ESREA|ReNAdET Newsletter Issue nr. 1 (March/April 2010)

ISSN: 1792‐538X The Official Newsletter of the ESREA Research Network on Adult Educators, Trainers and their Professional Development Issue Nr 1 / 2010 D ear colleagues and network‐ ers, we want to welcome you to the first issue of the ESREA Network on Adult Educators, Trainers and their Profes‐ sional Development ‘Newsletter’. The ‘Newsletter’ is created to serve as a means for sharing and disseminating information that is theme‐relevant to the network’s aims, but it will also serve as a link and reference point among network supporters. It is on these grounds that we ask for your contribu‐ tions on themes and issues that relate to projects, activities, conferences, ini‐ tiatives and publications relevant to research on adult educators, trainers and their professionalisation. Similarly, any piece of information that you con‐ sider important for the network will also have a place in the ’Newsletter’ as long as it is relevant to adult education and lifelong learning, such as short reports and commentaries, special announce‐ ments and networking facilitation. The ‘Newsletter’ has seven (7) sections in which contributors can provide relevant information (a short remark section, a section for people reporting on devel‐ opments in their countries, a section devoted on funded projects and activi‐ ties, a section on conferences and net‐ working, a section devoted to European initiatives in the area of adult education, VET and lifelong learning, a special an‐ nouncements section and a publications section). It will also include an ESREA‐ themed section that will provide infor‐ mation on ESREA activities and ESREA Networks updates and prospect meet‐ ings, and a special section that will host a themed main article. The ‘Newsletter’ will be released twice a year (March/ April and September/October). All in‐ formation submitted in between its release will be screened by the editors. The ‘Newsletter’ has an ISSN number and is supported by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Faculty of Philosophy. As many of you know, this ESREA Net‐ work was created very recently. It was only September 2008 when the ESREA Steering Committee approved the pro‐ posal for establishing a new Network within ESREA (there are eleven active ESREA Networks at this time). Your genuine interest in and support of its ori‐ entation and aims, resulted to the Net‐ work’s first meeting that was held in Thessaloniki, Greece (6‐8 November 2009) at the University of Macedonia. The main theme of the meeting was Edu‐ cating the adult educator: Quality pro‐ vision and assessment in Europe, and it was entirely devoted on issues of quality on the education and training of the adult educator in Europe. The meeting was a forum for exchanging theoretical consid‐ erations and empirical evidence, between researchers studying the different roles and tasks of the adult educator and trainer and the ways that these are as‐ sessed. The meeting also addressed is‐ sues relating to the quality of adult edu‐ cators’ training (initial and continuing), their professional development as well as how these parameters could contribute to the overall quality of adult educational provision in Europe today. The confer‐ ence organizing committee has already released the meeting’s proceedings in the form of an e‐book. The e‐book which is ERIC indexed, contains over 1000 pages with 111 contributions. The network’s next meeting is planned to take place in 2011 in Vienna. We want to thank you for all your support and contributions, and we sincerely hope that you will enjoy this first issue. Find in this issue: Editors’ Note 1 Main article Remark 2 4 Reports 5 Projects & Activities 8 ESREA Networks 16 Conferences & Networking 18 Publications 21 European Initiatives 23 Special Announcements 25 Contributors in this issue 29 Visit ESREA|ReNAdET website at: http://www.esrea‐ http://www.esrea‐renadet.net Supported by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Faculty of Philosophy, School of Philosophy & Education, Department of Education Editors’ Note ESREA|ReNaDET Conveners & Newsletter Editors *** Larissa Jõgi (University of Tallinn | Estonia). http://www.tlu.ee/~larj/ *** Wolfgang Jütte (University of Bielefeld | Germany). http://www.werkstatt‐ http://www.werkstatt‐weiterbildung.de/ *** Georgios K. Zarifis (AUTh | Greece). http://auth.academia.edu/GeorgeKZarifis The Editors All information, views and opinions contained in this newsletter are only those of the contributors. ESREA|ReNAdET cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. ISSN: 1792‐538X Page 2 Main article Thessaloniki Tales A reflection on the first ESREA ReNAdET Conference by Miha Tilinca T he following text is framed as an academic pil‐ grimage thinking of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and of David Lodge's novel. I meant it as a reflec‐ tive piece and although the tone and experi‐ ence are very personal I hope that I managed to put for‐ ward a recognisable image of the conference and some lessons which I have learnt. I am not sure that those who were not present in Thessaloniki can use the notes to imagine how things were there, but I hope that everybody can feel that it was a developmental event. *** Towards the Conference July 2008: A message from a colleague in Bucharest made me curious…there is an initiative to create a new thematic network for adult educators under ESREA. ESREA? Euro‐ pean Society for Research on the Education of Adults ‐ Linköping University ‐ It’s active members come from most parts of Europe ‐ It accepts individual members along insti‐ tutional members. I find this last detail very attractive. I apply for an ESREA membership. I have the contact of Georgios Zarifis ‐ he thought of this new community. August 2008: The ESREA Steering Committee has decided to approve the launching of the new network. February 2009: Georgios sends the announcement that the first meeting of ‘our’ network is to be held in November in Thessaloniki. Things are moving fast: a fully fledged con‐ ference for the network within 6 months of its creation. I pencil in the dates in my diary: 4 ‐ 6 November. The Call for Proposals: The call for proposals for the con‐ ference reaches us; it is a complete and round document: the philosophy and theoretical frame of the conference, the guidelines for submission of abstracts, the names of the members of the scientific committee; they come from prestigious institutions. I need to start thinking of what I am going to present. I decide upon the title of my paper and on what ideas I’d like to put forward in the conference. I research literacy, I need to make my findings relevant and clear for any adult educator. I write and re‐write the ab‐ stract, trying to un‐learn my perspective (the literacy re‐ searcher’s) and to re‐learn a new one (the adult educa‐ tor’s). Preparations: I’ll participate in the conference with an e‐ poster. The topic was considered relevant, but not very relevant for the conference. I thought literacy and literacy education is extremely relevant for any educator. Details about registration and accommodation arrive today. Reg‐ istration is fast since it’s done on‐line. The conference web‐ site is re‐launched and it’s very informative and very user friendly: the admin details are given, the programme (a complete text and an overview). I like that I know everything I should know about the event. The message with the dead‐ line for submitting the full papers gets in. Today I receive a reminder with the important dates. Georgios keeps out at‐ tention concentrated on the Conference and keeps the dia‐ logue open at all times. Starting the pilgrimage: It’s November not April, however I’m thinking of David Lodge’s ‘Small World’: scholars converg‐ ing from all over the world for conferences, people jet flying around the other side of the world to be in academic events for spiritual reasons, cultivating their minds, meeting their colleagues to discuss scholarly mat‐ ters. About 130 people converge for the ESREA/ReAdNet in Thessaloniki to join 80 colleagues from Greece. The thought of so many tales and experiences to be shared in the confer‐ ence is already exciting. We drive from Timisoara to Thessa‐ loniki, so, the pilgrimage starts and the conference tales be‐ gin unreeling. The Conference The opening: The mini‐van takes us from hotel Philippion towards the conference venue... the panoramic view of the alert city and the busy port are marvellous, only a prologue for the alert and busy gathering in the lounge of the Univer‐ sity. I try to spot Georgios and there he is, active as usual, greeting each and every participant. The months of dialogue we had before the conference makes me feel at ease. I rap‐ idly go through the admin stuff and proceed towards the Main Auditorium. Georgios has taken many roles and voices in the opening ceremony. The Chair and the Secretary of ESREA address the Conference; ESREA is animated by pro‐ fessionals; from now it means familiar faces. The keynote speakers are invited on stage: Professor Duke critiques uni‐ versity engagement: economic * social * societal. Professor Verma speaks about learning. Should I use the video‐ projector? Ok, let’s use it. There, on the stage, he is learning while speaking about learning * unlearning * re‐learning. Pro‐ fessor Osborne summarises key issues from a study on adult learning professions in Europe: consortium * consortia. Re‐ search voor Beleid & PLATO define ESREA members as country experts. Professor Hake touches upon personal 'biographies’ and 'authentic’ learning environments. I feel part of the dialogue, I recognise some of my concerns, I make notes: food for thought. The ceremony is over. Let the work begin! An e‐poster session: Nine presentations in 80 minutes, it’s going to be tight. I’m revising my own agenda for the Con‐ Issue Nr 1 / 2010 ference; I’m curious to identify what other participants’ agendas and positioning might be. These must be PhD stu‐ dents. I find it admirable that research students get the chance to meet their community of practice as early as pos‐ sible. I wonder whether they’ve got enough support to pre‐ pare their presentation and to rehearse their performance; they are rather unsure of the language and of the scope of their presentation; they must be at the beginning of re‐ searching. No time for questions. Next presenter is from a prestigious organisation; he has a correct and informative presentation; I admire that the speaker promotes his institu‐ tion, however, I can’t discover any passion and energy in his voice, not even when questions are asked. No time for dis‐ cussions. The moderator can’t take any role except for that of time keeper; no space to provoke discussion, to confirm ideas or to challenge us. Another speaker: he sits with the face completely hidden behind the laptop; the reading of the slides is difficult for him and for the audience; the pres‐ entation is invaded by bulks of written text; the theoretical background is rather outdated; not much empirical data to support the statements. 5 slides, 10, 15, more. I go beyond amazement; I am embarrassed. David Lodge’s words come to my mind again: I get the impression that because the pub‐ lish‐or‐perish syndrome has become more oppressive, the con‐ ference has become a machine for generating publication. A lot of conferences are just put on in a kind of entrepreneurial spirit for people to come and do their job and write their paper and get some credit for it. I think that’s slightly taken away from the hedonism of the whole thing. I go back to the book of abstracts; some of the texts are short and poorly written and they don’t contain most of the MUSTs of a conference abstract (the niche, the topic and the focus of the research, hints to the methodology, indication of findings and the relevance for the conference); in other cases the abstracts are promising – the performance can enhance them or di‐ minish their value. Credibility, accountability, responsibility. Scientific committees and participants construct the quality of a conference together. This last presenter is passionate; she is the first to talk to the audience; this is a presentation, not just reading from behind the screen. She positions her‐ self, introduces research, insists on the impact of the meth‐ odology and findings for further research and for the educa‐ tion of adult educators, invites questions. No time for dia‐ logue. Time for the e‐posters session is up. People run to the next session. Talk, around and about: Pies, pastry and peers: people try to be fast in exchanging impressions and cards during the breaks. I check my e‐mail: George has already sent us some of the presentations of the keynote speakers. He loves to talk about and around the conference; everybody does. Maybe that is why the lack of more space and time for dia‐ logue, debate and discussion built in the structure of the conference leads to some frustration. A workshop: I have just came out of an excellent session. Five presentations in 2 hours/ I could immediately tell that all presenters were passionate about the research they do. No reading of slides. Our attention and interest is caught immediately. The audience asks for clarifications and gives Page 3 suggestions. Concepts, models and hypothesis are dis‐ cussed. The presenters have taken the effort to fore‐ ground the relevance of their research and ideas for the themes and aims of the conference. The full cycle of (new) knowledge management cannot be traced: (i) the present‐ ers have undertaken research in order to create knowledge, (ii) then they told the story of their research effectively (they had good presentations) and efficiently (the presenta‐ tions were well done); they made the necessary effort to re‐contextualise their research (fore grounded the right dimensions of the right methods/findings) to make it rele‐ vant for the audience and to align it to the aim and themes of the conference (the ‚so what?’ test was passed) and finally (iii) the presenters upgraded and problematised their research, they went to the level of meta‐learning. The time for the workshop is up. Some people exchange cards, some think of working together in the future. Special workshops and presentations: experiences; pro‐ jects; perspectives; country; biographies; PASCAL; SEALLL; GINCO; PALADIN; key competences: I found numerous interesting facts and figures. How can we capi‐ talise on these? What is the future of these projects and the means to further their results? It is an exercise of im‐ plicit learning. I wish we continued the flash back with a more consistent flash forward. The closing session: Georgios takes his role of master of ceremonies again; he must be tired after such a tour de force. A panel offers their experience of and perspective on the Conference. Professor Hake moderates the open discussion meant to stimulate reflection. Positive and critical interventions from the audience; one is tough, but it pinpoints some flaws of the event. We all take time to make some sense of our learning. I wish somebody had pulled the threads together in a more explicit way. Thoughts after the conference What have I achieved due to the Conference? I have re‐ invented my research, I have tackled new dialogue oppor‐ tunities, I have adjusted my position within a new commu‐ nity and I have enjoyed myself. Would I repeat the experi‐ ence? Definitely yes. Would I capitalise the lessons learnt for the next Conference? It’s a must. Chaucer would have loved the pilgrimage, Lodge would have been inspired. —‐ Dr. Mihaela Tilinca is a freelance researcher currently involved in EU funded projects focused on educating the educators, literacy education and research, and mechanisms of social partnership for training and competitiveness. She holds a Ph.D in Linguistics from the University of Lancaster (UK). In the past fifteen years she has been teaching Applied Linguistics and Research skills, she has been supervising undergraduate and postgraduate research and au‐ thored or co‐authored articles examining policies and practices around literacy, adult education, intergnerational learning and the development of rural communities. ISSN: 1792‐538X Page 4 Remark by B. Hake* To or not to The existential dilemma of our times *** “Do you also twitter?” “Sometimes, in the toilet after a couple of plates of brown bean soup, but I don’t think that is what you