regalenetwork.eu

Regional capacity for Adult Learning and Education

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RegALE in the Lifelong, Lifewide Learning (LLL) magasine [IT]

Article titled “Il capacity building tra politici e professionisti per l’evoluzione delle politiche regionali e locali del lifelong e del lifewide learning” was co-written by our Italian colleague Dr. Francesca Torlone.

 

This article was published on the EDAforum website and addresses the significant role of adult education institutions in promoting social inclusion and lifelong learning. The article discusses the role of universities in providing inclusive opportunities for diverse groups of learners and shares insights on the effective implementation of programs and policies that foster learning and social equity.

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SAVE THE DATE: Last transnational meeting and the final conference of the REGALE project

We are delighted to announce that the Regional capacity for Adult Learning and Education (REGALE) project is reaching its successful conclusion, marking a significant milestone in our journey. We cordially invite you to join us at the final conference to celebrate our achievements and share the remarkable outcomes of our collaborative efforts.

The last transnational meeting will be held in Brussels, on Monday, 27th of November 2023 at EAEA premises (Mundo J).

 

The final conference will be held in Brussels, on Tuesday, 28th of November 2023, the location will be confirmed soon.

 

The final conference is going to be held back-to-back with LLLWeek, therefore we invite partners to stay longer and attend some events from other organisations, working in the field of education.

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"Debating the learning success stories of cities and regions"

Written by Katerina Palaiologou, HAEA. The original text is available in Greek.

On Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 September, the Hellenic Adult Education Association (HAEA) organised, within the framework of the European project Regale – Regional Capacity for Adult Learning in Adult Education, a Study Visit entitled “Debating the learning success stories of cities and regions”. It was attended by representatives of the Regale Consortium, Norway, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

 

The educational activity took place in two different municipalities and lasted two days. Its main objects were:

 

  • Familiarity with how the idea of the Learning City is perceived in Greece.
  • Understanding and exposure to local strategies implemented to enhance learning culture in different contexts within the same overall culture.
  • Familiarity with the efforts required to develop the necessary political and social contracts for the creation of a Learning City by investigating the case of the Municipality of Larissa.
  • To familiarize themselves with a methodology of Sociocracy that can attract young adults to participate in creating a City that Learns (the case of the Youth Council of Thermi Municipality).

1st day – Visit to the Municipality of Larissa

On the first day, Wednesday, September 28, 2022, we visited the Municipality of Larissa. There we were welcomed at the City Hall by Dimitris Deligiannis, Deputy Mayor for Administration, Education and Lifelong Learning who made reference to the philosophy and actions of “Larissa-Learning City” and the Citizens University.

 

This was followed by a visit to Pappa’s Mill, where the Deputy Mayor for Culture, Panagiotis Sapkas, presented the rich activity of the Municipality in the field of culture. Afterwards, the educational actions for the vulnerable groups were presented by the Head of the Education Directorate, Stavroula Baxevanou, as well as the actions of the Roma Community Center by the Head of the Center, Evi Boukorou. The participants were guided to the Museum of Cereals and Flours by Konstantina Kontsa, in charge of the museum, and to the TIRITOMBA theatre by Fotini Kaloudi, in charge of the Municipal Kuklothiasos.

 

This was followed by a short tour of the 1st Ancient Theater by Katerina Zachou, an executive of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Larissa. The meeting concluded with a visit to the Life Workshop of the OKANA Prevention Center of Larisa, where the group was welcomed by the President of the Center, Vassilis Pinakas, Deputy Governor of Larisa, while Irini Koufakis, psychologist – Scientific Manager and Georgia Zavrakas, presented the work of the Center and guided the visitors to the premises of the Life Laboratory.

2nd day – Visit to the Municipality of Thermi

On the second day, Thursday, September 29, 2022, we visited the Science Dissemination Center and Technology Museum – NOISIS, where we were welcomed by the Mayor of Thermi, Theodoros Papadopoulos, and the Deputy Mayor, responsible for education, Stylianos Apostolou. Afterwards, George Koulauzidis, assistant professor at the Hellenic Open University and member of the board of EEEE, presented Lifelong Learning and Local Self-Government in Greece. 

