Learning developers as their own cultural critics?

Abstract

The values that guide the work of ALDinHE and those associated with us as an organisation include ‘making HE inclusive through emancipatory practice, partnership working and collaboration’ and ‘critical self-reflection, on-going learning and a commitment to professional development’ (ALDinHE, 2022). However, considering this from a relational, or systems thinking perspective; how achievable are these values? Can we truly be inclusive to all? Exploring this notion in my doctoral research, using Bourdieu’s relational framework (Bourdieu, 1992; Bourdieu, 1993; Bourdieu, 1997; Bourdieu & Passeron, 1990) I was confronted with some uncomfortable truths. Education is reproductive in the sense that it selects those with the necessary capital to succeed and nurtures them to develop further. The diversity of student’s prior experience, background and capital to succeed is clear, and Learning Developers know how difficult Higher Education can be to navigate, but how often do we reflexively consider how our work reproduces the cultural system. Conference attendees working in small groups, discussed a brief precis of my Doctoral research, a copy of ALDinHE values and summary of Bourdieu’s notion of autonomy (Bourdieu, 1992). The following questions were posed to prompt discussion. How autonomous are we as practitioners and are we able to change the system that reproduces the inequality of society? Is being positioned by students as part of their curriculum through embedded practice advantageous all of the time? Do we focus on the knowledge and skills students bring, or are we forced to help them adapt to the game?