mean?” “Ha, ha. No, seriously, it is fun” “Why?” “Your friends can read what you are doing” “Do you think that makes you happy?” “Now, yes, ah…” “Do I look as if that would interest me? “But…” “No, I don’t twitter. And I am not planning to start twitter‐ ing. It really does not interest me what people do in their free time. Furthermore, I am enough of a realist to know that what I do is of little interest to anyone else. What is interesting about all those messages coming and going?” “You must keep up with the times. More and more people are doing it” “That is enough of a reason for me not to even start” “And Facebook then? Do you Facebook?” “Yes, but to start with I thought it was website on comes‐ tics” “But you can see who is doing what, where, with whom and why. That is if you are a Gold member. Brilliant!” “Gold member?” “Yes. For a small fee per month you can see how often your site is visited on a certain day and by whom?” “And what is that good for?” “Now, ah…” “I mean, what does that matter?” “Everything! I know that three‐quarters of visitors to my Facebook are women, that I have a few hundred unique visitors, that my ex‐girl‐friends take a look everyday, and that most of my visitors have been in higher education. That is worthwhile knowing?” “Worthwhile? Why? To know that women have too much free time on their hands, and that your ex‐girlfriends lead meaningless lives?” “And that my visitors are well‐educated!” “Congratulations” “Furthermore, the majority like a Starbucks every day, they like to lie on the beach listening to Anouk, Bryan Adams and Melissa Etheridge, they have seen Titanic, The Matrix and Lord of the Rings, and they wear Mexx clothes. Do you understand what that means?” “That they are dependent on bad coffee, have no under‐ standing of music and films, and that they walk around in expensive fashion clothes?” “Ugh…yes…I mean…there, I hear a call sign. Talk to you later” “OK, we can telephone each other” “Telephone? Do you really mean that? That is very old fash‐ ioned” Freely translated from “Twitteren” by Arjan Brondijk, Streekblad, 06‐01‐2010 *This is Barry Hake’s follow up to his keynote speech in the ESREA|ReNAdET conference in Thessaloniki INTERESTED IN ADULT EDUCATION AND VET RESEARCH IN EUROPE? You will find useful information and many activities of European Networks other to ESREA|ReNAdET by visiting the websites below *** • WIFO Gateway to Research on Education in Europe The Research Forum in collaboration with European experts. Accessible from: http://www.b.shuttle.de/wifo/index.htm • Network to Support VET Trainers in Europe The Network of Trainers in Europe is a result of a Leonardo funded project which aims to establish linkage between re‐ searchers and practitioners of VET training across Europe. Accessible from: http://www.trainersineurope.org/ • TTNet ‐ Teachers and Trainers Network The training of trainers network (TTnet), located in 22 countries, was established by Cedefop in 1998 as a pan European forum for key players and decision makers involved in the training and professional development of vocational teachers and trainers. Accessible from: http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/about‐cedefop/networks/teachers‐and‐trainers‐ network‐ttnet/index.aspx • VET & Culture Network An international, voluntary association of senior and junior researchers and students, who wish to practice cross‐cultural, independent and critical research, debate and academic teaching about relations between education, work and politics. Accessible from: http://www.peda.net/veraja/uta/vetculture • VETNET The European Research Network in vocational education and training, part of the European Education Research Associa‐ tion (EERA). Accessible from: http://www.vet‐research.net/ Issue Nr 1 / 2010 Page 5 Reports S. Laurian & V. Blandul report from Romania Association for Promoting Cooperation in Education (APCE) A *** PCE was created in 15th February 2006 as an NGO that offers the opportunity to profes‐ sionals and specialists in education, and not only to them, to improve their social, commu‐ nicative and professional skills. Since its coming into existence, APCE runs Summer school classes. The topic of these classes is mainly concentrated on Cooperative Learning and they are run by Carlton J. Fitzgerald, Ed.D, Associate Dean for New England College, USA, and also a cooperative learning instructor. —‐ Some of APCE’s main activities include the following: Summer School: Advanced Cooperative Learning – Differ‐ entiated Instruction, organized by Association for Pro‐ moting Cooperation in Education, Romania and Univer‐ sity of Oradea, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Sciences of Education. Summer School: Advanced Cooperative Learning in Social Skill Development and Assessment, organized by Asso‐ ciation for Promoting Cooperation in Education, Roma‐ nia and University of Oradea, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Sciences of Education. July 16th‐20th 2007 – Summer School: Cooperative Learn‐ ing – from Theory to Practice, organized by Association for Promoting Cooperation in Education, Romania and University of Oradea, Faculty of Social Sciences, Depart‐ ment of Sciences of Education. March 24th– 25th 2007 – the workshop Alternative in Arts Education. Decorative Techniques – Creative Approaches, organized by the Department of Teachers’ Education of University of Oradea, Association for Promoting Coop‐ eration in Education, Romania, in partnership with the Faculty of Visual Arts, Department of Decorative Arts, and Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Sciences of Education. July 4th‐7th 2006, Summer School: Cooperative Learning – A Way To Success, organized by Association for Pro‐ moting Cooperation in Education, Romania in collabora‐ tion with University of Oradea, Faculty of Social Sci‐ ences, Department of Sciences of Education. June 28th ‐ July 3rd 2006 – Summer school: Leadership Training in Advanced Cooperative Learning, organized by Association for Promoting Cooperation in Education, Romania in collaboration with University of Oradea, Fac‐ ulty of Social Sciences, Department of Sciences of Edu‐ cation. Contacts Simona Laurian: mmonalaurian@yahoo.co.uk Veronica Buciuman : vbuciuman@yahoo.com Carmen Popa: carmen_berce@yahoo.com Address: Strada Universității, Nr. 1, 410087, Oradea, Bihor, Romania. —‐ For more information you can visit the following website: www.cooperare.ro MISSION Developing an open society, based on respect and cooperation between all social actors SCOPE Promoting values like cooperation, equality of chances and respect between different social partners OBJECTIVES Developing cooperation between all social factors with the impact on education. Promoting active participation in social life. Promoting equal chances of individuals from different social categories. Promoting tolerance and respect for human beings. Self‐esteem and personal development for all social actors. Lifelong learning and professional development of the members of society. ISSN: 1792‐538X Page 6 D. Vergidis reports from Greece Hellenic Adult Education Association (HAEA) T *** he Hellenic Adult Education Association was founded in 2004 as a non‐profit, non‐ governmental organization. The mission of the association is to promote the scientific develop‐ ment of adult education in Greece and Southeastern Europe, to support the professional development of its members, to enhance the communication and to create a sense of community among its members. The Association now has more than 800 members that come from all realms of professional life. Most of them are adult educators and trainers, researchers and trainees interested in the field. The mission of HAEA is implemented through the following activities: • Organization of conferences, one‐day events, seminars and workshops. • Implementation of pilot training programmes. • Development of Self‐learning material for the Associa‐ tion members. • Dissemination of information about national and inter‐ national conferences, courses, research programmes, educational and training programmes for adults etc. • Support of communication and cooperation among the members of the Association. • Development of a database containing important arti‐ cles on adult education. • Development of links national and international organi‐ zations which serve similar purposes. • Development and operation of libraries and reading rooms. • Publishing the scientific Journal “Adult Education” (18 issues have been published so far) as well as books about the field of adult education in Greece and Southeastern Europe. • Conduct of studies and research in the field of adult edu‐ cation and learning. • Support of research activities undertaken by the mem‐ bers of the Association. • Development of common actions and activities with na‐ tional and international organizations involved in adult education and training HAEA has already organised three international confer‐ ences (2004, 2005, 2008), and a number of day‐conferences and events in major cities in Greece (Alexandroupoli, Ath‐ ens, Thessaloniki, Larisa, Ioannina and Kastoria). Some of the international figures that have contributed so far to the HAEA events include the following: • Jane Thomson, (seminar in Athens ‐ March 2007); • Jack Mezirow, (seminar in Athens ‐ January 2007); • Peter Jarvis, (conference in Athens ‐ January 2008); • Katarina Popovic, (seminar in Thessaloniki ‐ September 2009); • Knud Illeris & Birgitte Simonsen (seminar in Athens ‐ No‐ vember 2009). HAEA scientific publications include the following: • Lintzeris P. (2007). The importance of critical reflection and dialogue in Jack Mezirow theory on transformative learning; • Kokkos Α. (2008). Educating adult educators. One of the priorities of HAEA is the development of critical reflection and transformative learning in adult education as well as the scientific training of those working in the field. —‐ For more information and membership subscription you can contact: Hellenic Adult Education Association P.O. Box 13692, 103 10 Athens, Greece. Tel.: +30‐210‐6012297 website: www.adulteduc.gr e‐mail: adulteduc@adulteduc.gr M. Trantalidi reports from Greece Consultation for the delivery of a NQF in line with the EQF *** The National Committee for the Development of a Na‐ tional Qualifications Framework (ΕθΠΠ‐NQF), has released in February 25 a Consultation for the delivery of a NQF that will operate in line with the European Qualifications Frame‐ work (EQF). Until now Greece has no national framework (legal or other) for the recognition of qualifications given by different types of providers within the educational system. The National Committee with this Consultation aims to trigger a social dialogue among interested parts, but also to strengthen the need for promoting the idea of lifelong learning as a holistic approach to social development, by tying together all levels of education. According to the Consultation, the architecture behind such a venture asks for reforms at three areas of interest: provision and recognition of General Qualification Titles , provision and recognition of Specialised Titles, and creating linkages between the various types of titles and qualifica‐ tions provided. This will eventually demand a charting of all types of qualifications the system provided in the last 40‐50 years. In this line the changes will follow the accreditation levels proposed in EQF. According to the Consultation however, each level of accreditation will be treated in its own merit as accessing one level will not preoccupy access to the next. The consultation further addresses the need for assuring quality in Higher Education as well as in quality in initial and continuing VET. Issue Nr 1 / 2010 Page 7 Jim Bradley reports from Scotland Teaching Qualification in Adult Education: An open invitation to critical friends W *** hen Richard and I returned from Thessaloniki we had a busy teaching period and subse‐ quent coursework to grade. We also came back to discover, that due to the current eco‐ nomic situation, our main partner is the development of the undergraduate programme had withdrawn from our part‐ nership. We then had to meet with Scottish government agencies and others to look to restart the partnership for the undergraduate proposal. The support of the Scottish gov‐ ernment is crucial to our undergraduate proposal as they will provide funding for students attending our programme if we can gain their support. As in many other places, education in Scotland has had its funding reduced due to the current economic situation and this has obviously affected our plans for the introduction of the undergraduate part of our new programme. However, we have held discussions with the lifelong learning workforce development agency for the UK and they are about to publish a report calling for a degree level qualification for adult education in Scotland which is obviously good news for our proposals. We have, though, decided not to introduce the undergraduate part of the new Teaching Qualification in Adult Education (TQAE) until the summer of 2012 in order to work with our new partners on our development. It was this situation, in the main, that has resulted in the delay in contacting you so please accept our apologies. We are, however, still proceeding with the post graduate strand of the TQAE and it is this new programme that is the subject of this email. The new post graduate TQAE is aimed at adult learning workers across Europe. The programme will be a modular programme offered on a blended basis with a mix of classroom teaching, an on line module and a work based project. There will be four mod‐ ules each worth 30 credit points at SCQF (Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework) Level 11 and this translates to 15 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credit points at EQF (European Qualifications Framework) Level 7 (see http://www.scqf.org.uk/News/LatestNews/ NewPublicationUKQualificationsFrameworksEQFReferenc‐ ingReport.aspx). In total then the new qualification will be worth 120 SCQF points/60 ECTS points. The primary driver for setting this credit value is to enable TQAE graduates to complete a 60/30 credit point dissertation at a relevant part‐ ner institution and gain an appropriate Masters award. So far we have identified three institutions which offer relevant wards. They are the Masters in Tertiary Education at the University of Stirling, the MSc Teaching Adults and the MSc Adult and Continuing Education at the University of Glas‐ gow and the Master’s degree in Higher Education: Adult and Developmental Education at the National Center for Devel‐ opmental Education (NCDE) at Appalachian State Univer‐ sity, North Caroline, USA. (http:// www.ncde.appstate.edu/kellogg The NCDE is our main partner in this development of the Teaching Qualification in Adult Education.) We see progression to further study at master’s level and beyond as an integral part of the development of adult education across Europe, which is one of the main drivers of our development. We wish to identify appropriate Mas‐ ter’s programmes at other partner institutions which could also be part of this progressive learning pathway for those who graduate from the TQAE and would be grateful if you could forward this information to us as appropriate.. The programme for the TQAE will consist of four modules: 1. The Principles and Practice of Adult Education. 2. Learning and Assessment. 3. Professional Enquiry. 