CULTURE

Our own home town of Doncaster is beginning to look significantly different in 2013 because of the developing Civic & Cultural Quarter in the Waterdale area. The area is undergoing a total transformation with the new Civic Offices to replace the old Council House, which is due to be demolished soon (as this blog is being written in August 2013). Visitors to Waterdale will also notice the new Performance Venue called 'Cast' to replace the much loved Civic Theatre & the public open space called 'Sir Nigel Gresley Square' which hints at the Railway Industrial history in Doncaster.   A Google search for Doncaster CCQ will reveal the plans & the developing nature of the Civic & Cultural Quarter which is transforming Doncaster town centre. 

Culture has many different aspects & also different identities associated with it. The word is a modern concept with multiple meanings. We tend to think of culture as the behaviour of people of different ethnic origin; the food they eat; the customs & practices they adopt; the way they participate in society; their ceremonies, religions & events. Culture is an area where we can observe change over time & the changes can have implications locally, nationally or internationally. It is a topic in which we can all find some interesting aspect to study, analyse & synthesise through observation, research & dialogue. 

History of Football

MUSIC

Music in one form or another is enjoyed by everyone. 

People in our group have said they like the following music genres:

Heavy metal, Rock, Jazz, Opera, Easy Listening, 60's, 70's, 80's, Contemporary, Classical, Pop, Comedy. 

That's not all. There is music that is produced to mark events, political messages, love, sadness & changes in society. 

We will look at different aspects of music & it's history & it's impact on various aspects of life. 

Look at our previous Blog

Please follow the link below to view our previous Blog.
Also please note our change of name. Our previous group was named after the organisation that learners & carers were associated with. RDaSH is no longer the organisation for whom they are clients or employees, so we have now adopted the name of our learning organisation, the WEA. Our new BLOG name is WEAgroup.

http://rdashgroup.wordpress.com

WEAgroup Introduction

Hello & welcome to our Blog called WEAgroup.
We chose this name because we are a group of adults who learn together with both common and varied interests.  We are learning on a computer course with the Workers' Educational Association (WEA).  We will develop & improve our computer skills throughout the course. 
We will use the Internet & other sources to research a variety of topics & to put them into the context of Education with a Social Purpose.
This is explained by the following quote by S.G. RAYBOULD

     "Education which helps students to understand the society in which they live, and to change it in ways which seem to them desirable."

So as a group we will use Internet research & other sources to look at the topics we choose through negotiation, to examine their background, maybe look into their history & find out for ourselves what has changed & what the impact of change has been. We may find it has impacted upon us individually, or as a group, or on society as a whole. 

We will have discussions & question & answer sessions where we will be encouraged to think critically & to look into the different aspects of an argument. Effectively we will analyse our topics & put them into the context of social purpose. 

Please look in to our Blog occasionally & make comments or suggestions.  www.weagroup.blogspot.co.uk

Some of the topics suggested so far have been:
Transport - in particular, public transport in & around Doncaster. We once had a wide variety of public & municipal bus & coach operators & these have dwindled to a few 'survivors' because of changes throughout the history of our town & also through changes implemented by government. 

Football - on an international, national & local level. Sport provides entertainment, social gathering, employment & revenue on every level. Some of our group members are football fans, season ticket holders & visitors to local clubs such as Doncaster Rovers & Rotherham United. These clubs now have new stadiums & we will look at the reasons behind this; the impact on the local area, it's economy & the links between the football clubs, schools & the community. 

Gardening - therapeutic & educational. It provides interest in nature, stress relief for some & gentle exercise for others. It also creates jobs & there are some interesting historical & formal gardens to explore within our locality. The origin of plants & their cultural significance is an area we could visit. This could include the cost of getting exotic plants to particular locations, their availability, locally, nationally & internationally, their rarity or collectibility. 

Music - the many different genres & the interest shown by individuals & social groups. The influence on society & the history of music. 

Culture & Diversity - the traditions & customs in different countries.  Changes in society through immigration & integration or through conflict & it's consequences. 

Photography - not only taking photographs, but interpreting their meaning; looking at the technology behind photography; the methods used to store retrieve & enhance images; the importance of images in education & teaching & learning styles. For groups such as ours, a visual learning style might be a preferred option, therefore, pictures, video clips & observations may form the basis of many of our lessons.  Images make statements & form a visual representation & a history of change. 

These are just a few of the topics we may study. We hope this gives a flavour of our WEA courses & this Blog will record our progress throughout our learning journey with the WEA. 
PLEASE do look in & offer your comments & valuable feedback.