Annalisa Raymer

Research Focus

Dr. Raymer’s research originates from her central interest in the mutually-generative dynamics of people, place and practice.  Her previous studies included investigations of democratic placemaking, embedded theory identification, and interdisciplinary action research in university-community partnerships.

More recently, she has turned her attention to learning during the climate crisis and and means of cultivating collaborative intelligence, communities of practice, and ecosystems of learning.  She is particularly interested in UNESCO’s contemporary concept of Learning Cities, as well as preceding and emerging models of learning localities and regions, and learning as a leverage point for just sustainability.

Research Networks and Curriculum Design Collaboratives

Research Network 6: Learning Cities & Learning Regions. Asia-Europe Meeting, ASEM, Education & Research Hub for Lifelong Learning (ASEM LLL Hub). An intergovernmental process established to foster dialogue and cooperation between Asia and Europe and to generated new knowledge through its six research networks.  With Dr. Séamus Ó Tuama, Chair, ASEM LLL HUB.

Introducing American Adult Educators & Advocates to Learning Cities for Social Justice. Curriculum Design Collaborative. With Dr. Linda Morris, President of the Coalition of Lifelong Learning Organizations, and Mr. Denis Barrett, Facilitator, of the Europe—North America Network of Learning Cities.

Action Research Group on Spirituality and Learning City Development. Place and Social Capital and Learning, PASCAL. With co-PIs Dr. Maria Liu Wong, Provost of City Seminary of New York, and Dr. Margaret Sutherland, Senior Lecturer, College of Social Sciences, School of Education, University of Glasgow, Scotland.

Selected Papers and Proceedings

• Raymer, A. and J. Hughes (2021). Adaptive resilience and creativity: learning cities mobilizing Covid-19 responses, expanding networks. Griswold, W. and Colón, V., Ed.s, Proceedings of the Commission on International Adult Education, of the 70th Annual Conference of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, pp. 131-142. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED625444.pdf
• Raymer, A. (2021) Self-directed learning with friends: Communities of Practice. European University Continuing Education Network. Lifelong Learning Platform ULLL Open Fora Fall 2021. https://ulll-open-fora.eucen.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/A-Raymer_eucenOpenFora2021_11112021.pdf
• Raymer, A. (2020). Andragogy of hope and Learning Cities. In Hunter-Johnson, Y., Cherrstrom, C., McGinty, J. and Rhodes, C., Ed.s, Inaugural Publication of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education 2020 Conference Proceedings, American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, pp. 177-182. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED611626
• Raymer, A. (2019). Six impossible things before breakfast: leverage points, hope and Learning Cities updates. In M. B. M. Avoseh, Ed., Proceedings of the Commission on International Adult Education, of the 68th Annual Conference of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, pp. 183-196.
• Raymer, A. (2018). Trying for a Learning City before my country leaves UNESCO: a personal account of setting out in a time of Trump. M. B. M. Avoseh, Ed., Proceedings of the Commission on International Adult Education, of the 67th Annual Conference of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, pp. 195-206. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED597561.pdf
• Raymer, A. (2016). Experimenting with Theory of Change (ToC) for interculturality and mutual learning in adult education. M. Boucouvalas & M.B. M. Avoseh, Ed.s, Proceedings of the Commission on International Adult Education, of the 65th Annual Conference of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, pp. 255- 266. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED581854.pdf
• Raymer, A. and P. Horrigan (2015). Chapter 1: Using theory of change for democratic purpose  in a community-based design studio. In Lin, P. L., Wiegand, M. R. & Smith-Tolken, A. R., Eds. Service-Learning across the Globe: From Local to Transnational. Indianapolis: University of Indianapolis Press, pp. 15-23.
• Raymer, A. (2013). The wide reach of climate change: Inupiats of Kivalina, Alaska, fight energy giants in Appalachia. Now & Then: Global Appalachia, Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 57-58.
• Raymer, A. (2009). Big returns for a little more investment: mapping theory in emergent research. Action Research Journal, Special theme issue on theory in action research, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 49-68. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1476750308099597
• Lyson, T. and A. Raymer (2000). Stalking the wily multinational: power and control in the U.S. food system. Agriculture and Human Values, Vol. 17, pp. 199-208.

Community Learning and Service Partnership, CLASP

Much of Dr. Raymer’s outreach work pertains to advancing conditions and environs conducive to lifelong learning with individuals, teams, organizations and communities. In her role as the director of the Community Learning and Service Partnership program, CLASP, she promotes intergenerational growth and development across difference by pairing individual Cornell students studying Adult Learning with individual Cornell service employees wanting to pursue an educational interest. These arrangements, or “Learning Partnerships,” emphasize mutual learning. The student serves as an educational mentor to the employee, and both employee and student learn from each other. In this way Cornell students apt to become future decision makers and people of influence gain familiarity with adult community members whose experiences and life circumstances differ from their own. At the same time, service employees gain support and instruction while developing as self-directed learners achieving their goals.