4. A workplace project for TQAE. We are seeking programme approval from the university for TQAE in March 2010 and from there we will look to advertise the programme across Europe for its starting date in June 2011. We would welcome suggestions as to how we should target this advertising to ensure that this promotion reaches the appropriate staff in the adult edu‐ cation field. The first two modules will be offered here at the University of Stirling in June of each year during a two week summer school. The Professional Enquiry module will be offered on line in September of each year with a completion date in December. This leaves the student six months from January to June to complete their workplace project. Both the Learning and assessment module and the Professional Enquiry module are already in use on post graduate programmes at The Stirling Institute of Educa‐ tion, but the two other modules will be developed specifi‐ cally for this programme. The Principles and Practice module will be the first module offered at the summer school and we will look to the students to develop and define the principles that unpin the philosophy of adult education. We need to ensure, then, that the Principles and Practice module resonates with adult learning col‐ leagues in Europe and so below, we have set out our prin‐ ciples of adult education and how this is translated into teaching practice on adult education programmes. We request that you consider our principles and practice and present your own in order that we can reach an under‐ standing on what will become our common philosophy of adult education. Finally, we would like to invite you to become a ‘critical friend’ for the development of this new Teaching Qualifi‐ cation in Adult Education and we look forward to hearing from you. We welcome any comments that you may choose to send. For critical comments, feedback and support to this initia‐ tive please contact Jim and Richard at: j.g.bradley@stir.ac.uk r.b.dockrell@stir.ac.uk ISSN: 1792‐538X Page 8 Projects & Activities THE TRAINERGUIDE A web‐based tool for in‐company Trainers T *** he TrainerGuide has been in operation in Denmark since 2006. The fundamental principle behind the establishment of the web‐based tool is that more support of higher quality for trainers will improve the overall quality of workplace training. At the national Danish level, the Guide originally targeted the industrial, construction, gastronomy and transport sectors. In 2007, several trade committees formed an association with the purpose of maintaining and further developing the online version of the TrainerGuide. Since then, new trades have started the process of joining and using the Guide. In 2008, links with vocational training organisations in other EU countries were established. The outcome of this process was the initiation of the Leonardo Project: "The European TrainerGuide". The project consists of partners from Finland, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Slovenia and Turkey. Based on an English TrainerGuide template, each country will be responsible for developing their own versions and in their own language. The Danish Centre for the Development of Vocational Education and Training, NCE, developed, to‐ gether with several trade committees, the original version of the TrainerGuide and is also the lead partner in the Euro‐ pean project. The approach of the TrainerGuide Even though the 2010 goals refer to both to teachers and trainers, it is noteworthy that the indicators selected to as‐ sess the development within the area of VET teachers/ trainers only applied to teachers, and not trainers. The ra‐ tionale for omitting the trainers was that the concept ‘trainer’ is understood differently in different countries and that there is not much statistical information available. Be‐ sides the lack of statistical information, it is widely acknowl‐ edged that the role of training and trainers is seen as a grey zone area, difficult to grasp and manage. As a result of these circumstances, only few countries have entered into discus‐ sions about trainers and how to enhance their competencies to meet changing labour market demands. The lack of politi‐ cal focus on and attention to this area for trainers has re‐ sulted in an absence of a trainer identity, which is one of the major reasons that it is difficult to address trainers in enter‐ prises as a target group. This also explains why there are almost no existing interest groups for this occupational cate‐ gory in Europe. Hence, most trainers in companies see themselves as skilled workers. The TrainerGuide approaches some of these issues by raising awareness among compa‐ nies and trainers themselves. The Guide provides illustrative examples to help trainers identify the work they do, the knowledge they have acquired and the skills they need to have to be a competent trainer. Central to the Guide's development was the view that trainers can train others more effectively, if they are trained in how to deliver train‐ ing. This is a process that also can lead to the shaping of an identity, and thus seeing oneself as more than a skilled worker. Target group and content of the TrainerGuide The primary target groups of the Guide will be employees responsible for training of apprentices/trainees and em‐ ployers. Secondary target groups will be training commit‐ tees and organisations, VET schools and centers and other stakeholders involved in vocational education and train‐ ing. As already mentioned, the TrainerGuide is a web‐ based tool, which can be reached on line by the various users. The tool provides the user with a range of services that cover different aspects and topics within the exten‐ sive field of recruiting and training apprentices/trainees. The online TrainerGuide consists at this time of 10 mod‐ ules and includes topics like: Employment of apprentices (legal matters), workplace culture, the VET training sys‐ tem, introduction of training methods and learning proc‐ esses, information and guidance in matters such as coop‐ eration, youth culture and safety and advice concerning how to evaluate both ones own training and the perform‐ ance of the apprentices. In addition to an extensive amount of facts and information, the Guide provides sound cuts, in order to add more perspectives and variety to presentation of the diverse topics covered by the tool. The reason behind this is based on the experience that the users of the TrainerGuide, primarily trainers, often prefer to hear and see things instead of reading long and compli‐ cated papers. This is also the reason for presenting the materials in a simple and uncomplicated way. One of the fine features of the TrainerGuide is the flexibility of the tool. There is no inbuilt prerequisite that the user has to go through all the modules starting with module one and moving forward. The user can pick from the range of top‐ Issue Nr 1 / 2010 ics in accordance what he/she needs here and now and referring to a specific training situation. Hence much atten‐ tion has been paid to provide extensive user friendliness. How can the Guide address the changing role of train‐ ers? Essentially, the changing role of trainers seems to refer to two aspects: one is an internal role re‐definition of the trainer from instructor to coach or facilitator, questioning the former authoritarian position of trainer, and requiring new forms of communicative and social competencies in order to engage in teamwork, mentoring and facilitating innovative forms of learning. The other aspect addresses the changing responsibilities of trainers, as the nature of training itself is changing, with more elements of project‐ oriented learning, new aspects of quality assessment in learning processes and more complex coordination with other training facilities and institutions. The TrainerGuide addresses these features in several ways, especially in module 4, 5 and 6. Module four deals with how the instructor can improve his/her competencies e.g. by elaborating on and explaining how the trainer can improve his/her position as a coach and mentor. Module 6 includes a number of youth culture related topics. Here the user has access to various perspectives and approaches concerning issues such as: youth behaviour, cultural diversity, adults as learners and talent management. Page 9 assurance, project management and cooperation with dif‐ ferent company departments or with external training insti‐ tutions and vocational schools. Most trainers lack pedagogi‐ cal, social and management competencies. The Trainer‐ Guide can provide useful information and input to alleviate this situation. This especially applies to the topics of learning processes and cooperation. Module 5 in the Guide provides a great deal of practical and comprehensible input concerning how to approach issues such as learning styles, learning en‐ vironment, feed‐back situations and how to make learning visible. Module 7 deals with external relations, colleagues and, more specifically, how to improve cooperation in re‐ gards to learning conditions and how to improve cross‐ disciplinary teamwork. The TrainerGuide represents a new and innovative approach to providing relevant information for trainers and is devel‐ oped to serve specific purposes in different training solu‐ tions. The Guide is an online tool that is easy for trainers to access and utilise and has a flexibility that makes it possible for the trainer to choose between different topics, according to his/her specific needs and preferences. All in all, the TrainerGuide can make an important contribution to en‐ hancing the pedagogical, didactical and management com‐ petencies of trainers. —‐ For more information on TrainerGuide visit the following website: www.trainerguide.eu The TrainerGuide can contribute to the improvement of VET trainers' pedagogical, social and management com‐ petencies In most EU countries, trainers in companies are not ex‐ pected to have specific trainer qualifications, but are usu‐ Identification, assessment and ally skilled workers with a certain period of work experi‐ recognition of informally acquired ence – typically 5 years. Thus countries tend to focus on trainers' vocational background and expertise as a prereq‐ competences uisite for becoming a trainer. In terms of trainer compe‐ *** tence, three levels of competence are of relevance to train‐ his project is funded by EU Lifelong Learning Pro‐ ers: first, vocational competencies that enable the trainer gramme and is implemented by partners from to train in a work practice setting, i.e. basic vocational and Austria (Burgenlaendische Volkshochschulen), technical skills; second, pedagogical and social competen‐ France (GIP FCIP Alsace), Germany (HeurekaNet cies to facilitate didactic processes; and, third, manage‐ e.V., Bildungswerk der KAB), Lithuania (Lithuanian ment competencies to support so‐called secondary train‐ Association of AE), Netherlands (ROC van Twente), Slovakia ing‐related processes, including quality monitoring and (Akademia Vzdelavania) and Switzerland (Swiss Association T ISSN: 1792‐538X Page 10 for AE). Two years project started in December 2008. Project goal Project aims to stimulate adult education institutions, their management staff and teaching professionals to develop the ideas of lifelong learning, to foster specific methodical competencies by applying in practice already tried and trusted methods. Target group Ault education professionals and organisations (institutions, associations, institutes, etc.) from different fields: vocational education and training, other areas of improving of qualifi‐ cations where institutions are involved in identification, as‐ sessment and recognition of competencies. Specific target group of the project is publishing houses of training re‐ sources. Achievements International “methods workshop”‐ two‐day international event where the partners and other participants will discuss the practice and experience in identification, assessment and recognition of informally acquired competences, will compare the effectiveness of methods used in different countries, will obtain the ideas for improving of or develop‐ ing new methods. Collection of documents ‐ the result of the “methods work‐ shop” which will contain the introductory presentations, results of working groups, recommendations, including rec‐ ommendations on using the ICT instruments and their im‐ provement. “The virtual portfolio of instruments”‐ the Internet based database on methods of identification, assessment and rec‐ ognition of informally acquired competences. National/regional “methods workshops”‐ the events at national or regional level, where representatives of adult education institutions and social partners will discuss the situation and prospects of identification, assessment and recognition of informally acquired competences. National/regional compendiums of methods‐ the collec‐ tions of methods that are used in partner countries. —‐ More information visit the following website: www.competences.info You want less trouble with EU red tape? Go to the following website and sign the declaration along with several thousands of colleagues who have done so already. http://www.Trust‐Researchers.eu Learning to learn – a key‐competence for all adults? A GRUNDTVIG funded action research project L *** earning to learn is important and increasingly vital for people trying to deal with a rapidly changing world! Or in the words of the European Union learning to learn is one of the 8 “key competences that citizens re‐ quire for their personal fulfilment, social inclusion, active citizenship and employability in our knowledge‐based so‐ ciety.” UNIQUE, a European network of educational practitioners and researchers (www.unique‐network.org), decided to explore this particular key‐competence learning to learn. We therefore designed an action‐research project with the prevalent aim to understand better how education can support adult learners developing this key‐competence. We started off in November 2008 with reviewing literature on learning to learn in various countries. The review clearly showed the wide spectrum in which this term is being understood – from measures to become more efficient in learning all the way to an encompassing life‐competence. Learning to learn is considered an empowering compe‐ tence to have, which can give people the “motivation, autonomy and responsibility to control their own lives be‐ yond the social circumstances in which they find them‐ selves.” In this way uncertainty, changes and risks can be‐ come learning opportunities – for the individual as well as its communities. Now the project sets out to identify educational ap‐ proaches, methods, concepts which support the develop‐ ment of the competence learning to learn – with the aim to contribute to the already existing respective pool of knowledge. Having this in mind we highly appreciate any contribution to our exploration process. Connected to the website www.learning2learn.eu of the project, is an interactive platform containing discussions about learning to learn. —‐ For more information contact: info@unique‐network.org Issue Nr 1 / 2010 Page 11 tivities? How they learn in their daily‐life’s? Even if we ex‐ clude the learning process driven for professional reasons, they still should be involved in household and familiar de‐ mands and social demands. PALADIN Promoting Active Learning and Ageing of Disadvantage Seniors T *** he quest of making the European Union the lead‐ ing knowledge based economy in the world will only be possible if education and training function as factors of economic growth, research and inno‐ vation, competitiveness, sustainable employment and social inclusion and active citizenship. It’s estimated that long‐run effect on economic output of one additional year of educa‐ tion in the OECD generally falls between 3% and 6%. (Education at a Glance, OECD Indicators, 2004). In fact, dur‐ ing the 90s in the OECD countries the rise of knowledge workers ‐ scientists, engineers, and others such as ICT spe‐ cialists and technicians who generate knowledge ‐ ac‐ counted for nearly 30% of recorded net employment growth. Even though the recognition of the benefits of education and training to groups and individuals at risk of social exclusion there is strong and consistent evidence that the participation of disadvantaged groups in all kinds of adult education (formal, informal and non‐formal) continues to be lower than that of other groups. It’s a fact that all collective efforts have not be efficient and effective in the reduction of the number of people who do not take part in any form of learning. Current Situation According to the most recent Eurostat Adult Education Sur‐ vey (AES), more than half of the population do not partici‐ pate in any kind of formal or non‐formal learning activity. Furthermore, the average of people not attending nor wish to attend (48%) it’s frightening high and in a large number of UE member states the attendance rate it’s lower than 30%. One of the objectives of the Eurostat survey was to get to know who are the non‐learners. No surprisingly they are the “usual victims”: Participation in adult learning declines with age, with lower levels of education and income. A few other factors contribute to the low attendance level, but are not so heavy as these ones. When it comes to older people none of the formal, non for‐ mal or informal systems seems to be attractive to this group. Is the formal, non‐formal and informal learning a mere vo‐ cabulary designation to mature people and in fact method‐ ologies and techniques tailored made to this group, are not the most important driven factor? If the fear of getting back to school or the low attraction to organized courses could explain the low rate of participation in formal and non‐ formal learning activities, what exactly can explain the low rate of participation in informal learning? If learning it’s something as natural as living, how the older ones, usually seen as stores of knowledge, do not get enrolled in such ac‐ Action in the Field The Project PALADIN (Promoting Active Learning and Ageing of Disadvantage Seniors) is embraced by an experienced group of institutions in key‐dimensions to this subject: academic/research profile, policy‐oriented and community committed. Targeting 5 precise goals, the project intents to contribute to the empowerment of the disadvantage seniors (over 50 years old low qualified) trough the development their readiness for self‐directed learning, especially in 5 fields of their lives: health, activ‐ ity (employment, voluntary or other), education (either formal, no‐formal and informal), citizenship and finances. Objectives General Objectives ‐ Develop and test, a package of methodology and instru‐ ments to facilitate self‐learning processes, of seniors at disadvantage(over 50 years old with qualifications). ‐ Setting up a network of innovative activities, focused on self‐training and learning approaches, at Community level. Operational Objectives 1. Produce a self‐directed index for mature adults (including 20 self‐directed learning didactic tools). 