The project of “REALIZE: Transcultural Biography Work for Adult Education” has been published
European Commission Grundtvig Project for adult education with 2010-4040/510559-LLP-1-IT-GRUNDTVIG-GMP ID has been completed. Report of this project has also been published as titled, “REALIZE: Transcultural Biography Work for Adult Education”
“REALIZE: Transcultural Biography Work for Adult Education” has been published for users who are not only interested in adult education but also sociological perspective of adult education. New methodological techniques in the manual also provide a rich tools for researhers in qualitative methodology.
Education with adult learners should involve a consistency of approaches and practices with the declared statements of “good learning processes”: holistic, situated and learners’ centred, pro-active and flexible (modular and exploiting different learning environments/methods) overall accepted by the educational community.
Please find the atacched manual below the news.
TBW intends to deepen the concepts and the practices of these approaches, looking also for:
• The valorisation of previous knowledge and abilities versus the attention to the “lack” of knowledge and skills, in order to cover the gap and to achieve the expected learning outcomes. As teacher, trainer, coach or counsellor, we know how important it is for our target groups to realize which the gap is in order to reach their specifi c objectives. We are also convinced that how to reach this awareness could play a formidable role in motivating and empowering the individuals, supporting her/his decision making process. In this framework the golden rule for educators should be “not substitute the learner role in the decision making process”. In some contexts this golden rule cannot be always met, mainly in formal education, where the transfer of knowledge, with a top-down approach, is prevailing.
• The implementation of qualitative evaluation processes centred on self-assessment methods and tools versus quantitative and hetero assessment orientation. Although the qualitative focus is fundamental for the empowerment process of individuals, it is probably weak for the standards required by the European framework of qualifi cations. This critical issue could be the central topic of a follow up project.
• The promotion of self-directed learning, creating, as educational agencies, the best environment conditions to facilitate further learning experiences, encouraging mobility, learning by doing, using peer-to-peer approach, networking and utilizing community engagement, among others.
In this framework adult educators should play different roles, choosing one of them or changing different hats in different learning situations: facilitator, coach, counsellor, trainer, tutor, advisor, mentor ... To the question “what do you teach with TBW”, the only answer could be “we don’t teach anything”, we want to bring back memories and through them prefi gure the future directions. We are just trying to explore and share with adult learners our potentials, including us as facilitator, as part of the group. And as part of the human consortium, the trans-cultural perspective could be the only possible drive to foster transformative learning. Inclusive education is the vital humus of social cohesion. This means welcoming new cultures and reinforcing mutual understanding and respect, freeing new energies and facilitating the realization of equal opportunity for all.
The partnership of Realize hopes you will be stimulated by applying these practices, exploiting the examples presented in this manual and enriching them with your experiences and creativity in adapting TBW in your educational environment.