Community Development: A Shift in Thinking Towards Heutagogy

As a result of the distinct socio-economic changes that UK society has faced in over recent years more specific community health development approaches to curricula delivery are required to ensure the provision of effective methods and approaches to health improvement. An effective way in which to promote successful curricula is to adopt and engage with Barnet’s (1994; 2004; 2012) notion of a tri partite model, incorporating, societal, institutional and students needs. In order to achieve this, a holistic approach to curricula delivery must be adopted. However due to the fragmented nature of the delivery ‘community development’ curricula; good, effective, and pedagogical based delivery approaches and methods are not widely shared. The authors in this paper/presentation will explore the pedagogical basis of the CD curriculum and present a model of joined up thinking, incorporating a cross disciplinary approach to curriculum development and explore strategic approaches to teaching concepts in community development. In this paper the authors argue that a self-determined learning approach that involves an expansion and re-interpretation of andragological principles. A shift in thinking towards heautagogy will enable the learner to develop space, promoting the learner as an “architect” of learning.