2. Develop 5 Self‐directed Learning Readiness Scales for disadvantage, low qualified seniors in 5 specific areas. 3. Organize 25 public round tables in 5 different countries. 4. Organize 4 International Scientific Events. 5. Produce a Memorandum: “Lessons and Recommenda‐ tions for policy‐makers and Lifelong Learning deciders”. —‐ For more information on PALADIN visit this website: http://projectpaladin.eu/ ISSN: 1792‐538X Page 12 GINCO: Grundtvig International Network of Course Organisers Enhancing opportunities for professional devel‐ opment of adult education staff G *** INCO is a new network of adult education organi‐ sations organising or planning to organise inter‐ national in‐service training courses eligible for participants to apply for a Grundtvig grant. Adult education staff can apply for a Grundtvig grant to at‐ tend an international in‐service training course. This grant system is run by the National Agencies in all LLP countries. These international in‐service training courses are provided Europe wide by adult education organisations in a Grundtvig project/network context or on an individual basis. GINCO wants to network actual and potential Grundtvig course organisers, not only offering a forum for cooperation and exchange of expertise but also offering support for de‐ velopment, promotion of access, quality of delivery, accredi‐ tation and sustainability of their courses. This network will be organised through different strands of activities: re‐ search, production of relevant material, conferences, train‐ ing days, Internet based networking activities etc. Target groups The GINCO network target groups are adult education staff from Grundtvig course providers or willing to run Grundtvig courses, adult education providers in general, LLP National Agencies, educational policy makers at European, national and regional levels. GINCO can help course organisers and stakeholders: 1. To improve the quality of Grundtvig European training provision and its accreditation systems. 2. To share expertise with other (potential) Grundtvig course organisers. 3. To strengthen the cooperation between the relevant stakeholders: adult education providers, LLP National Agen‐ cies, the European Commission and other. 4. To contribute to their professionalization concerning Grundtvig course provision and delivery 5. To help expand the Grundtvig course offer in LLP countri‐ es6. To support the dissemination and sustainability of the Grundtvig courses A first international conference on quality of and ICT use in Grundtvig courses will be organised in Izmir, Turkey, 27 – 30 October 2010. Experienced and new Grundtvig course organisers will meet. Through key note speakers, workshops and examples of good practice participants will share and learn about quality of Grundtvig courses, the use of inno‐ vative didactics and the appropriate use of ICT before, during and after the course. More information on this con‐ ference is in the Grundtvig course database: https:// webgate.ec.europa.eu/llp/istcoursedatabase/ with ref. nr. BE‐2010‐143‐001. Participants can apply for a grant (travel, accommodation and participation costs covered) under the action ‘Visits and exchanges’ of the Grundtvig programme. Please visit the website of your National LLP Agency. —‐ Are you an adult education provider offering Grundtvig courses or willing/ planning to do so? GINCO can provide useful material and can bring you in contact with colleagues and help share material and expertise. More information and networking activities on the network website: www.ginconet.eu Issue Nr 1 / 2010 Flexible professionalisation pathways for adult educator between the 6th and 7th level of EQF *** lthough a well recognised need, there has been paid little attention to defining the con‐ tents and processes of initial training and the further professionalisation of staff working in adult learning. Well qualified staff is needed to support adults in their learning and yet there are few education/ training systems for adult education professionals across Europe (Switzerland, Austria, UK) which, in fact, do not allow cross‐national qualifications comparability and recognition. The European project “Flexi‐Path” deals with this chal‐ lenge to facilitate the transparency and recognition of adult educator qualifications across Europe. In interna‐ tional cooperation of seven partners from all over Europe it is aimed to make adult education competenece com‐ parable by having a common reference (EQF) and a com‐ mon Master adult educator profile which promotes the idea of mobility through standardised educational pro‐ grammes and qualification levels. Flexi‐Path will also enhance the recognition and valorisa‐ tion of adult educator learning that has occurred within non‐formal and informal settings by the means of a vali‐ dation instrument. Flexi‐Path envisages the adult educa‐ tors who have acquired specific competences outside a formal setting, which simply does not exist sometimes or the job they are engaged in did not require a formal qualification in adult education as a prerequisite. With the help of this validation instrument, their awareness on the knowledge and skills they have in present will be raised and they will be able to plan their further profes‐ sional development. Flexi‐Path is a Leonardo da Vinci Project of the EU Life Long Learning Programme. The project is coordinated by the German Institute for Adult Education (DIE) (Germany). Partners are: Centre of research in Theories and Practices that overcome inequalities (CREA) (Spain); Swiss Federation for Adult learning (SVEB) (Switzerland); University of Florence, Italy; Romanian Institute for Adult Education (IREA) (Romania); Estonian Non‐Formal Adult Education Association (Estonia) and Educational Centres Association, Great Britain. —‐ For more information see: A www.flexi‐path.eu Contact: Dr. Anne Strauch strauch@die‐bonn.de Page 13 Community FOCUS@Internationalisation *** nternationalisation is one of the buzzwords that have had an impact on universities in recent years, and that will continue to do so in years to come. We immediately asso‐ ciate it with the Bologna process, mobility and teaching in English. However, there is little systematic reflection on the effect of structural reorganisation or strategic decisions on the concrete teaching situation in lecture theatres, seminar rooms and online learning environments. Internationalisation in university teaching and learning is multi‐faceted, and we wish to address different perspectives in our community. Lec‐ turers, module coordinators and decision makers might be in touch with quite different questions and solution. It is possible to share material here and links plus there will be a focus theme each month with an audio‐podcast (e.g. Janu‐ ary 2010: Languages and Internationalisation) and a discus‐ sion forum. We are interested to share ideas and material regarding the internationalisation of university teaching and learning. The impact of structural changes and strategic decisions on the actual teaching situation is hardly reflected. —‐ Our thematic focus for this month is: TEACHING STAFF AND ADMINISTRATION AT UNIVERSITY GOES INTERNATIONAL JOIN OUR COMMUNITY IN ENGLISH HERE —‐ For access and registration go to: I http://afh‐community.mixxt.ch Managing the Learning Dynamics of SME Clustering *** ichard Dealtry is working with a number of organi‐ sations introducing this vital element of business and management development. His organisation's cluster research and application experience has resulted in the development of new avenues for the accelerated development of both sector and open clusters. He comments that "business‐led innovation is not purely for the large corporate organisations ‐ small and me‐ dium‐sized companies have a wealth of knowledge and capa‐ bility". A well‐managed cluster captures this knowledge and Director development capability in a way that is of tremendous benefit to all the m e m be r s of the cluster." If any readers, from any size of organisation, have any ques‐ tions about the SME Cluster concept and the 'get it right first time' blueprint customising processes, please contact Rich‐ ardDealtry@btconnect.com, and he will be glad to set you on the right road for a successful outcome. R ISSN: 1792‐538X Page 14 New approaches to teaching and learning medical communication in a foreign language 12‐18 September 2010, Urbino, Italy IT‐2010‐591‐001 Comenius‐Grundtvig in‐service training course *** he course aims to enhance the participants' in‐ sights and skills in the area of medical communica‐ tion. More in particular, participants will gain ex‐ perience in how to use new training methodolo‐ gies and web 2.0 tools for teaching and learning medical communication in a foreign language. They will be engaged in how to better understand intercultural communication issues in a medical context and explore competence‐based and self‐assessment methodologies and tools. The present course is the result of a Leonardo da Vinci pilot project named "Medics on the Move" (MoM) which has developed web‐based communication training tools for for‐ eign medical professionals (www.medicsmove.eu). MoM offers scenarios for professional interaction, insights into foreign language medical communication and socio‐cultural interaction, in addition to providing language and pronun‐ ciation tips and links to external resources. Participants will be requested to present their professional profile and their needs or experiences regarding medical and intercultural communication, and teaching/learning with new methodologies. The participants will also receive access to the online system and materials which will be used during and after the training. T Who is the course for? Teachers and trainers of communication skills in medicine; foreign language teachers; teachers in the area of medical communication; trainers and teachers of medical mediators and interpreters. The course programme Sunday, 12 September 2010 ‐ Arrival, welcome, short presentation of tutors and partici‐ pants Monday, 13 September 2010 Introduction of participants ‐ Introduction to medical communication and communica‐ tion challenges (what can go wrong); ‐ Intercultural communication; ‐ Sharing experiences on materials used in training ‐ Medical language learning in contact sessions (for teachers and trainers). Tuesday, 14 September 2010 ‐ Introduction to Medics on the Move and tools developed ‐ Hands on session; ‐ E‐learning/ Mobile learning in training ‐ Sharing experiences on new methodologies for learning ‐ Web 2.0 tools ‐ blogging and twittering. Wednesday, 15 September 2010 ‐ Medical communication: awareness and skills; ‐ Workshop on intercultural communication ‐ case studies. Thursday, 16 September 2010 ‐ Learning and training with Medics on the Move ‐ Autono‐ mous, guided learning, blended learning, contact teach‐ ing; ‐ Workshop and exercises with Medics on the Move. Friday, 17 September 2010 ‐ Competences and self assessment (European Framework of Reference) ‐ ePortfolio; ‐ Evaluation and European opportunities. Saturday, 18 September 2010 Day trip to Marche Region / Departure Participation fee 1250 Euro (500,00 Euro for full board accommodation + 750,00 euro for tuition and course materials). For both participation fee and travel expenses to Italy you can request a grant from the LLP National Agency in your country, which will cover all costs. You can find the address of your national agency on http:// ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong‐learningprogramme/ doc1208_en.htm. For more information on Grundtvig and Comenius courses http://ec.europa.eu/education/trainingdatabase/ search.cfm Course coordinator: Training 2000 Via Piano S. Michele, 47/A 61040 Mondavio (PU) Italy Contact person: Kylene De Angelis Tel : +39 0721 979988 e.mail : training2000@training2000.it www.training2000.it —‐ Visit the following website for more information: www.medicsmove.eu Issue Nr 1 / 2010 Page 15 hl=en&formkey=ckJtMnNPdHk3ZzRDZDg3dGVhMVM3RUE6 MA. The handbook is also electronically available on the TACCLE website (www.taccle.eu) in all project languages (English, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, German, French) and Portuguese. TACCLE Teachers’ Aids on Creating Content for Learning Environments *** nformation and Communication Technologies (ICT) are being increasingly used to create richer learning environments. That is why it is important to train teachers how to design and develop their own con‐ tent and generate learning materials that can help their own students and can also be freely exchanged with oth‐ ers. TACCLE is a project funded by the EU under its Lifelong Learning Programme – Comenius and carried out by 7 partners coming from 6 different countries: Belgium, Italy, Austria, Spain, UK and Switzerland. Its aim is to help teachers to develop state of the art con‐ tent for e‐learning in general and for learning environ‐ ments in particular. It tries to achieve this by training teachers to create e‐learning materials and raising their awareness of e‐learning in general. TACCLE will help to establish a culture of innovation in the schools in which they work. TACCLE is primarily targeted at secondary teachers but there is no reason why primary school teachers or teach‐ ers in adult education should not find it useful too. I TACCLE provides: step by step guidance in a teacher friendly ‘how‐to‐do ‐it’ handbook; practical training to develop skills you can use in your own classrooms; a web site packed with information www.taccle.eu; international in‐service training once a year. TACCLE HANDBOOK The handbook contains 5 sections (and 29 chapters): getting started (i.e. what is e‐learning, explana‐ tion on wikis, podcasting, seblogs, etc.), the pedagogy of e‐learning (different sorts of e‐learning, the role of the teacher in e‐learning, target groups, assessment, trends), learning environments (LMS, PLE), creating digital learn‐ ing objects and networks and communities. Every chapter contains learning objectives, a descriptive explanation, assignments and resources and reference material. To order the handbook please fill in the following form: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform? THE NEXT COURSE WILL TAKE PLACE IN URBINO (IT) FROM 18 MAY 2010 UNTIL 25 MAY 2010. The provisional programme of the next international in‐ service training in Urbino includes: • 19 April 2010: Arrival, welcome, short presentation of tu‐ tors and participants • 20 April: Introduction to eXe authoring tool ‐Creating your own learning path exercise ‐eXe exercise part 1 • 21 April 2010: Introduction to Podcasting + Podcast exer‐ cise ‐eXe exercise part 2 ‐Guided visit to Urbino • 22 April 2010: How to use images, video and social media tools in e‐learning ‐Exercise with image and / or video soft‐ ware ‐eXe exercise part 3 • 23 April 2010: Retrieving and re‐using digital learning ob‐ jects SCORM files in Moodle eXe exercise part 4 ‐ Presentation of the learning materials created by the par‐ ticpants • 24 April 2010: Day trip to Marche Region + course evalua‐ tion • 25 April 2010: Departure —‐ If you wish to receive more information on TACCLE in‐service training in the future, please register on the TACCLE website: www.taccle.eu —‐ For more information on TACCLE and its outcomes please contact the coordinator: Jens Vermeersch Go! onderwijs van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap Emile Jacqmainlaan 20 1000 Brussel Belgium Tel.: +32 2 790 95 98 Fax: +32 2 790 97 97 Jens.vermeersch@g‐o.be ISSN: 1792‐538X Page 16 ESREA Networks ESREA promotes research through network meetings, seminars and conferences, a triennial research conference and through publications. Information on ESREA Networks’ organization and activities –other than the ESREA|ReNAdET– will be available in this section of the Newsletter Demographic Change and the Education of Older Adults First Conference of the ESREA Network on Education and Learning of Older Adults (ELOA) 7‐9 October 2010 Munich, Germany *** ne of the most important challenges facing industrial nations is how to deal with the effects of demographic change and an ever increasing older population. Birth rates are sinking per‐ manently and the parallel steady in‐ crease in life‐expectancy are leading toward a society with a rising proportion of older people and an ever decreasing proportion of younger people. These demographic trends actually stimulate adult education in two ways: the first is the potential for innovation in reception and support for the increasing number of older workers; and the second is that educational training programs can and have to contribute to staying healthy and independent up until very old age in order to prevent the over‐burdening of the system. How this can be realized with the help of educational program‐ ming will be the main topic of the net‐ work conference. In order to achieve this, it is important to keep in mind the needs older people have as learners, go along with their educational interests and behaviour. When we talk about older adults here, we focus people in the second half of their working life up to the highly aged people more than 80 years old. This broad definition of older adults leads to a wide range of topics and perspectives focusing on the work‐ ing and learning conditions of older workers as much as on gerontological aspects of learning in old age. —‐ For more information contact the network convener: Bernhard Schmidt‐Hertha at: b.schmidt@lmu.de O Human Agency and Biographi‐ cal Transformations: Educa‐ tion and training of adults and life paths ESREA Life History and Biography Network 3‐6 March 2011 Geneva, Switzerland *** he next ESREA Life History and Biography Network con‐ ference will be held at the University of Geneva, Swit‐ zerland, from the evening of Thursday 3rd to Sunday 6th March 2011. The conference will be held in the main building of the Faculty of Psychology and Education, Uni Mail, in the heart of the city. Using adults’ life histories to explore contemporary biographical transformations and the question of human agency, with particular refer‐ ence to the resources provided by adult learning and education. Recent evolutions in contemporary societies have provoked a number of profound transformations in adults’ life paths. The traditional biographical standard based on the «ternary» model seems to have become obso‐ lete : (i) learning during childhood and youth, (ii) working and becoming par‐ ents during adult life, (iii) withdrawing from active life at retirement age : this simple structural model, containing only a small number of biographical transitions and life cycles, would ap‐ pear to belong to the past. —‐ For more information contact : christopher.parson@unige.ch or check the event’s website: http://fapsesrvnt2.unige.ch/Fapse/ mime‐ sis.nsf/04c8b37acff022ccc1256c22002 c5423/ ccee27d61e682fefc1257751002f08e1? OpenDocument T Introducing gender into aca‐ demia ‐ (in)visible act ESREA Network on Gender and Adult Learning 9‐11 June 2011 Montpellier, France *** This conference will provide a forum for interdisciplinary discussions on: • Gender and academic (hidden) curriculum • Gender and adult education theo‐ ries • Gender and adult training in aca‐ demia • Gender and academic experiences of students and teachers This Conference will provide space to engage participants with these and similar issues in workshops and ple‐ nary sessions, will be a forum for re‐ searchers to facilitate cooperation, exchange knowledge and experience, and to integrate PhD students into the field. The conference is organized by European Society for Research on the Education of Adults (ESREA) Net‐ work on Gender and Adult Learning in co‐operation with the University of Montpellier 3 in Montpellier, France (Department of adult training ‐ SUFCO). The first two conferences of the Network were held in Bochum (1999) and Geneva (2001). The third meeting took place in Wroclaw (2004) as an ESREA post‐conference semi‐ nar, and next ones in Geneva (2005) and in Olsztyn (2007). The last confer‐ ence was held in Hull (2009). —‐ For more information contact : christine.fontanini@free.fr or check the seminar’s website: http://recherche.univ‐montp3.fr/ sufcoweb/public/ESREA/ Issue Nr 1 / 2010 ESREA NETWORKS *** ver since its existence ESREA is made up of several net‐ works that on a regular basis have meetings at which re‐ search around certain themes is being discussed. At the moment, ESREA has eleven active networks, and each ac‐ tive network has a meeting every year, or every second year. Members of ES‐ REA may at any time propose the es‐ tablishment a new network to the ESREA Steering Committee. A first step is to contact the ESREA Secre‐ tariat. The subsequent step is the sub‐ mission of a written proposal indicat‐ ing: Proposed network title; aims/ themes to be addressed; name of con‐ venor(s) or consortium; indications of support for the network; a provisional work programme, and date for a kick‐ off meeting. When a new network pro‐ posal is approved, the convenor(s) will receive support from the ESREA Steer‐ ing Committee and ESREA Secretariat during the start‐up phase. —‐ You will find more information about each network by clicking on the links below. *** E ESREA Network on Access, Learning Careers and Identities This network was formerly known as the Access network. The new title reflects the changing and broadening nature of research and literature in this field. In addressing this wider field the net‐ work will focus on access into learning and ex‐ periences of learning in a range of educational settings such community education, vocational education, further and higher education. ESREA Network on Active Democratic Citizenship and Adult Learning This network was established as a challenge to the breakdown of the East and Central Europe under Soviet influence. Adult education and active citizenship have a long history of interac‐ tion and cross‐fertilisation. Europe's recent past provides a myriad of examples of a mutually sustaining partnership between the practices and institutions of adult learning, on the one hand, and of active civic engagement, on the other hand. ESREA Research Network on Working Life and Learning This research network has a commitment in developing a new interdisciplinary research field and involving in political and practical collabora‐ tion and discussion. This commitment ties to‐ gether a plurality of topics as well as theoretical and methodological approaches. Page 17 ESREA Network on the History of Adult Education and Training in Europe The network “History of Adult Education and Training in Europe” is continuing and develop‐ ing further the work of the network “Cross‐ cultural influences in the history of European adult education”, established in 1991 by Mar‐ tha Friedenthal‐Haase (Tübingen/Leipzig), Stuart Marriot (Leeds), and Barry J. Hake (Leiden). ESREA Network on Gender and Adult Learning The purpose of this ESREA network is to cast more light upon this field of research in adult education in Europe. Reports of research are discussed in terms of their theoretical aspects such as gendered learning, gender in higher education, gendered biographies, masculin‐ ities‐femininities, gender in adult training, but also in terms of their methodological dimen‐ sions. ESREA Network on Life History and Biographical Research This network enables people to share their research and to learn from each other, whether they are experienced researchers or post‐ graduate students about to begin their studies. The Network has led to a number of collabora‐ tive research projects, some of which have been financed by the European Union. ESREA Network on Between Global and Local: Adult Learning and Development This network was established recently and the first meeting took place in 2006 as to join Euro‐ pean researchers committed to study the mul‐ tiple relationships between development and adult learning. It focuses on different scales of development that should be analysed to‐ gether, clearly identifying the global and re‐ gional/local dimensions. ESREA network on Migration, Ethnicity, Racism and Xenophobia This network aims to create a space to explore the articulation of adult education with the themes of migration, ethnicity and xenopho‐ bia. It encourages democratic and critical dia‐ logue between socially committed adult edu‐ cation scholars seeking to develop theoretical and methodological resources that can con‐ tribute to the formation of a ‘solidarity from below’. ESREA network on Education and Learning of Older Adults Central aim of this network is to bring together research activities in this field on a European scale and to establish a regular interchange of researchers who work on these topics. ESREA network on Policy Studies in Adult Education This network aims to develop a core forum of select experts relevant to the area of policy issues in adult education which will commit to ongoing dialogue and development around two specific areas: the development and im‐ pact of policies on adult education; and the development and impact of research of policy. ESREA 6th European Research Conference Adult Learning in Europe ‐ understanding diverse meanings and contexts 23‐ 23‐26 September 2010 Linköping University Sweden *** dult education, lifelong learn‐ ing or adult learning? Debates about choice of words an‐ nounce differences in what we conceive of as our research field. Not only do the concepts vary, but also the con‐ texts which we think are proper study objects: it can be learning at work, civic education, formal adult education, higher education or folkbildning (popular/liberal adult education) or informal learning among adults. Behind these labels are practices, which have been shaped into local versions. We need to explore this diversity in order to better understand each other’s research. By making differ‐ ences understood we might be clearer about what we have in common. The conference is hosted by the Euro‐ pean Society for Research on the Educa‐ tion of Adults (ESREA) and Linköping University, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, division for Stud‐ ies in Adult, Popular and Higher Educa‐ tion (VUFo) in cooperation with HELIX VINN Excellence Centre and Mimer – National Programme for Research on Popular Adult Education. —‐ For more information contact: esrea2010@vxu.se or check the conference website: http://lnu.se/om‐lnu/konferenser/esrea‐ 2010 A ISSN: 1792‐538X Page 18 Conferences & Networking TECH EDUCATION 2010 adult educators and re‐ fected the learning experi‐ International Conference on Technology, Enhanced Learning, Quality of Teaching and Reforming of Education 9‐21 May 2010 Athens, Greece T *** he full conference programme is or‐ ganized around 6 general pillars: 1.Quality of the Education‐A new vision | 2.Technology Enhanced Learning ‐ Learning Technologies‐Personalization ‐E‐learning | 3.Educational Strategies | 4.The Collabora‐ tive/ Constructive/ Pedagogi‐ cal/ Didactical Approaches | 5.The Formal/ Informal/ and Life Long Learning Perspec‐ tives | 6.The Contribution of Education to Sustainable De‐ velopment. —‐ For more information on this conference check this site: http://www.reform‐ education.org Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults SCUTREA 40th Annual Conference Looking Back, Looking For‐ ward: learning, teaching and research in adult education past, present and future 6‐8 July 2010 University of Warwick, UK A *** dult education and lifelong learning has a history and biography. As searchers in diverse settings we need, from time to time, to reflect back on that his‐ tory and explore the changes that have shaped adult education teaching and learning today. Adult education has developed from being a distinct field in defined contexts to a more differentiated form with learning taking place in a wide range of locations. This change has included a shift in terminology and concepts from extra‐mural to continuing adult educa‐ tion to lifelong learning. This process has also been accompanied by policy changes which have wit‐ nessed the current move towards a more economic approach with an emphasis on vocational learning and learning for qualifications. Some would argue that this has been at the expense of the more humanistic ap‐ proaches of liberal adult education and the concern of learning for learning’s sake and radical adult edu‐ cation with its stress on social purpose. This confer‐ ence will provide a space for adult educators and re‐ searchers to reflect back on the past while thinking about the future in relation to learning and teaching. The conference will explore the ways the changing bi‐ ography of adult education and lifelong learning has influenced and transformed adult learning and teaching. What has been the role of adult educators and their biographies in this? What do we want to reclaim of the past as we move for‐ ward to the future? How have these changes af‐ ences of adult students in diverse settings? How can research help us to under‐ stand the changing biogra‐ phy of adult education? How will the past shape the future of pedagogical prac‐ tices? Was the past what we remember and, looking for‐ ward, what are our utopias, hopes and ideas and how can we as adult educators be agentic in shaping the future? —‐ For more information on this conference check this website: http:// www.scutrea.ac.uk From Tacit to Explicit: Embodied in PBL The 10th Finnish Problem‐ Problem‐based Learning Conference 5‐6 May 2010 Tampere, Finland F *** rom Tacit to Ex‐ plicit: Embodied in PBL, is an interna‐ tional conference to bring together researchers, teachers and professionals that shape the future of problem‐based learning. Organised by the ProBell society since 2000, the an‐ nual PBL conference has played a vital role of gather‐ ing the PBL activists from the international community to explore, discuss and de‐ bate how to shape and de‐ velop the future directions of PBL. The conference offers an interdisciplinary forum for dialogue and exchange of innovative ideas regarding curriculum development, threshold concepts and problem‐based learning. The main objective of this conference is to discuss the various research, planning, implementation and assess‐ ment practices around PBL. Those advanced in their PBL practices usually em‐ body their PBL understand‐ ing holistically and thus have sometimes problems in making their understand‐ ing explicit to those novices in the communities of PBL practice. PBL challenges conventional assumptions of knowledge, knowledge ownership and appropriate power relationships, there‐ fore constant overt mean‐ ing making dialogues are needed. Both conference days include both PBL‐ tutorials and acquisition of information (keynotes, workshops etc.). Last day to submit ab‐ stracts was February 25th 2010. Conference fee is 180 € (160 € for ProBell‐members) including materials, lunches, coffee and get‐ together party. Last day to register is March 26th. —‐ More information is avail‐ able on the conference website: http://www.probell.fi