Technology and Adult Learning – Current Perspectives An Cosán Virtual Community College Patron Lord David Puttnam Liz Waters, CEO An Cosán l.waters@ancosanvcc.com

Current Perspectives The Context: An issue of social justice and equality Not a road map but signposts for 21st century education One attempt to create a 21st century technologically enhanced social justice model of community education Practitioner’s voice

Challenges for Malta, Ireland and Europe LOW LEVEL OF ADULTS PARTICIPATING IN ADULT LEARNING EARLY SCHOOL-LEAVERS AND LOW SKILLS ACHIEVEMENT LOW NUMBER OF WOMEN ACTIVELY AT WORK OR ENGAGED IN LIFELONG LEARNING PERSISTENCE OF LOW EDUCATION PASSED ON FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION Malta National Lifelong Learning Strategy 2020

Educational inequality 33% of children in poor areas leave primary school with literacy issues Each year 4,500 young people fall out of school before they reach ‘Junior Cert’. That’s 45,000 over a 10 year period. What chance have they to break the cycle of ntergenerational unemployment and poverty? Poor take up of early years education. 34% of children are reared in young single parent families

Educational inequality is entrenched in Third Level Education Social class of school a key factor in third level attendance Creating ‘high expectations’ in working class schools key to boosting equality – ESRI Report’ (Irish Times: 12 August, 2014) Some 99% of Dublin 6 students go on to third-level ‘Education Authority finds level of college entrants down to 15% in other parts of Dublin’ (Irish Times: 17 July, 2014) HEA Report highlights disparity in progress to third-level education between affluent and poorer areas RTÉ: 20 August, 2014

The Significant Issue

The solutions Policy Practice Resources

A Question! Do You think I have got the context right?

Malta’s Vision Our vision is for Malta to become a learning nation - a society in which learning plays its full role in personal growth and emancipation, prosperity, solidarity and local and global responsibility. Equally important is our determination to lever on this strategy to empower citizens through more personalised and innovative approaches to adult education Malta National Lifelong Learning Strategy 2020

An Irish Vision Our founders Our first home 1986 an innovative vision - read early letter. “For some time now we have dreamed of founding an educational centre. At the beginning of the summer we came upon ‘The Shanty’, an old cedar home in Brittas, Co. Dublin. At the back of the house a previous owner built a four-car garage that we hope to convert into this centre. Our long-term goal is to form a small community of people who are committed to the work of the centre. We hope that both the communal and educational setting will promote freedom from sexism, classism, and any other kind of social inequality. We understand this to be a spiritual as well as an educational venture. We want to have a table that is open to all - for food, drink, compassion, merriment, visioning, storytelling and decision-making. This is our dream.” Our founders Our first home Education is the fast track out of poverty for individuals, families and communities.

An Cosán in Tallaght West successfully supported 16,000 students to engage in second chance education over the last 30 years From the shanty to An Cosán The Strategic Plan 2011-2014 charged the organisation to: Scale-up An Cosán’s social impact to allow other communities living with the injustice of poverty benefit from the social innovation that is An Cosán

AONTAS : Community Education Network Celebrating 10 years AONTAS is the National Adult Learning organisation advocating for the rights of all adults across Ireland to quality learning throughout their lives The Community Education Network (CEN) was established in 2007 by AONTAS. It is a network of over 100 independently managed community education providers who work collaboratively, sharing information and resources, engaging in professional development and working to ensure that community education is valued and resourced.

What is Community Education – a definition “Community education is a process of personal and community transformation, empowerment, challenge, social change and collective responsiveness. It is community-led reflecting and valuing the lived experiences of individuals and their community. Through its ethos and holistic approach community education builds the capacity of groups to engage in developing a social teaching and learning process that is creative, participative and needs-based. Community education is grounded on principles of justice, equality and inclusiveness. It differs from general adult education provision due to its political and radical methodologies.”

a process of personal and community transformation community-led ,empowerment, challenge, social change justice, equality and inclusiveness.” creative, participative and needs-based valuing the lived experiences of individuals and their community. differs from general adult education provision due to its political and radical methodologies

Education a Living System Education is a living system if it: - Supports common ways of learning, Accommodates diverse capacities, cultures, learning paths and achievement outcomes – Enables communal solidarity or ‘sticking together’ Reduces inequalities of resources between social groups and geographical communities. So that: - Every person’s powers are released, directed and enlarged The processes for change that have been developed over the past twenty years in relation to An Cosán allow us to propose a definition of education as a living system - a revolutionary form of learning with the power to change the world. The model has been learned through praxis at community level and learned through meetings with parents, children, teachers and other professionals involved in promoting the health and education of children and adults throughout Ireland. While the exemplar of this work has been in Ireland and amongst women the model is transferable to societies where economic and social inequalities exist among any of its members

Barriers to Equity of outcomes in Further & Higher Education A life lived in the context of Internalised oppression; confidence, health and well being issues Access Childcare Travel Foundational and Academic literacy Cost

Student support a key characteristic of Community Education Community Education context Tutor and tutorials Counselling One-to-one Mentoring and e-Mentor Bursaries Each other

Where are we headed? Sign posts and challenges

World Economic Forum

P21 Framework for 21st Century Learning

Key Subjects and 21st Century Themes Mastery of key subjects and 21st century themes is essential to learner’s success. Education must weave 21st century interdisciplinary themes into key subjects: • Global Awareness • Civic Literacy • Health Literacy • Environmental Literacy • Financial, Economic, Business and Entrepreneurial Literacy

Is Adult / Community Education a 21st Century Model? Comments Please?

The ‘one generation’ solution A young woman, a lone parent, educated to third level will earn 40% more than a woman without a degree and, with her children, exit poverty and inequality forever,

Stories of success in West Tallaght

The Blended Learning Model: A Model for the 21st Century ? Two years of research undertaken: Our system for the development and delivery of education was built for a society and an economy that no longer exists. A new model of development and delivery is required to achieve the learning outcomes required of education for the 21st century We developed a blended learning model that is a learner-centric approach to education, in which students are offered more personal control over their learning experience.

Todays Learners

The Key Challenges Isolation and loss of motivation is inherent in online learning Unique cohort of learners struggling with personal, academic and digital challenges How would we ensure alignment with the An Cosán culture and ethos of learner support.

A community education solution a partnership model VCC Donegal hub Limerick Longford Waterford Sligo hub Wexford Clare “Community education is a process of personal and community transformation, empowerment, challenge, social change and collective responsiveness”

An Cosán Virtual Community College Offers further and higher education courses to adults across Ireland through virtual blended learning, supported by personalised ‘scaffolding’ for each learner.

How we do it… Learning to Learn at Third Level Face-to-face training day Digital natives and digital adaptors For all ages and abilities

How we do it… Log in… Study in your own time Access readings Watch videos Join the forums Work together!

How we do it… Weekly online sessions Tutor lead discussion Camera, mic, keyboard Interactive tools Exciting technology

Thank You