Community Organizing and Education (Vocabulary Flashcards)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the lecture notes on community organizing, education, and training design.

Community

A social unit defined by geography, relationships, interests, or common purposes.

Geographical community

A community centered on a region (hamlet, town, neighborhood, street) with defined boundaries.

Interest/Identification community

People involved in particular interests or actions (e.g., religious groups, art communities, advocacy groups).

Sectoral/Membership community

People associated with a certain industry, profession, or area of interest (e.g., LGBT, Women, Farmers, Youth).

Collective relationships

Networks of connections (e.g., colleagues, friends) that give life meaning and identity.

Need or Benefit community

People experiencing problems or benefiting from a resolution.

Action community (Community of Action, CoA)

A community that recognizes a problem and works to resolve it, often organizing volunteer campaigns and social change.

Target community

A subset of the population eligible for priority services and the subject of a Project Implementing Entity (PIE).

Peripheral community

A sense of community arising from peripheral interactions without direct engagement.

Rural

An open area with low population density and few houses.

Suburban

Area outside a town or city with more dwellings and limited shops.

Urban

A highly developed area surrounding a city with dense infrastructure and non-agricultural work.

Rurban

A region primarily residential but with some agricultural land.

Virtual community

A group that communicates verbally and intellectually via digital networks, not necessarily meeting in person.

Education

Act of gaining or imparting broad knowledge and reasoning to prepare for adulthood.

Training

Systematic acquisition of knowledge, skills, concepts, and attitudes to improve work performance.

Community Education

Developing individuals and communities by building capacity, relationships, and problem-solving through local education linkages.

Lifelong learning

A continual, self-motivated attitude to learning across life, formal or informal.

Resource utilization

The percentage of available resources currently used; planning to use resources wisely.

Self-determination

Ability of individuals to make decisions and manage their own lives; right and responsibility to assess needs and resources.

Self-help

Actions individuals can perform to improve themselves, often with guided support and planning.

Leadership development

Training local leaders in problem solving, decision-making, and group processes.

Institutional responsiveness

Public institutions adapting programs and services to changing public needs.

Localization

Adapting products or services to local language, culture, standards, and laws.

Maximum use of resources

Fully utilizing physical, financial, and human resources in a coordinated way.

Inclusiveness

Equitable opportunities for participation and representation for all groups.

Access to public information

Sharing information across agencies to understand facts in people’s lives.

Andragogy

Knowles’ theory: adults are self-directed and learn best through problem-solving, hands-on activity, and life experience.

Five assumptions of adult learners

Adults are autonomous, bring experience, are ready to learn when needed, are problem-centered, and motivated internally.

Characteristics of adult learning

Self-directed, problem-centered, experienced, readiness to learn, internal motivation.

Types of adult education

Formal, non-formal, and informal education, distinguished by structure and credentials.

Connectionism (Thorndike)

Learning as forming associations between stimuli and responses (S-R).

Law of Readiness

Learning progresses when the learner is prepared to act toward a goal.

Law of Exercise

Connections strengthen with practice and weaken when practice stops.

Law of Effect

Behaviors followed by rewarding outcomes become more likely.

Thorndike’s Behavioral Perspective

Theory emphasizing S-R connections and the three laws of learning.

Kolb’s Learning Styles: Diverger

Prefers learning through feeling, imagination, group work; emphasizes ideas and diverse perspectives.

Kolb’s Learning Styles: Assimilator

Prefers reading, lectures, and theory; organizes information logically and abstractly.

Kolb’s Learning Styles: Converger

Solves practical problems; favors technical tasks and applied learning.

Kolb’s Learning Styles: Accommodator

Hands-on learner who relies on intuition and teamwork; enjoys new challenges.

Kolb’s Learning Cycle: Concrete Experience

Learner gains knowledge through direct, tangible experience.

Kolb’s Learning Cycle: Reflective Observation

Learner analyzes experiences from multiple perspectives.