Issue Nr 1 / 2010 EDUCATION FACING CONTEMPORARY WORLD ISSUES 8‐9 October 2010 University of Pitesti, Romania T *** he aim of this Conference is to create a debate on the great chal‐ lenges which the contem‐ porary society addresses to education everywhere: globalization, intercultural‐ ity, development, commu‐ nication, partnership, pro‐ fessionalisation, qualifica‐ tions. Participants are in‐ vited to discuss: about the priorities of edu‐ cation today, about multiplying the functions belonging to edu‐ cation wit h in the ‘Knowledge Society’, about increasing the role of the school institutions at the local communities' level, about ways of innovating the teaching & learning processes. Opportunities for debating on/upon the initial & con‐ tinuing training of the di‐ dactic staff and for presen‐ tation of important educa‐ tional European organiza‐ tions and research societies (European Society for Re‐ search on the Adult of Adults, European Forum of Vocational Education and Training, The Balkan Soci‐ ety for Pedagogy and Edu‐ cation) will be created. The conference is equally open to researchers, educa‐ tional policies makers, strategists, managers and educators which are per‐ forming their activity in classrooms or in non‐formal Page 19 & informal educational or‐ ganizations. All registered papers will be peer‐ reviewed. The papers se‐ lected by the Scientific Com‐ mittee will be published, in extenso, in the Conference Workbook. The official lan‐ guage of the conference is English. —‐ For more information on this conference check this web‐ site: fields and will also be of significant interest to prac‐ titioners in these areas par‐ ticularly from cities and regional development agencies, local and national government agencies and organisations working in the field. The conference will facilitate the sharing of experiences and research findings across a wide range of interests. http:// www.eduworld.ro/ Conference Theme The overall theme for this conference is Heritage, Re‐ gional Development and Social Cohesion. Cultural and natural heritage is a resource for development in many different ways for regional and local stake‐ holders. Tourism, leisure and out of classroom ex‐ periences come to mind naturally, but the possibili‐ ties and challenges go far beyond that. The agendas of social inclusion, lifelong learning for all and place management have a lot to gain from constructive use of heritage. HERITAGE, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL COHESION Subthemes a) Lifelong learning through heritage and other cultural engagement b) Heritage and social inclu‐ sion in development of cul‐ tural capital c) Heritage tourism and sustainable development – a contradiction? d) New expectations from stakeholders on heritage organisations in the 21st century. —‐ For more information on this conference check this website: 22‐24 June 2010, Östersund, Sweden T *** his 8th interna‐ tional PASCAL conference on heri‐ tage, regional de‐ velopment and social cohe‐ sion is co‐hosted by the PASCAL Observatory and the Nordic Centre of Heri‐ tage Learning (NCK) and arranged by the Jamtli Mu‐ seum. The conference pro‐ vides an opportunity for the research and academic com‐ munity working in these http://www.obs‐ pascal.com/ node/1056 International Conference PHOENIX‐ PHE Is it necessary a Phoenix Phenomena in Higher Education? 23‐25 September 2010 Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania T *** his conference is designed in a less usual way. We intend to bring together interested profes‐ sionals from higher educa‐ tion and from the high school level (as a preparing stage for higher education level), aiming to think what is to be done for a real re‐ form of education, all over the world. The metaphor of the bird Phoenix is put in the center of the debates. What represents the cinders, what should be burned, and who is Cinderella in this con‐ text? What should be pre‐ served, and what should be forgotten in the educational philosophy and practice to‐ day? These are some possi‐ ble questions waiting for available, interesting and creative answers. The conference is organized on 4 sections: the educa‐ tional reform reality of this millennium; professional‐ ism in education; curricu‐ lum reform – unity in diver‐ sity; educational reform and curriculum open doors for the future. —‐ For more information check this website: http:// www.phoenixconf.ro/ ISSN: 1792‐538X Page 20 More information: www.esf.org/pgppe —‐ The European Science Foundation (ESF) has published a leaflet with information on common Calls for Proposals 2010 ESF‐LiU Conference: The Responsibility to Protect: From Princi‐ ple to Practice Linköping, Sweden, 8‐12 June 2010 Closing date for applica‐ tions: 8 March 2010 More information: www.esf.org/ conferences/10319 —‐ ESF‐LiU Conference: Home, Migration and the City: New Narra‐ tives, New Method‐ ologies For more information visit the following website: www.esf.org/ publications.html Some of the conference announcements and fore coming interesting meetings sponsored by ESF include the following: *** Qualitative Research in the Social Sciences in Europe (EUROQUAL) Final Conference: "International Perspectives on Qualitative Research in the Social Sciences", London 4‐6 May 2010 More information: www.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi/ euroqual —‐ Public Goods, Public Projects, Externalities (PGPPE) PET10 and PGPPE Closing Conference ‐ Bogaziçi Uni‐ versity, Istanbul, 25‐27 June 2010 Call for papers ‐ Submis‐ sion deadline: 1 April 2010 Linköping, Sweden, 6‐10 August 2010 Closing date for applica‐ tions: 16 April 2010 More information: www.esf.org/ conferences/10317 —‐ ESF‐LiU Conference: Paying Attention: Digital Media Cultures and Generational Re‐ sponsibility Linköping, Sweden, 6‐10 September 2010 Closing date for applica‐ tions: 1 May 2010 More information: www.esf.org/ conferences/10316 —‐ ESF‐COST High‐Level Research Conference: Future Internet and Society: Complex Networks Perspective Acquafredda di Maratea, Italy, 2‐7 October 2010 Closing date for applica‐ tions: 1 June 2010 More information: www.esf.org/ conferences/10341 INTERNATIONAL MEETING Linking recognition practices to qualifications frameworks: North‐ South collaborative research 11‐12 March 2010 Hamburg, Germany U *** NESCO’s Gen‐ eral Conference in 2004‐2005 entrusted UIL with conducting and dis‐ seminating research and practice on RVA. The Insti‐ tute, in partnership with the French National Commis‐ sion for UNESCO, held two international seminars on this issue, one on the ”Recognition of experiential learning: An international analysis” (2005), and the other on “Prospects for de‐ velopment in African coun‐ tries” (2007). UIL’s synthesis report on recognition, vali‐ dation and accreditation of non‐formal and informal learning comprises 41 coun‐ tries. Building on this proc‐ ess, UIL, in partnership with the Centre for Lifelong Learning Strategies (ECI) of INHolland University in the Netherlands, and with the French National Commis‐ sion for UNESCO, is orga‐ nizing an International Meeting on “Linking recog‐ nition practices to qualifica‐ tions frameworks: North‐ South collaborative re‐ search”, to be held on 11 and 12 March 2010. The aim of this meeting is to arrive at a better understanding of issues on policy and prac‐ tice surrounding RVA, and how they are linked to qualifications frameworks in different national con‐ texts. A research network will be established and a research programme devel‐ oped. The research pro‐ gramme will promote and strengthen research and institutional capacities by facilitating collaborative North‐South exchanges between countries with an RVA system already estab‐ lished and embedded in overarching lifelong learn‐ ing strategies and the coun‐ tries that have an interest in developing recognition practices and mechanisms, and linkages with national qualifications frameworks (NQFs). On the first day of the meeting, different perspec‐ tives on RVA‐NQF linkages will be explored, covering national and regional per‐ spectives as well as differ‐ ent themes such as the im‐ plementation and impact of NQFs on skills develop‐ ment and the different ap‐ proaches to the recognition of non‐formal and informal learning outcomes. The value of RVA for the Euro‐ pean Qualifications Frame‐ work will also be discussed. On the second day, there will be discussion and de‐ bate on the design and im‐ plementation of the re‐ search programme, includ‐ ing the benchmarking of national lifelong learning systems on recognition practices and qualifications frameworks. —‐ For more information on this event you can contact Ms Madhu Singh (m.singh@unesco.org) Issue Nr 1 / 2010 Page 21 Publications THE SOCIAL QUESTION AND ADULT EDUCATION European Perspectives in the 19th and 20th Centuries by Barry J. Hake & Françoise F. Laot (Editors) European Studies in Lifelong Learning and Adult Learning Research Vol. 4. T *** he abundant historical re‐ search literature on modernisa‐ tion processes, social change and adult educa‐ tion in the nineteenth and FINANZIERUNG DER WEITER‐ BILDUNG IN DEUTSCHLAND by Stefan Hummelsheim (Author) T *** he publication (published in German). Fi‐ nancing of con‐ tinuing education and training in Germany" ex‐ amines the theoretical arguments, the legal background, the flow of funds, cost and expendi‐ ture figures and the main benefits of the main pro‐ tagonists, distinguishing between enterprise, indi‐ vidual, public and publicly supported as well as SBG III‐supported continuing education and training. ISBN: 978‐3‐631‐57632‐8 twentieth centuries paperback €39,70. clearly demonstrates the diverse formulations August 2009 throughout Europe of the 208 pages 'social question' as one of Peter Lang the key issues in the de‐ velopment and organisa‐ tion of adult education. Interpretations of the The Global Report on Adult 'social question' and adult learning were negotiated Learning and Education in relation to contempo‐ (GRALE) now available in rary economic, political, English and French social and cultural reali‐ *** ties. Economic, political, ublished as an social and cultural input to the Sixth changes associated with International Con‐ modernisation processes ference on Adult throughout Europe all Education (CONFINTEA VI), impacted upon thinking the Report is the first report and action with regard to of its kind and draws on 154 National the organisation of adult Reports on the state of adult learning education for the 'popular' and education submitted by UNESCO or 'working' classes. Member States, five Regional Synthe‐ sis Reports and secondary literature. Its purpose is to provide an overview of P This approach is an attempt to structure the diversity of institutions, plurality of providers and expanse of target groups as well as the organisation of responsibilities and the flow of funds within the field of continuing education and training. In addition a seldom cal‐ culated overall budget for continuing education and training in Germany is presented. Furthermore the main problems of the existing continuing educa‐ tion and training structure and finally the pros and cons of possible alterna‐ tive financing schemes are discussed. ISBN: 978‐3‐7639‐1976‐5 paperback €19,90. December 2009 156 pages Bertelsmann, Bielefeld JVET ANNOUNCEMENT Special Issue: Apprenticeship as an Evolving Model of Learning I *** n 1998, the Journal of Vocational Education and Training published a special issue on the theme, ‘Contemporary Apprenticeship: perspectives on learning, teaching, policy and design’, edited by Alison Fuller and Lorna Unwin (Vol.50, Number 2). In 2010, they will edit a new special issue in order to revisit the theme of apprenticeship and examine how this model of learning is being experienced, adapted and re ‐thought at the start of the 21st trends in adult learning and education as well as to identify key challenges. The report shows that, although many countries have implemented adult education policies, govern‐ ments are not allocating enough funds for the sec‐ tor to be able to deliver its full potential. Participation in adult learning remains unacceptably low. The figures for illiteracy dem‐ onstrate the scale of the problem for a high propor‐ tion of adults who have not completed primary educa‐ tion. GRALE also makes it very clear that equal access to adult education is still far from a reality. —‐ To download go to: http://www.unesco.org/ en/confinteavi/grale/ century. The editors are calling for papers in response to this theme which is of central importance for the vocational/rofessional education and training systems in many countries round the world. Interested authors are invited to submit papers which interrogate meaning of the apprenticeship in contemporary economies and societies. The editors also welcome initial enquiries from authors who have ideas for papers. The deadline for papers is July 30th 2010. The special issue will be published in early 2011. —‐ Papers and enquiries should be sent to: a.fuller@soton.ac.uk or l.unwin@ioe.ac.uk. l.unwin@ioe.ac.uk ISSN: 1792‐538X Page 22 THE QUEST FOR MEANING Narratives of Teaching, Learning and the Arts by Mary Beattie (Author/Editor) Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, Canada T *** his book will be valuable in a wide range of graduate and undergraduate settings. It provides a framework for the development of new pedagogies which inte‐ grate the theory and prac‐ tice of narrative, arts‐ based approaches to edu‐ cation. The work makes a contri‐ bution to the fields of nar‐ rative and arts‐based in‐ quiry and pedagogy, BUILDING LEADERSHIP IN PROJECT AND NETWORK MANAGEMENT: A Facilitator's Tool Set by Franz, Hans‐ Werner & Sarcina, Ruggiera (Authors) Social Research Centre (Sozialforschungsstelle) at Dortmund University of Technology, Germany T *** his book builds a bridge between facilitation tech‐ niques and lead‐ ership in project and net‐ work management. It provides methodical qualitative research meth‐ ods, holistic and inte‐ grated studies, and self‐ directed inquiry. It will appeal to a range of audi‐ ences who are interested in this creative, integra‐ tive approach to educa‐ tion, and who want to gain insights into how students learn, from their own unique perspectives. The book’s other twelve narratives show from learners’ unique perspec‐ tives, how the creation and re‐creation of their ways of ways of knowing and being is a distinctively individual process involv‐ ing all aspects of their humanity. Individually, these narra‐ tives provide valuable glimpses into the chal‐ lenges, the joys, the frus‐ trations and emotionality, and the important per‐ sonal satisfactions in‐ volved in the processes of learning, unlearning and re‐learning. In their own voices, these learners tell of the diverse ways in which they be‐ came more responsive to their own inner lives, to the perspectives and un‐ derstandings of others, and to the creation of more meaningful narra‐ tives for their current and future lives. Collectively, the narratives highlight the importance of recognizing personal experience in settings of higher education. They also present compelling evidence for acknowledg‐ ing the significance of inquiry, creativity, imagi‐ nation, dialogue, interac‐ tion, and integration in enabling learners to bring the whole of their being to the learning process, to the exploration of the sto‐ ries by which they live, and to the creation of new narratives for their future lives. Messages, a Facilitator Curriculum, and the wealth of 40 carefully se‐ lected and reality‐proof Tools, many of which have not been published at all or at least never been published in Eng‐ lish. The reader will benefit as much from learning by doing as from doing by learning; this book is for managers who in some way are responsible for successful co‐operation in projects in and across or‐ ganisations or networks of organisations, and who want to know and share better what they are go‐ ing to do and to do better what they have planned to do together. It is a practical book, al‐ though it is based on sci‐ entific principles, and it draws on the au‐ thors` experience in con‐ sultancy and manage‐ ment. The book could be of great value for network facilitators and all those professionals involved in supporting and valorising aggregation processes of SMEs by promoting and making easier (i.e. facili‐ tating) networking activi‐ ties and animation of