My initial project idea (which I am sure will change many times more…) centres around exploring the intersection of education and migration, focusing on how education can be better structured to support migrant and refugee learners. My interest in this area was sparked during my first teaching post in South London, where I worked with a diverse group of learners, many of whom were refugees or migrants. I saw firsthand the educational disruptions these learners faced—their schooling often stopped and started due to circumstances beyond their control. These experiences fueled my desire to understand how education can adapt to better support them, especially as they navigate new environments.
I aim to explore how formal and non-formal education systems can be better integrated to meet the needs of migrant and refugee learners. Reading the UNESCO report, Embracing a Culture of Lifelong Learning (2020), as part of the Culture, Heritage, and Learning Futures course further sparked my interest in lifelong learning models. The report emphasises the need to shift mindsets toward viewing learning as a continuous, lifelong process, which is particularly relevant for migrant learners who may not have access to traditional education pathways.
Questions currently on my mind include:
1. How can educational provision be designed to better support the stops and starts in migrant learners’ educational journeys?
2. How can we integrate formal and non-formal learning methods to provide more flexible, adaptive education systems for migrant learners, particularly those beyond mandatory school age?
3. What role can online and in-person education play in creating equitable access to education for all migrant and refugee learners?
In the next steps, I aim to:
– Explore both online and in-person learning models, focusing on how they can work together to support flexible, lifelong learning.
– Identify research methods that would lend themselves to my current ideas.
– Read up on research already conducted in this area.
– Over the next few months, sharpen this topic into a question that lends itself to further research. (Mullaney & Rea, 2022).
References:
Mullaney, T. S., & Rea, C. G. (2022). Where research begins : choosing a research project that matters to you (and the world). The University of Chicago Press.
Unesco Institute For Lifelong Learning. (2020). Embracing a culture of lifelong learning contribution to the futures of education initiative : report : a transdisciplinary expert consultation. Hamburg Unesco Institute For Lifelong Learning.