Educational Professional Development Outreach

Another focus of her outreach work is professional development for educators. She designs and facilitates both short term and longer, cohort opportunities in community-engaged teaching, participatory action research, scholarship of teaching and learning, facilitative teaching, cross-cultural relational learning, andragogical practice and leadership development.

Selected Areas of Professional Service

• 2022 U.S. Delegation, International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) for UNESCO’s duo-decennial International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA) VII & Marrakech Framework
• American Association of Adult & Continuing Education, AAACE, Innovation, Partnership and Collaboration Strategic Task Force.
• Coalition of Lifelong Learning Organizations, COLLO.
• Commission for International Adult Education, CIAE.
• International Society for Self-directed Learning.
• International Transformative Learning Association.
• National School Reform Faculty.
• North American Alliance of Learning Cities.
• Place and Social Capital and Learning, PASCAL, International Network

Teaching Focus

Annalisa Raymer’s approach to education is that of a facilitative teacher. Her aim is to design and facilitate learning experiences wherein students can grow as self-directed learners, collaborative inquirers and democratic leaders. She realizes that people learn best when challenged a bit beyond their comfort zones and in real world settings. As she teaches courses in Adult, Community and Leadership Learning, Dr. Raymer purposefully and transparently unpack the why and how of the instructional designs I employ in class. She wants to make visible the largely unseen planning and decision points of creating curriculum and constructing learning activities. Her goal is to equip students to be leaders of learning cultures and designs, in whatever area of human endeavor they elect. If students get to a point where they can thoughtfully critique the design decisions and facilitation strategies she uses for a given learning aim, she is reassured that they are indeed developing as educators.

All of the courses she teaches are community-engaged courses. Dr. Raymer believes students can uncover their essential educator-selves only when put in positions to mentor learners with instruction and support. While exposure to techniques, tools, big ideas and challenging assignments can provide rich material to draw from, one can only really learn to facilitate learning by actually teaching.

Current Courses

Introduction to Adult Learning, EDUC 2200|GDEV 2100

Do adults learn differently than do youth?  This experiential and community-engaged course is for anyone interested in planning and facilitating adult, community and lifelong learning.  As inquirers ourselves, we not only study principles, theories and methods, we also put into practice what we learn. Incorporating adult learning approaches within the seminar’s design and educational practice (andragogy, rather than pedagogy) is one of the ways we do this. Another way we apply what we study is by mentoring adult learners.  Each student serves as a learning partner to a Cornell employee who is pursuing an educational aim. A journey of mutual learning is a satisfying and meaningful adventure. As employees’ partners, we are co-learners and co-educators, recognizing that each person has knowledge and experience to bring to the quest. 

Design and Facilitation of Learning for Development, EDUC|GDEV 2210

In Designing and Facilitating Learning for Development, we look for commonalities across a variety of venues and settings where people meet together to learn, deliberate, and act. From professional development to social change, town hall to union hall, or citizen science to workplace training, adult and community learning is everywhere. Yet, for many, the design and facilitation of meaningful learning experiences can be as mysterious as an unopened black box. How does one go about creating inclusive educational experiences for diverse learners in our increasingly interconnected context? In this course we open the box to become better leaders of learning and action. A democratic and socially just society should enable all of its citizens to develop their potential to the full and to have the capacity, individually and collectively, to meet the challenge of change. Through learning, people can come to make a real contribution to their own communities and participate in local and national democratic processes. Two of the most ubiquitous formats of adult learning are 1) the workshop, and 2) one-on-one mentoring, and we will learn and practice both! In this course you will a) design and facilitate workshops, and b) mentor a Cornell employee as they pursue a learning goal and do both by learning and applying design process and facilitation arts. Meaningful. Practical. Fun.

Lifelong Learning, Just Sustainability and Learning Ecosystems, EDUC|GDEV|LEAD 5223

Running shoes are not required, yet we are in training for a marathon. In this course we’re enhancing our knowledgebase, toolbox, mindset and resilience as we take up a contest unprecedented in human history— inclusive and just sustainability. Part race against the clock, part design challenge and part performance test, Team Humanity needs all of us to be informed, prepared, and in the game. Having teammates to train with nudges us to keep going as we learn with and from partners, communities and action leaders in this grand challenge. We examine five major concepts and explore their mutual generativity as we look for leverage points of system change: just sustainability; lifelong learning; place; learning ecosystems and social competencies for collective leadership and learning.