local expert communities, and within this framework, activities of inter‐ organisational non‐formal and informal learning. ISBN: 978‐94‐6091‐036‐4 hardback €90. ISBN: 978‐94‐6091‐035‐7 paperback €35. August 2009 292 pages Sense Publishers The Quest for Meaning: Teaching, Learning and the Arts presents a narrative, arts‐based approach to pedagogy and research in higher education. Through narratives of experience, the book offers revealing, poignant examples of the transformative power of the arts and of narrative inquiry in learners’ lives, and of the centrality of story in their ongoing quest for meaning. ——‐ You can read the first two chapters of the book on the publisher's website for free. Just go to the section on Art Education in the following website: https://www.sensepublishers.com/ product_info.php? cPath=117&products_id=881&osCsid=47 07a5c323e9aad697de8fa96f101952 ISBN: 978‐3‐540‐93955‐9 hardback €49.95 August 2009 284 pages Springer International Publishers Building Leadership in Project and Network Management: Offers a coherent approach on how to use network and facilitating techniques Serves as a guide on how to successfully implement leadership in project/network management Presents a rich set of tools and methods that make the book valuable across disciplines ——‐ All ready‐for‐use tools can be downloaded from the book´s page at: www.springer.com/978‐3‐540‐93955‐9 Issue Nr 1 / 2010 Page 23 European Initiatives Peer learning activity on the professionalisation of teachers and trainers in vocational education and training 10‐14 May 2009, Bonn, Germany T *** he fourth Peer Learning Activity (PLA) of the Focus Group on VET Teachers and Trainers was hosted by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) carried out on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The term professionalisation was structured into four topics: •Training, recruitment and practice of in‐company train‐ ers; •Issues in the training and recruitment of teachers in VET institutions; •Innovative approaches to professionalisation of VET teachers and trainers; and, •Complementarities in the professionalisation of VET teachers and trainers. The PLA group explored the German Dual System of VET as a point of departure for the discussions. The PLA was carried out by mixing on‐site visits with pres‐ entations that were organised through the host and par‐ ticipation of the peer countries through discussion and own prepared contributions. Description Key lessons: The professionalisation of VET teachers and trainers in Germany is highly developed and designed to meet the needs of the German vocational education system. Another key message was that an acknowledgement of teachers and trainers in VET and their professionalization is an important theme for continuing European coopera‐ tion as it is intrinsically connected to the quality of teach‐ ing and the attractiveness of VET; Recommendations At national level, current policy could be improved in many instances if each country were to: •Develop and express a clear vision of the respective pro‐ fessional identities and profiles of VET teachers and train‐ ers; •Set out the professional preparation processes consid‐ ered appropriate for VET teachers and trainers; •Ensure that qualification as VET teachers and trainers can be achieved by various pathways; •Ensure that qualifications relevant to the VET teacher and trainer professions are referenced to national and European qualifications frameworks; and •Ensure that national policy‐makers would fully exploit all available European programmes and resources to support the professionalisation of VET teachers and trainers. Recommendations at European level The work at European level should focus on supporting: •The clarification of routes to professional status as teacher or trainer as a coordinated action at European level. This could be a proactive strategy to encourage countries to un‐ dertake similar processes of analysis and expression of the professional identities of VET teachers and trainers; •Measures undertaken at the national level to enable VET teachers and trainers to learn from one another and work together (e.g. via existing programmes such as Leonardo da Vinci); •The implementation of research activities, data collection and dissemination of examples of good practice. For further reading, check on: PLA_Bonn summary report.pdf EU Knowledge system for lifelong learning T *** he system is a support mechanism for both the Edu‐ cation and Training 2010 work programme and its successor, the Strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training. The website offers relevant, up‐to‐date, easily accessible and comparable information on national policy initiatives and practices in prioritised areas in the field of Education and Training for the development of lifelong learning. It mainly builds on the work of Peer Learning Clusters and other working groups. Using it will allow you to easily access and/or identify exam‐ ples of policies and practices and to review past events within the peer learning clusters and other working groups. For more information check the website: http://www.kslll.net/Default.cfm ISSN: 1792‐538X Page 24 Keep up reforms and investment in education and training, says key report A *** dopted by Education Ministers in January, the 2010 joint progress report of the Council and the Commission on the implementation of the work programme "Education and Training 2010" is now available online . The report underlines how important it is to continue reforms and keep up investment in educa‐ tion and training, both to help Europe emerge from the cur‐ rent economic crisis and to support more growth and jobs in the long term. Based on national education reports and countries' performance against a set of indicators and benchmarks, the report focuses on how to provide all learn‐ ers with a set of key competences. It also looks at how life‐ long learning policies are being put into practice across Europe as well as reforms to improve vocational training and to modernise higher education. To download the report go to: http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/ en/10/st05/st05394.en10.pdf EVE The electronic platform for the dissemination and exploitation of results of EU supported projects E *** VE is the electronic platform for the dissemination and exploitation of results of projects supported by programmes managed by the European Commis‐ sion in the fields of Education, Training, Culture, Youth and Citizenship. EVE is a new tool available ‐ from March 2009 ‐ for project beneficiaries of the "Lifelong learning", "Culture", "Youth in Action" and "Citizenship" programmes, to have visibility on the European Union website. EVE will acquire much informa‐ tion as the projects develop and the results are introduced by the project coordinators. Through its collaborative approach, the EVE platform is an innovative tool offering users a centralized vision of the ma‐ jority of funded projects. EVE will acquire much information through the introduction of results by the project coordinators and the progress of its recently launched projects belonging to the current Educa‐ tion and Culture programmes (Culture, Youth in Action, Citi‐ zenship, Lifelong Learning, ...) EVE is not only a tool for the future: from its inception, pro‐ jects funded in the past have been introduced in the plat‐ form. Thus, EVE already contains hundreds of projects funded under the 2000‐2006 Education and Culture Pro‐ grammes: Leonardo da Vinci, Culture 2000, European Ac‐ tive Citizenship, Youth and Socrates (including Comenius, Grundtvig, Erasmus, ...). EVE hosts information about projects and results from the Education and Culture DG, such as: •Learning materials, handbooks, manuals, CDs. •Projects websites, link to different databases. •Personal testimonials from project participants. •Documents and guidelines. •Associations and European partnerships. For more specific information on a certain project and its results, you can contact the project co‐ordinator, whose details are included in the specific details of the project. After signing the contract, the project beneficiary will be given access to EVE as a promoter (with a user name and password). This will enable him/her to use EVE as a regis‐ tered user. After entering the project into the system, the promoter can change data on it and even add new lan‐ guage versions. When the project has finished, the pro‐ moter can also add the results and attach documents. In the current version of EVE, He/She can make changes to project data at 2 different stages. None of these changes will appear online until they have been validated by the designated “EVE Officer” ‐ a staff member from either the DG's executive agency EACEA or the national agency man‐ aging your funding contract. In the medium term, the main source of information for EVE will be the direct contribution given by beneficiaries of projects within EVE. Information comes also from specific sub‐programmes database: ADAM for Leonardo da Vinci multilateral projects EST for projects from partnerships of Comenius, Grundtvig and Leonardo da Vinci. The EVE platform... •is a promotional tool for project coordinators and the Edu‐ cation and Culture DG •offers a single access point to results with plenty of useful information about projects funded by all the different pro‐ grammes •provides multiple benefits for project promoters and their results: •Better visibility for projects •Enhanced exploitation and Improved dissemination of results •Rich source of information •Tool for improved networking. —‐ For more information on EVE and registration go to: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/ education_culture/eve/about_en.htm Issue Nr 1 / 2010 Page 25 Special Announcements • THE EAEA AWARD FOR ADULT LEARNING Grundtvig Award 2010 2010: Innovative Approaches in Adult Education and Learning ‐ Key competences for social inclusion E *** ach year, the European Association for the Edu‐ cation of Adults celebrates innovation and excel‐ lence in adult education. The Grundtvig Award highlights project results that produce new ideas, new partnerships, new methodologies and a new under‐ standing how we can work in adult learning. In 2010, EAEA is looking for projects that tackle Key competences for so‐ cial inclusion. The European Commission has identified eight key compe‐ tences: communication in the mother tongue; communica‐ tion in the foreign languages; mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology; digital competence; learning to learn; interpersonal, intercultural and social competences and civic competence; entrepre‐ neurship; and cultural expression. All these competences can contribute to the better integration of socially excluded people. We think that there are additional (mainly interper‐ sonal and social) competences, which can contribute to social inclusion (e.g. being able to deal with change, manag‐ ing crises in one´s life, knowing and defending one´s rights, etc.). We are looking for projects that demonstrate that the learning of key competences can contribute to social inclu‐ sion. You can either refer to the key competences as they are defined by the European Commission or explain how the competences in your project can be understood as key competences and how they contribute to social inclusion. For excellent adult education and learning projects with the topic ‘Key competences for social inclusion´ in two catego‐ ries: 1. European projects: EU + candidate countries need to be transnational (a minimum of 3 countries involved) All other European countries need to be either transna‐ tional or have a strong national partnership with a diverse range of stakeholders 2. Projects from outside of Europe: Projects can but need not be supported by the European Commission (and can but need not be Grundtvig projects). Criteria: The project must clearly demonstrate how the teaching and/or learning and/or development and/or implementation of key competences have contributed to social inclusion. • It must have evidence of outcomes, such as a report, DVD, or any form of verification • It is desirable that the project is transferable and/or useful for others The project or the initiative should be up and running for at least 1 year and/or be close to completion. What do we expect? A description of your project: • The main goals of the project • Which key competence(s) did you focus on and how did you work with them? • What you actually did and how you did it • Your target group(s) • What processes or partnerships were important How did you get people involved Some explanation about the impact: • How did the project contribute to social inclusion? • The impact for the participating organisations and the target group(s) • How you recognised and tracked success What you have learned ‐ what would you do again or differ‐ ently next time Entries must be received until Tuesday, 3 April 2010, at the EAEA main office: To the attention of Ms Gina Ebner Rue d´Arlon, 40 B‐1000 Bruxelles Tel. + 32 2 234 37 60 Fax +32.2.235.05.39 e‐mail: gina.ebner@eaea.org You may submit a description of your project in one of the following languages: English, French and German What do we offer? • The Award and a certificate • An invitation to 2 persons of the winning organisation to the EAEA General Assembly 2010, including travel and accommodation. The EAEA General Assembly this year takes place in Armenia. Publicity for the winning project(s) via the EAEA website and the mailing list to 128 organisations in 42 European countries. For more information you can visit EAEA’s website at: http://www.eaea.org/ ISSN: 1792‐538X Page 26 PROFESSIONALISATION – THE STRUGGLE WITHIN Thematic issue no 2 of RELA Lead editors for this issue: Wolfgang Jütte & Kathy Nicoll T *** he title of this issue, ‘Professionalisation ‐ the struggle within’, underlines points where tensions and contradictions have emerged within debate. Although some have wanted to develop common understandings of professionalisation, these make unity dif‐ ficult to achieve. Tensions and contradictions emerge with differing concerns and purposes within and between con‐ texts that have very different traditions and policy and prac‐ titioner emphases. Without wanting to present an exhaus‐ tive enumeration, we highlight below some points that we feel particularly important to take up for reflexive discussion and elaboration. Aspirations, approaches and models Adult education originates through social movements and grass‐ root developments. Professionalisation can thus be seen to characterize the move from adult education as the voluntary action of laymen or at best semi‐professionals to that of pro‐ fessionals working within institutions. This history leaves a legacy of tension between aspirations, approaches and mod‐ els within the field. The potential for professionalisation is structurally influ‐ enced. Without secure structures ‐ minimal wages social se‐ curity collective agreements, and so forth ‐ the professionali‐ sation of staff is difficult. This leads to questions over the structural conditions that may support moves toward profes‐ sionalisation. A dominant logic of the market and state bu‐ reaucracy may sit in tension with such conditions Possibili‐ ties for professionalisation and the boundaries of profession‐ alism The possibilities for professionalisation differ across locations as adult and continuing educators have distinctive educational background, qualifications and competences according to their roles and categories of work. These differ‐ ences have an impact on status, pay and privilege. As roles in management, leadership, organizational and quality man‐ agement gain weight, individuals are quite generally and increasingly expected to acquire expertise in a range of di‐ verse areas. Thus, there is a point of conflict between the possibilities for professionalisation and boundaries of profes‐ sionalism. There have emerged initiatives for assessing the learning and competences that are informally acquired by adult and continuing educators. However, without better understandings of learning in working life it is unclear how professionalisation as an ongoing project might be claimed in relation to these initiatives. In the context of European Union strategy, adult educators appear to play a key role for implementing lifelong learning. However, in some domains (labour‐market