Welcome!

Welcome! This site is a place to examine the impact of violence on learning, to explore ways to support learning in the aftermath of violence, and to find out about who is doing research or creating innovative practice to understand and address this issue.

Initially our material is mostly Canadian, and focuses on women and adult literacy. Eventually we hope to become an international resource, and to include information on more diverse experiences and a broad range of educational sites.

Around the spiral you will find each topic. Go inside and follow the links that interest you to learn more about each aspect of the issue.

The spiral staircase allows access to the different floors of the building: In the depths of the basement we encounter the complexity of the problem and seek to answer questions about:

• The extent of the problem
• The breadth of violence and common conceptions
• The impact of violence on learning

On the ground floor we begin to build an understanding of:

• What learning might look like
• Helping yourself learn
• Supporting others to learn
• Learning to teach

As we climb upstairs we can see the view a little and can see possibilities for change, those that are beginning to happen and those that we dream of:

• What educators and researchers in different settings are doing to support learning and what they hope to do in the future
• Where in the world educators and researchers are exploring these issues
• Taking care of the whole self

From the rooftop we can begin to see into the distance and from there we can look for change in the landscape.

• We imagine what might happen if violence no longer limited learning and how that might change cycles both of learning failure and of violence. We dare to dream of a new land…