Learning Development

This study aimed to determine the learning development of the Sama Dilaut learners in Bajao Village Learning Center as sponsored and enrolled in different schools in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. Specifically, it sought to determine the factors that influence the Junior High School Sama Dilaut learners to go to school, areas of learning they profoundly developed and how culture and language affects them in their social interaction with others in order to raise awareness to other people about their skills and competencies. This study utilized ethnographic-qualitative research design conducted to 10 Sama Dilaut learners enrolled in different Grade levels. It was conducted at Bajao Village Learning Center, located at Luuk Bangka, Barangay Pag-asa, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, where they cater the educational needs of the Sama Dilaut learners. It utilized an Interview Guide questions prepared by the researchers and validated by the panel of experts. The data collected through interview were transcribed, thematically analyzed and presented in a matrix form. Based on the findings of the study, the factors that influenced the Junior High School Sama Dilaut learners to go to school were their scholarship; happiness; equal opportunity given; peer influence; and professional influence. They profoundly developed in areas of learning such as English and Filipino; writing and speaking skills; and joining extracurricular activities in school. Their culture and language positively affect them in their interaction with other people by adapting and adjusting to others' culture and language, hence, positive and meaningful learning occur. It is therefore concluded that the said learners manifested positive outlook towards their studies, hence, became competitive and performing in school. Further, they received equal opportunity to learn despite being labeled as Bajao. Moreover, they established a strong appreciation and devoid discrimination towards their identity as Bajao, thus, changed the perception of others towards them as illiterate and inferior.

There is a feeling in the Learning Development communityand in academia more generally-that discipline staff see the academic writing of students as a problem better 'fixed' by others. However, staff at a writing workshop held within a learning and teaching conference revealed positions that were more nuanced, inflected, compassionate and 'responsible' than this. Writing collaboratively around the words produced by staff at our workshop, led to new insights into ways that staff could support student writing as an emergent practice. We decided to collect and share the many ways that discipline staff might be encouraged to harness writing in their own curriculum spaces: a staff guide on supporting writing and other forms of learning and assessment emerged. In this paper we discuss collaborative writing as a method of inquiry as we explore the contested terrain of academic writing, challenge the notion of 'writing skills', and model a more emergent form of exploratory writing.