Kolb’s Learning Cycle: Abstract Conceptualization

Learner forms theories and models to explain experiences.

Kolb’s Learning Cycle: Active Experimentation

Learner tests ideas through action and practical application.

Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

Theory that people have diverse kinds of intelligences beyond IQ.

Visual-Spatial

Ability to visualize and manipulate images and spatial relationships.

Linguistic-Verbal

Strength in word use, writing, and speaking.

Logical-Mathematical

Strong reasoning, pattern recognition, and problem solving with numbers.

Bodily-Kinesthetic

Dexterity and coordination; skilled with body movement.

Musical

Sensitivity to sound, rhythm, and patterns in music.

Interpersonal

Skill in understanding and relating to others.

Intrapersonal

Self-awareness of thoughts, feelings, and motivations.

Naturalistic

Interest in nature and caring for living things.

Existential intelligence

Capacity to contemplate big questions about life, purpose, and meaning.

Synergogy

Learning in small teams through structured interactions and non-directive guidance.

Tenets of synergogy

Collaboration, active listening, reflection, experiential learning, and diversity.

Transformative Learning (Mezirow)

Learning that changes how people think about themselves and the world.

Disorienting dilemma

A problem that unsettles current meaning structures, triggering transformation.

Self-examination

Reflecting on knowledge and attitudes after a challenging problem.

Critical assessment of assumptions

Evaluating and questioning old beliefs in light of new information.

Recognition that others share transformation

Knowing others have undergone similar changes, reducing isolation.

Exploration

Looking for new roles and opportunities after transformation.

Planning a course of action

Developing a plan to apply new perspectives.

Acquisition of knowledge and skills for implementing the plan

Gaining the necessary know-how to enact the plan.

Trying out the plan

Testing the new plan in real-life situations.

Development of competence and self-confidence in new roles

Gaining ability and confidence in the transformed identity.

Reintegration into life

Adapting life with new perspectives and practices.

Designing training programs

Creating structured training plans and activities to meet objectives.

Stages in designing a training program

Analysis, Planning, Program Design, Program Management, Implementation, Evaluation, Continuing Training.

Analysis (in design)

Gathering data to identify training needs and problems.

Training Needs Analysis (TNA)

Process to determine if training will address the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed.

Job Analysis

Examining a job in detail to understand required performance.

Task Analysis

Analyzing the KSAs needed to perform tasks.

Role Analysis

Evaluating the performance of roles to set standards.

Program Design

Document detailing objectives, curriculum, methods, duration, and resources.

Rationale

Overview of the training’s purpose and expected outcomes.

Target participants

The group of trainees who should actively participate in the training.

Curriculum

Description of course structure: objectives, content, methods, duration.

SMART (planning tool)

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound—criteria for setting clear targets.

Resource Person

Expert who delivers content to participants.

Participant

Person who participates actively in the training.

Training Team

Group including the training director, facilitators, and assistants supporting the program.

Dry Run

A mock run of the training to identify issues before actual delivery.

Training Kit

All materials needed by participants (handouts, diaries, pens, IDs, etc.).

Administrative and Financial Support

Funding and logistical support for training activities.

Facilitating

Enabling people to learn through a process that combines task and group development.

Facilitator

Leader who manages session flow and helps participants develop learning.

Unfreezing

Preparing learners to change by reducing resistance and opening minds.

Ice Breakers

Brief activities to energize and prepare participants for training.

Priming

Setting expectations and goals to guide the training.

Integration (Refreezing)

Consolidating new learning so it can be applied in real life.

Processing

Drawing out experiences and interpreting them within the learning context.

SLEs (Structured Learning Exercises)

Group-based activities to achieve learning through interaction and dynamics.

Recapitulation

Daily summary of previous session and progress assessment.

Team Building

Exercises to promote group cohesion and collective effectiveness.

Clinic-ing

Post-activity evaluation focusing on process, relationships, environment, and issues.