists, is openly interested in the processes of change-making, and utilises education methods that effect justice-oriented social change.
We use the expression ‘activist education’ to describe our work. This has implications not just for what we consider important for community organisers to learn, but how we believe adults learn most effectively. We’ve facilitated discussions and workshops with other social movement trainers and facilitators to explore just what might be involved in working as activist educators. The educational principles and practices (or pedagogy) that guide our work include:
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 | experiential and empowered learning | |
listening and reflection | |
mentorship | |
questioning, not telling | |
exercises linked to real and contemporary change work | |
building a ‘container’ or learning environment characterised | |
by trust, openness, honesty, self-critique, mutual respect and support. |
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We avoid the ‘talking head’ approach to adult education, the facilitator as expert; and treating participants as empty vessels. Our pedagogy is influenced by the Rant Collective who describe their approach as "empowered learning". Like us, the Rant Collective, draw inspiration from Paulo Freire’s popular education work in Brazil. Empowered learning involves respecting participants, reflecting on and sharing life experience, and developing tools, skills and confidence. Their workshops, like ours, are active (not lectured) and involve exercises, role plays and discussion.
We are guided by the 'spiral model' of learning that was developed and practiced by the Doris Marshal Institute in Toronto. The spiral model emphasises reflecting on experience and incorporating new information in action.
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We’ve also been influenced by Training for Change. Based in Philadelphia, Training for Change is one of the United States’ best-known activist education and training organisation. They refer to their approach as direct education, a pedagogy based on:
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| actions that directly confront and challenge the current system of injustice; | |
education that directly confronts and challenges the current system of injustice (including how people are taught) | |
respecting the expertise of the people themselves, rather than looking for expertise in textbooks and teachers | |
the influence of experiential and popular education. |
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| some of our favourite activist education resources | |
 | Activist education dimensions (173K pdf) - An exercise to assist activist educators to categorise their work and the world of activist education, and to reflect on their (often sub-conscious) choices and priorities. |  | | Co-facilitation (169K pdf) - Outlines the major advantages, some potential disadvantages, and suggestions for avoiding the dangers in co-facilitation. | | | Co-facilitation inventory (172K pdf) - A guide to maximising the learning experience of working together, including learning theory, personal motivation, expectations, and intervention style. | | | Debriefing workshop sessions (179K pdf) - Some ideas for creative processing and debriefing of activities such as large group discussions and journal writing. | | | Diagnostic tools (261K pdf) - A series of tools for facilitators to learn a group’s needs and how to move the group forward. | | | Giving and receiving feedback (216K pdf) - Strategies for enhancing effective feedback whilst reinforcing acceptance, confidence, and contributions from participants. | | | Formation of Freirian Facilitators - Phyllis Nobel, 1978 - Food for thought for activist educators, including a useful review of literature by and about Paulo Freire. | | | Handling the most difficult participant (136K pdf) - Some effective strategies for dealing with difficult workshop participants. | | | How to design a workshop (130K pdf) - A recommended process for designing an effective workshop by George Lakey (Training For Change). | | | How to build safety in a group (152K pdf) - If the facilitator and the group do a good job of building safety, then the participants will frequently go out of their comfort zone in order to stretch and grow. This document outlines techniques for developing security within a group. | | | Maximise–minimise learning (153K pdf) - A powerful method for engaging participants in a process of becoming responsible learners, identifying strategies for maximising learning, and encouraging personal self-reflection. | | | Mentorship and peer support (32k pdf) - Simple institutional arrangements, like the three options outlined here, can make a huge difference to campaigners’ sense of support and their long-term sustainability. | | | Models of education (56kb doc) - This document captures some key forms of education: facilitation, training, conscientisation in an attempt to differentiate between them. | | | Reflecting on lessons learned (136K pdf) - A tool to encourage and share participants’ self-reflection and work with others. | | | Review tools (148K pdf) - Tools and games to assist participants' learning through recall, ensure core proficiencies have been covered, and review major lessons and insights. | | | Photolanguage (188K pdf) - An exercise to facilitate self-awareness, deepen engagement and relationships,
stimulate creativity in personal expression, and connections between intellectual reflection and personal experience. | | | Review of activities (92k pdf) - Introduces four purposes of strategy. | | | Understanding the experiential learning cycle (169K pdf) - These different types of questions correspond to the stages of the experiential learning cycle. This resource is a useful guide for educators preparing workshop discussion prompts. | | | The ‘never evers’ of workshop facilitation (191K pdf) - Experience and research indicate certain things that a facilitator should never do during a workshop. Peggy Sharp (National Staff Development Council)presents an overview of these in this article. | | | Workshop schedule template (132K pdf) - A template that can be utilised in planning workshop objectives, rationale, and structure. | |
| great activist education tools and thoughts from TfC | |
| no to two-hour workshops [61k doc] - a great reminder by Daniel Hunter (a training associate with Training for Change) that empowered learning and direct education take time. | |  | water glass exercise - this activity is used by Ouyporn Khuankeaw, a trainer in Thailand who most often works with village development workers, women leaders, monks and nuns, and NGO staff. She finds that popular education/experiential education is easier for participants to get the most out of if they understand that it is actually a different model from the prevailing teacher-centered model. | | | maximise-minimise [84k pdf] - An exercise to build a workshop 'container' in which participants exercise responsibility for their own learning. | |
We have collected some popular educators thoughts and insights into models of activist education.
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| a supportive and respectful community of practice | |
During the 2006 Nonviolence Trainers gathering, several Australian activist educators developed a set of principles for how we hope to work together. We resolved that activist educators in a supportive and respectful community of practice would:
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| share resources and acknowledge where they were sourced (if desired by creator or author) | |
share constructive critical feedback (we described this role as ‘critical friend’) | |
support each other | |
have open borders, be invitational to educators and trainers on the margins, and welcome newcomers | |
respond to the needs of trainers/educators in times of difficulty | |
be aware of existing oppression and the need to constantly be working towards dissolving its potency | |
acknowledge our work is important, invaluable and needs to be sustainable |
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| activist educators' skillshare | |
In June 2007 we convened an Activist Educators' skillshare to strengthen our community of practice. The 17 participants work with a range of social movements in Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand) as educators, facilitators and trainers. If you are an activist educator and would like to be part of the group's ongoing dialogue and sharing, let us know.
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| environmental advocacy course | |
Between 2003 and 2006, James convened the Environmental Advocacy Elective at Griffith University, Brisbane.
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