Cultural Development Consulting

ALASDAIR FOSTER took part in the 2016 Adult Learning Global Change institute, which that year was held in Sweden. The Institute meets every two years hosted by a different member, usually in one of Australia, Canada, South Africa or Sweden, the respective bases of the founding academic institutions.

Dr Foster presented a paper entitled ‘Shooting the Moon: dyslexia, diversity, democracy’. The paper explored the opportunities and benefits of being dyslexic. In doing so it considered what is lost by a narrow concept of education and the powers at play that might wish to see such a state of affairs maintained. Drawing on the work of Brazilian educationalist, Paulo Freire, and Howard Gardiner’s concept of multiple intelligences, the paper developed an argument for the recognition of alternative ways of considering intelligence and creativity. It explored how these ways of thinking might be harnessed and how, in doing so, we might come to recognise that each citizen can (and should) be an empowered and active participant in the creation of our shared cultures.

Images:

Upper: Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, one of the venues used for the Institute meetings
Lower: title from ‘Shooting the Moon’ lecture

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