The role of "interpretative communities" in remembering and learning
Abstract
Students’ memories and learning strategies are situated in their social relationships, political orientations, cultural meanings, worldviews, and historical experiences. This study uses qualitative research methods to investigate how Canadian students remember and learn about the War on Terror. It deals with the narratives of ninety-nine students studying in an urban university of Ontario. I find that apart from textual resources, remembering and learning involve a collectivity of significant ‘others’ or what I call interpretative communities. These communities play an influential role in the consumption and negotiation of knowledge inside and outside the classrooms thus an understanding of their role may help teachers to enhance their instructional strategies.
Key words: Canada; remembering; interpretative communities; narratives; learning.
Author’s Note
An earlier version of this paper was presented at the CSSE Annual Conference at Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec. 1 June 2010.
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