Naïve individuals promote collective exploration in homing pigeons

Group-living animals that rely on stable foraging or migratory routes can develop behavioural traditions to pass route information down to inexperienced individuals. Striking a balance between exploitation of social information and exploration for better alternatives is essential to prevent the spread of maladaptive traditions. We investigated this balance during cumulative route development in the homing pigeon Columba livia. We quantified information transfer within pairs of birds in a transmission-chain experiment and determined how birds with different levels of experience contributed to the exploration–exploitation trade-off. Newly introduced naïve individuals were initially more likely to initiate exploration than experienced birds, but the pair soon settled into a pattern of alternating leadership with both birds contributing equally. Experimental pairs showed an oscillating pattern of exploration over generations that might facilitate the discovery of more efficient routes. Our results introduce a new perspective on the roles of leadership and information pooling in the context of collective learning.

A Learning Journey through a Heart-Centered Book

As faculty for a graduate program in early childhood leadership, we co-designed a course on community-based action research around Patricia Wilson’s book, The Heart of Community Engagement: Practitioner Stories from Across the Globe. In this review we share how it mirrored our own deepening sense of community engagement practices, and how our students engaged with this unique text on their individual and collective learning journeys. We share highlights from the text that reinforced our sense of liberatory pedagogy. Wilson’s personal stories, as well as the stories of community-engaged practitioners across the globe , invite all of us to create our own purpose and intentions for the evolving path of facilitating change within ourselves and with others.

Future designs of tertiary dance education: Scanning the field for decolonizing potentials in a major change project at the Department for Dance Pedagogy at Stockholm University of the Arts

This performative hybrid research and development project contributes knowledge about the decolonizing potentials and challenges that are articulated through an initial scanning of the dance pedagogical field as part of a large change project in tertiary dance education at the Department for Dance Pedagogy at Stockholm University of the Arts in Sweden. To do this scanning in a way that would promote collective learning, multiple perspective taking and creativity, we utilised design thinking. In total, 140 scan cards collected through the project were analysed. Both students and staff and other people in different parts of the world within the dance educational field created the scan cards. As a result, we suggest that the scanning of the field has pushed ourselves, the rest of the staff, students, and others into a process of collective learning, multiple perspective taking, and creativity, in which clear decolonizing potentials, as well as challenges to change are expressed.

Les petits exploitants agricoles à l’école inclusive : cas de l’apprentissage collectif par la vidéo et la radio sur la post-récolte du riz local au Bénin

En Afrique subsaharienne, les petits exploitants agricoles ruraux ont difficilement accès aux connaissances et informations actualisées afin d’améliorer leur revenu. Pour renforcer l’apprentissage collectif au sein des acteurs des chaînes de valeur du riz local blanc et étuvé, la vidéo et la radio ont été utilisées de façon participative. La présente étude visait à comprendre l’influence de cet apprentissage collectif sur (i) le changement des pratiques des transformations et (ii) la qualité du riz local. Des interviews et suivis hebdomadaires ont été réalisés entre 2009 et 2018 au sud et nord du Bénin auprès de 240 transformateurs choisis aléatoirement. Des échantillons de riz ont été également collectés pour des analyses de qualité au laboratoire. L’analyse des données a été faite avec les tests t de Student, Wilcoxon, ANOVA, et le modèle de régression de Poisson. Les résultats ont montré une amélioration des pratiques de 14% ; 23% et 58% respectivement dans les villages contrôles, radio et vidéo. Dans le processus d’amélioration des pratiques, les transformateurs ont renforcé leur créativité en développant des technologies appropriées à leur environnement ; ce qui a eu un impact positif sur les qualités physiques et de cuisson du riz. Dans un contexte de pauvreté, d’insécurité alimentaire, de ruralité et d’analphabétisme, l’apprentissage collectif par la vidéo et la radio locale se révèle être une opportunité pour le renforcement du système d’innovation agricole. English title: Smallholder farmers at inclusive school: Lessons learnt from collective learning through video and radio on local rice processing in Benin In sub-Saharan Africa, rural smallholder farmers have limited access to timely and up-to-date knowledge and information to improve their incomes. To strengthen collective learning among rice sector’ stakeholders, videos and radio were participatory used. This study aims to assess the impact of this collective learning on (i) changing rice processors practices and (ii) the quality of local rice. Interviews and weekly follow-ups were conducted between 2009 and 2018 in southern and northern Benin with 240 randomly selected rice processors. Rice samples were also collected for quality analysis in the laboratory. Data analysis was done with Student's t-tests, Wilcoxon, one-way ANOVA, and the Poisson regression model. The results showed an improvement in rice processors practices of 14%; 23% and 58% respectively in control, video and radio villages. During the improvement of their practices, rice processors have increased their creativity by developing appropriate technologies to their environment; and this has positively impact on the physical and cooking qualities of the rice. In a context of poverty, food insecurity, rurality and illiteracy, collective learning through video and radio seems to be an opportunity to strengthen the agricultural innovation system, and a booster for change through adoption and adaptation of innovation.

Triggering sustainable professional agency: using change laboratory to tackle unequal access to educational success collectively

Purpose This study aims to depict how a change laboratory (CL) promotes sustainable professional practice at the workplace to tackle unequal access to educational success. Design/methodology/approach The empirical findings are from a CL focusing on school professionals’ agency and a follow-up study one year after the CL. Findings The study shows how the staff gained insight that professional agency is a collective and relational practice. Furthermore, the staff explored how to make a difference with viable means to create new workplace models for students’ success despite experiencing a conundrum. Research limitations/implications This study examined participants’ perspectives in workplace change and provided support for further research examining how professionally and collectively designed models gain sustainability in schools. Practical implications This study provides empirical data of how professional agency for change driven by collective visions can be accelerated with the interventionist method CL among school professionals. Social implications This study emphasizes the value of professional collective learning at the workplace, driven by several professional groups in school, and the need to follow up to detect sustainable change. Originality/value This study emphasizes the value of professional collective learning at the workplace, driven by several professional groups in school, and the need to follow up to detect sustainable change.

Collective Teaching Methods in Liberal Arts Education

The article analyzes the prospect of using collective teaching methods in higher education. The psychological component of the effectiveness of the collective teaching method is substantiated: conditions for the formation of positive self-esteem, improvement of the psychological climate of the study group; decrease in volitional tension during classes due to greater dynamism (complete absence of monotony due to a change in activities). creating a positive emotional background by meeting the social need for communication. The substantiation of the pedagogical effectiveness of the collective learning method is given by the fact that information is perceived immediately through the visual and auditory channel, systematized and refined, the period between the assimilation and use of information is minimal. In the course of clarifying the concept of collective learning, it is compared with group teaching methods. The choice of a collective teaching method is substantiated. A pedagogical experiment on the use of a collective teaching method is presented and its results are evaluated.