 

This was followed by a presentation by Chryssa Klimatsouda, Director of Education and Social Affairs of the Municipality of Thermi, of the responsibilities, educational activities and collaborations of the municipality. Also, the LogoMatheMania Reading Club’ presented its ‘good educational practice’ and its relationship with the Local Society (Thermi Municipality, Deputy Mayor of Education, D.E.P.A.T.H., Thermi Municipal Library) in the context of Learning Cities as also its actions that promote Lifelong Learning. ‘Logomathemania’ was represented by the professors: Dr Mourouzidou Olga, Papaspanou Anna, and Vardali Chrysoula (retired). Afterwards, Ioanna Papafotiou and Stavros Papagiannis, as representatives of the Thermi Youth Council, discussed with the participants the way they work within the council, how they make decisions using the socialist model, the structure of the council, the roles and the programs in which they participate. This was followed by a two-hour workshop on the Sociocracy model, conducted by Sofia Kyprianidou.

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PILOTING: Learning and Work hosts first adult numeracy network webinar

Written by Alex Stevenson, L&W.

Image: Hazel Klenk, Research Manager at L&W, shares insights into learner recruitment and engagement at the inaugural MEPN webinar.

Learning and Work Institute hosted the first webinar of its new Multiply Effective Practice Network (MEPN) on 28 th February 2023, as part of the RegALE project pilots.

MEPN aims to support adult education providers, policymakers and other stakeholders with the delivery of Multiply, a new three-year, £560m initiative by the UK government to support locally and regionally implemented adult numeracy programmes.

MEPN was launched in autumn 2022, and to date almost 250 stakeholders in local government adult education have signed up. The network was inspired by the RegALE publication Adult Learning Policies in Europe: An Insight of Regional and Local Stakeholders, which highlights the need for professional development opportunities for adult educators.

Following a survey of MEPN members, the theme chosen for the inaugural February webinar was the recruitment and engagement of adult numeracy learners. This reflected a common concern amongst stakeholders that many adults face barriers to returning to education, and maths learning in particular, due to poor experiences in school and challenges such as low confidence in the subject.

At the webinar, L&W’s Research Manager (and RegALE project team member) Hazel Klenk began the session with research insights into engaging adult learners, drawing on a recent research project into effective practice in English and maths for adult learners in London, and L&W’s wider evidence on effective practice in adult basic skills.

Other contributors included municipal adult education providers Haringey Learns (London) and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (Dorset), who shared insights into how they are using the Multiply programme to engage different kinds of learners in adult numeracy.

Over 100 people representing 75 organisations attended the session. Webinar participants welcomed the event, with one delegate commenting, ‘It was a good mix of research, practical examples that were very different, and an opportunity to share opinions’.

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PILOTING: EARLALL and EAEA host REGALE Pilot Focus Group on Capacity Building in ALE

Written by Charlotte Ede, EARLALL.

On 20 April, the European Association of the Education of Adults (EAEA) and the European Association of Regional and Local Authorities for Lifelong Learning (EARLALL) hosted a focus group on ALE policy among regional and adult education stakeholders in Brussels. 

 

As part of their work in the Erasmus+ REGALE – Regional Capacity for Adult Learning and Education – project, EAEA and EARLALL hosted a focus group of regional, ALE and European policy-maker representatives who are interested in developing the capacity of regions in adult learning and
education. The focus groups come off the back of the publication of REGALE country reports: ‘Adult Learning Policies in Europe: An Insight of Regional and Local Stakeholders’.


The report highlights that while local and territorial networks are the solutions to the lack of overarching adult learning systems, in Europe, public policy pays very little attention to the quality of adult learning provisions. With this in mind, participants were asked to share their input that will help shape the policy roadmap that the project is developing to fill this gap.

Gina Ebner, EAEA Secretary General welcomed the group to the REGALE project, indicating the strong results of the project with excellent cooperation links and fruitful study exchanges that inspired partners. Then Laurin Reding, European Advisor For Education at SwissCore introduced SwissCore as the liaison office for the adult education sector in Brussels, with a strong focus on collaboration on education across European actors. He highlighted the importance of cooperation between SwissCore and Movetia (an EARLALL Associate Member) and SVEB (a board member of EAEA) and welcomed the group to the premises.


