1. Overview of Adult Learning Principles and Methods ASPBAE Leadership Workshop 2008 ASPBAE Facilitation Teams

2. Aim Our aim is to connect your educational practice to the theory of adult education/learning and its underlying principles

3. Who are we? We are self-directed learners and come from a wide range of backgrounds, skills, knowledge and experiences as adult educators. We have very diverse adult learning contexts. But there are shared themes and regional challenges. We have the commitment towards transformative and empowering adult learning practice,with the firm belief in the right for all to learn, especially the most marginalized sectors.

4. How do we hope to achieve these? Part 1: Individual Recall/ Description -Identify a most significant change story (one activity that you have facilitated or experienced). -Recall and briefly describe the issue being addressed -Summarise the steps involved in achieving this most significant change -What were the adult learning activities conducted? -Who were involved in the change and how did your organisation contribute to the change? Part 2: Small Group Sharing - Part 3: Plenary Reporting Part 4: Synthesis and Discussion

5. Assumptions We have shared understandings of meanings eg. Adult education, adult learning, transformative Rodikaya “need for conceptual clarification” and “ has come to acquire a whole array of of synonyms and near- synonyms and sometimes overlapping and competing terms” Foley- the radical adult educator

6. Jarvis- shifts in emphasis Childhood to lifelong learning Few to the many Education and training to learning Learning as a process to learning as an institutional phenomenon Teacher centred to student centred Rote learning to reflective learning Etc etc

7. The Four Pillars of Education The Four Pillars of Education, described in Chapter 4 of Learning: The Treasure Within, Delor’s Report (1996) Learning to know Learning to do Learning to live together Learning to be

8. Assumptions about adult learners Have life experiences and knowledge which are grounded eg. Classes in Madrasa Are relevancy oriented- cultural sensitivity; commonalities Are goal oriented- sensitise the decision makers Are practical-organic farming demonstration Require respectful dialogue- Afghan case study Are autonomous and self directed Participatory approach- story telling We are all learners and we are all educators-equal power dynamics…hanging question???

9. Process of delivery Recognitions of different knowledge systems and learning styles including indigenous Acknowledgement of the growing need to work across traditional disciplinary boundaries especially given a lifelong focus integrated and whole Co-generation/ co-production of knowledge which is ongoing Sharing and ownership of knowledge

10. So what ? Our insights? Our learnings? How do those learnings change our practise and help transform the lives and communities in which we work? Our educational philosophy informs our educational practice.

11. ACTIVIST OBSERVER THEORIST EXPERIMENTER I will try anything once. Hmmm.. Let us wait and see… It worked before, it will work again. There is always a better way. Let us try this….

12. ABSTRACT CONCEPTUALIZATION GENERALISATION ACTION ACTIVE EXPERIMENTATION CONCRETE EXPERIENCE CRITICAL REFLECTION REFLEXIVE OBSERVATION Kolb’s Learning Cycle or Single Loop Learning

13. METHOD/ PROCESS Learner-centered - intentions of learning (accidental, informal, non-formal and formal) - reasons for learning (occupation, social roles, interests) - domains of learning (knowledge, skills, attitudes and understandings) - kinds of learning (instrumental, communicative, emancipatory) - learning styles (no single way of learning) - modes of learning (input and action learning) - begins with the experiences of the learners We engage the individual as a whole person (thinking, feeling, doing) and not just the feeling of fun but other emotions (fear, anger, etc) Collaborative learning (participatory learning) Transformative learning Praxis (reflection and action/ theory and practice)

14. Additional thoughts Our educational philosophy informs our practice, which in turn helps to develop our philosophy. We need to continue to be informed and responsive to the changing contexts. Definitions of adult education and adult learning are very context-based, but learning the ‘language’ provides you the opportunity to learn from the practice of others and if not more important to share your own practice.

15. METHOD/PROCESS Learner-centered - intentions of learning (accidental, informal, non-formal and formal)

16. PROVIDER (unintentional learning resource) LEARNER (intentional learning) PROVIDER (intentional learning resource) LEARNER (unintentional learning) Example: casual/accidental learning Example: non-formal learning Example: formal learning (schooling and adult education) Example: Informal learning (campaigns)

17. METHOD/ PROCESS Learner-centered - intentions of learning (accidental, informal, non-formal and formal) - reasons for learning (occupation, social roles, perpetuation of culture, interests) - domains of learning (knowledge, skills, attitudes and understandings) - kinds of learning (instrumental, communicative, emancipatory)

18. METHOD/ PROCESS Learner-centered - intentions of learning (accidental, informal, non-formal and formal) - reasons for learning (occupation, social roles, interests) - domains of learning (knowledge, skills, attitudes and understandings) - kinds of learning (instrumental, communicative, emancipatory) - learning styles (no single way of learning, oral transmission)

19. Method/Process of Adult learning - learner centered… Modes of learning (input and action learning) Begins with learner’s experiences Engages learners as whole persons (thinking, feeling, caring, doing) Collaborative or Participatory learning Praxis (Action, Reflection and Theory)

20. METHOD/ PROCESS Learner-centered - intentions of learning (accidental, informal, non-formal and formal) - reasons for learning (occupation, social roles, interests) - domains of learning (knowledge, skills, attitudes and understandings) - kinds of learning (instrumental, communicative, emancipatory) - learning styles (no single way of learning) - modes of learning (input and action learning) - begins with the experiences of the learners

21. EMERGENT KNOWLEDGE PARADIGM SHIFT NEW UNDERSTANDING Double Loop Learning or Transformative Learning

22. EMERGENT KNOWLEDGE PARADIGM SHIFT NEW UNDERSTANDING