After the presentations of the REGALE project, the participants were welcomed to preview the draft policy recommendations on Regional Capacity Building in Adult Education. Participants strongly agreed with some of the recommendations, including the importance of giving new impetus to the existing European programs for Adult Learning. They also indicated areas of improvement to the policy recommendations, such as including Individual Learning Accounts and Micro-Credentials as specific and flexible tools that should be adopted at the local level.


EAEA and EARLALL took note of the discussions and will use the results to feed into fine-tuning the recommendations. These will then contribute to the policy roadmap, outlining specific tools for developing capacity at the local level, across Europe.


You can view the current range of resources on www.regalenetwork.eu including:
– A repository of best practices
– Capacity-building webinars
– The Report and report summaries on the challenges and opportunities of ALE capacity-building in the project partners’ countries.

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"Innovation in Adult Learning and Education in the Region of Baden- Württemberg"

Written by Aslan Liivak, ENAEA

We came from Estonia, Tallinn by combining adult non-formal educational organisations like NGO Meie Kalamaja and NGO Estonian Non-formal Adult Education Association in our delegation and we had a great opportunity to go and learn about the adult education system in Germany for the period of 23 – 25 March 2022. For that purpose, we travelled to Stuttgart. Stuttgart is a beautiful city in southern Germany, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is the sixth-largest city in Germany. Stuttgart is actually mostly known for its automotive industry, as it is the headquarters of both Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. Additionally, Stuttgart is surrounded by picturesque vineyards and hills.

But hiking and wine tasting and visiting museums were not on our list since our attention was on the Stuttgarter Volkshochschule, it is a public institution in Stuttgart, Germany that provides adult education courses, seminars, and workshops. It was founded in 1919 and is one of the largest adult education centers in Germany, offering a wide range of courses in areas such as language learning, cultural studies, arts, health, and technology. The Stuttgarter Volkshochschule aims to provide affordable and accessible education to all adults, regardless of their social or educational background.

Mostly we were interested in the finance of adult education, how is formal and informal adult education combined and also about hybrid teaching in the context of COVID-19.

In this regard, we learned that the Stuttgarter Volkshochschule is primarily financed by public funds from the city of Stuttgart and the state of Baden-
Württemberg. However, it also generates revenue through participant fees, donations, and subsidies from public and private institutions. The exact
breakdown of funding sources may vary from year to year depending on the institution ́s budget and financial needs.

Hybrid teaching, in the context of COVID-19, is a mode of teaching that combines both in-person and online instruction. With the ongoing pandemic, many educational institutions around the world have adopted hybrid teaching models as a way to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission while still providing students with opportunities for face-to-face interaction and hands-on learning experiences. In hybrid teaching, students may attend some classes in person while attending others virtually, either through live video conferencing or pre-recorded lectures. This approach allows for flexibility and can accommodate students who may not be able to attend in-person classes due to health concerns or travel restrictions.

Hybrid teaching also requires teachers to adapt their instructional strategies and materials to suit both in-person and online learning environments. This can include incorporating technology tools and resources, designing activities that can be completed both in person and remotely, and providing support and feedback to students in both settings. It was fascinating to see how all this was incorporated in their teaching style.

We learned that in Stuttgart Volkshochschule and with them overall in Germany, there is a growing recognition of the value of combining formal
and informal adult education in order to provide a more comprehensive and flexible approach to adult learning. While formal education typically takes place in structured settings such as schools, universities, or vocational training centers, informal education refers to learning that takes place
outside of these traditional settings, such as through community organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), or self-directed learning.


One way that formal and informal adult education can be combined is through the development of flexible learning pathways that recognize and
value prior learning and work experience. For example, in Germany, there are a number of vocational training programs that allow participants to earn credit for prior learning and work experience, enabling them to fast-track their education and training.


Another way that formal and informal adult education can be combined is through partnerships between educational institutions and community
organizations. These partnerships can help to bridge the gap between formal and informal learning by providing opportunities for adult learners to access education and training in community-based settings, as well as through online and distance learning programs.

 

Overall, the combination of formal and informal adult education in Germany can help to provide a more holistic and flexible approach to adult learning, one that recognizes the diverse learning needs and backgrounds of adult learners and helps to facilitate their ongoing educational and professional development.


So in conclusion after warm and welcoming stay in Stuttgart we learned a lot about the financing, hybrid teaching and combining formal and informal
adult education model in Germany on the example of Stuttgart Volkshochschule that we can use and already trying to promote and apply in Estonia.