training or edu‐ cation for unemployed people) there are tendencies toward deprofessionalisation, in combination with the merging and closure of adult and continuing education departments within universities in some countries. What do we know about the productive autonomy of fields and professions and effects of deprofessionalisation? The relation between universities and associations for adult and continuing education is not, and never was, free of con‐ flict. The emphasis on the mastery of disciplinary knowl‐ edge and professional association in universities’ engage‐ ment with the field of adult and continuing education re‐ quires the development of a field of knowledge through research. Practitioner associations on the other hand foster quality and professionalisation through advocacy in the field and recognition of competence. In some countries (US, Poland, former Yugoslavia) a mediation between academia and the practice field has been attempted by forming a separate domain with its own academic discipline ‐ an‐ dragogy rather than pedagogy ‐ whereas this has not oc‐ curred in other countries. There are questions over who defines the professional in adult and continuing education and what such definitions might be. What is the role of professional knowledge? What are the practices and procedures for dealing with ethical issues, codes of practice and ways in which a professional identity may be expressed? Cooperation and coordination appear necessary for professionalisation, but there appear a lack of both in the field. There may be integrative concepts that support the emergence of cooperative work and fur‐ ther education and training for professionals. Invited papers Papers addressing one of the points of struggle for professionalisation within the field of adult and continuing education are invited. Preference will be given to papers contributing to the debate at a national or a comparative level, those considering theoretical approaches and empirical findings that give new insights, or as they relate to different concepts of profes‐ sionalism. Methodological approaches beyond those com‐ monly drawn upon within the literature on profes‐ sionalisation will be welcomed. —‐ Deadline for submission to this thematic issue is July 15, 2010 Issue Nr 1 / 2010 Page 27 ADULT EDUCATION AND THE COMMUNITY Thematic issue no 3 of RELA Lead editors for this issue: Danny Wildemeersch & Ewa Kurantowitz I *** n the past decade, the issue of community has become an important social and even political theme. Research‐ ers and politicians share a concern about an observed loss of social cohesion. In the field of social sciences, the American political scientist, Robert Putnam achieved worldwide fame with his book ‘Bowling Alone. The collapse and revival of American community’ (2000), which con‐ vinced many readers that our sense of community is being eroded. Putnam argues that over the past few decades, associational life in the US has steadily lost ground. He ar‐ gues that people no longer are committed to matters be‐ yond their private interests, that they spend lonely hours in front of the television, and that they are largely self‐ absorbed. Traditional membership of various associations, such as sports clubs, parent committees, service clubs, and youth organizations, used to ensure that people felt in‐ volved in the local community and, by extension, in society at large. The steady decline in civic engagement causes the social fabric to unravel and trust in society to decline, thus Putnam claims. Such trust can only develop when people are connected, when they maintain regular contacts, and collaborate with each other. This does not only involve ties with like‐minded people (bonding), but also the collabora‐ tion with people and associations outside one’s circle of confidants (bridging). The trust emerging from these proc‐ esses of bonding and bridging represents a society’s ‘social capital’. More recently this analysis is being complemented by a critical analysis of the challenges posed by the multicultural society. The last decades have shown an increasing ethnic‐ cultural mix in European societies that often were consid‐ ered to be fairly homogeneous. ‘The non‐committal answer given by multiculturalism is that there is no “we” anymore; instead, society consists of a collection of subcultures. It is hard to see what remains of the notion of citizenship. With‐ out a sense of ‘we’ nothing is possible, without critical in‐ volvement, society disintegrates’. The discourse on the restoration of the community is today fairly popular and dominant among policy makers. Populist politicians are increasingly influential in many European countries. They reflect a major concern in a cohesive society that produces the social capital necessary to forge ‘a com‐ munity with an identity’. It tells ‘a story of lost paradise and promised redemption’. In opposition to this position, some scholars argue that it is not possible today, and it never has been possible in the past, to overcome the differences in society and to forge a common ‘we’. There are inevitably all kinds of differences, oppositions and antagonisms which cannot, will not, and even should not be overcome. Differ‐ ence and plurality is the basis of our present day society and the backbone of our democracy. The idea of ‘a community without a community’ or of ‘a community of those who have nothing in common’ may be much more relevant than a community that in vain tries to (re‐)establish strong identifications and bondings. This other community is not simply absorbed into the rational community; it recurs, it troubles the rational community, as its double or its shadow. This other community forms not in a work, but in the interruption of work and enterprises. It is not realized in having or in producing something in com‐ mon but in exposing oneself to the one with whom one has nothing in common’. With regard to this view on community, education is not about facilitating the process of producing a joint identity or a common we, as suggested by various protagonists of so‐ cial cohesion and social capital theorists. Nor is it aimed at including people in homogeneous communities. Often, such attempts are counterproductive and end up with ex‐ clusion rather than inclusion. On the contrary, in this view education could be conceived as creating conditions in which people’s identities are interrupted by the presence of others who articulate other opinions, or different expres‐ sions of what life and living together is about. A pedagogy of interruption is a pedagogy that violates the sovereignity of the subject by asking the simple but fundamental ques‐ tion: what do you think about this, where do you stand on this, or, how will you respond? In line with this view adult and community education is a matter of creating public or worldly spaces where the issues that torment us can be de‐ bated, without the certainty that what we are saying is the ultimate right answer, but with the certainty that we are thus preserving the difference and keeping democracy alive. We are aware of the fact that research in adult and continuing education that deals with issues of community building often relates to the dominant orientation of restor‐ ing social cohesion through the increase of social capital. Yet, other approaches favour a position where the experi‐ ence of interruption of the common (sense) has a central educative meaning. Invited papers We invite contributors to develop a stance vis‐á‐ vis these two divergent orientations regarding adult education and community building. Various contributions to the debate on this issue are welcomed, be they theoretical, or empirical, or a combination of both. —‐ Deadline for submission to this thematic issue is October 15, 2010. ISSN: 1792‐538X Page 28 4. Childish Pleasures and Adult Fears: Reflections on Becoming Literate in the 20th and 21st Centuries. Cath Jackson, University of Sunderland. 5. Measuring the Attitudes of Adult Learners. Lamprini Stamouli, Efthymios Valkanos and Andreas Economou, University of Macedonia, Greece. 6. Learning Cultures in SMEs and Their Role in Supporting the Learning Region. Maeve Fitzpatrick, Janice O’Connell , Eamonn Murphy, University of Limerick. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education JACE T *** he Journal of Adult and Continuing Education is now published by Manchester University Press (MUP). JACE is essential for keeping in touch with the field of post‐compulsory education. Published twice a year, it provides a forum for rigorous theoretical and practical work in the broad fields of lifelong learning and adult, community and continuing education. ESREA scientifically supports JACE with a representation to its new editorial board which is the following: • Fiona Boucher, Scottish Adult Education Project, UK • Chris Duke, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia • Toril Eikaas Eide, University of Bergen, Norway and The European Associa‐ • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • tion for University Lifelong Learning, Spain John Field, University of Stirling, UK Brian Findsen, University of Waikato, New Zealand Jim Gallacher, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK Rodolfo Hachén, University of Rosario, Argentina Chan Lean Heng, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia Marcella Milana, Danish School of Education, Denmark Catherine Odora Hoppers, University of South Africa, South Africa John McCann, Scotland’s Colleges, UK Michael Osborne, University of Glasgow (Editor), UK Ralf St.Clair, University of Glasgow (Reviews Editor), UK Hans Schuetze, University of British Columbia, Canada Professor Tom Schuller, Longview, UK Maria Slowey, Dublin City University, Ireland Han Soonghee , Seoul National University, Republic of Korea John Storan, University of East London and Forum for the Advancement of • John Stevenson, Griffith University, Australia • Mary Thorpe, Open University and Universities Association for Lifelong Learn‐ Continuing Education (FACE), UK • George Zarifis, ing (UALL), UK Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece and European Society for Research in the Education of Adults (ESREA), Sweden NEXT ISSUE: Issue 16.1 Issue 16.1, the first under the imprint of MUP, includes the following articles, all of which we hope will be of interest to ESREA members and ReNAdET supporters: 1. Changing Role of Adult and Continuing Education Practitioners in Hong Kong: Analysis from Historical Perspective. Benjamin Tak‐Yuen Chan, University of Hong Kong . 2. The Reading Strategies of Proficient and Less Proficient Adult Readers. Faezah Abdul Majid, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Malaysia, Norzaini Azman and Zalizan Mohd Jelas, Universiti Kebangsaan, Malaysia 3. Realising a social practices approach in literacy learning: engaging with the everyday lives of adults with learning difficulties. Alastair Wilson & Katie Hunter, University of Strathclyde. SPECIAL ISSUE: Issue 16.2 This special issue is entirely devoted to “Lifelong learning, culture and creativity” and will be edited by Darlene Clover and Kathy Sandford of the University of Victoria, BC, Can‐ ada. Issues that will be addressed include the following: 1.Adult education and lifelong learning in arts and cultural institutions: A content analysis. 2. A form of madness? Provisions for lifelong learning, cul‐ tural engagement and creativity in 19th century asylums. 3. Under the veil, there is an ordinary woman: Women and the visual arts in the visual arts in Scotland and the Gulf. 4. Lifelong learning in public libraries in 12 EU countries: Policy and considerations. 5. The library of Birmingham Project: Lifelong learning for the digital age . 6. Reviving a community¹s adult education past through a library‐led learning initiative. 7. Reaching beyond the pale: Towards an understanding of African Americans mental models of museums. 8. Education at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Learning to rock and roll. 9. The psychology of informal learning contexts: Adult learners at the intersection of theory and practice. NEXT SPECIAL ISSUE: Call for papers This issue will be themed “Adult Education, Creativity and the Arts”. Papers will focus on how the arts are being used as a tool of adult education and lifelong learning in universi‐ ties, colleges or communities. They could also focus on arts‐ based research, linking that with learning and education within a social change/justice context. Papers can be the‐ ory, research or policy development based. All will be dou‐ ble blind peer reviewed. If you are interested in submitting an article, please send a 200 word abstract to Darlene Clover by May 30, 2010 (clover@uvic.ca). Please do not use headers or footers and use single‐spacing only. You will be notified no later than June 30, 2010 of acceptance. If your abstract is accepted, the full article will need to be submitted by October 31 for external peer review. Articles will be limited to between 6000 and 7000 words in length, using the Harvard style of referencing, and may be submitted as an email attachment in Word. Full guidelines will be sent out to those accepted. ‘Please note that although your abstract may be selected and you prepare a paper, this does not guarantee acceptance by peer reviewers.’ —‐ JACE welcomes submissions to all its editions at any time and should be sent to the editor, Professor Michael Osborne (m.osborne@educ.gla.ac.uk) For more information you can visit JACE at: http://www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/journals/ journal.asp?id=21 Issue Nr 1 / 2010 Page 29 ESREA|ReNAdET info ESREA promotes and disseminates theoretical and empirical research on the education of adults and adult learning in Europe, through research networks, conferences and publications. Active members come from most part of Europe. The secretariat of ESREA is located at the ‘Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning’ at Linköping University in Sweden. ESREA is in legal terms a non‐profit organization governed under Swedish law. Membership of ESREA is open to all individuals and institutions engaged or interested in research on the education of adults and adult learning. Find more about ESREA and the ESREA Networks, Events & Membership at: www.esrea.org T he general scope of this ESREA Net‐ work is to provide input on how to im‐ prove the conditions needed for the personal and professional development of adult educators and trainers, enhancing the attractiveness of their profession and therefore strengthening the idea of quality in adult educa‐ tion in Europe. This is to be achieved by stipulat‐ ing some insight into key issues and challenges related to the adult educator and related staff, and by highlighting essential areas of action, cur‐ rent trends, good practices and relevant policies. On these grounds the aim of the network is threefold: To bring forward the experience from all around Europe, on issues pertaining to the multiple roles, practices and settings in which adult educators and related staff, act and grow. To report on current European projects and stimulate research in this area. To explore the way/s in which policies develop and analyse their possible impact. You can send your comments and contributions to the following address: - Georgios K. Zarifis | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), Faculty of Philosophy, School of Philosophy & Education, Department of Education | Old Building of Faculty of Philosophy, Room 208 | 54124, AUTh Central Campus, Thessaloniki, Greece. *+302310997893 9+302310997463 @ gzarifis@edlit.auth.gr Contributors in this issue Mary Beattie: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the Univer‐ sity of Toronto (OISE), Canada. ———————————— Simona Laurian & Valentin Cos‐ min Blandul: University of Oradea, Romania. ———————————— Richard Dealtry: Intellectual Partnerships Co, Birmingham, United Kingdom. ———————————— Barry Hake: EUROLEARN Consult‐ ants, The Netherlands. ————————————— Liliana Ezechil: University of Piteşti, Romania. ———————————— Maria Gravani: Open University of Cyprus, Cyprus. ———————————— Anne Strauch: German Institute for Adult Education (DIE) ‐ Leibniz Centre for Lifelong Learning, Ger‐ many. ———————————— Mihaela Tilinca: Romanian Minis‐ try of Education, Romania. ——————————— Georgios K. Zarifis: Aristotle Uni‐ versity of Thessaloniki (AUTh), Greece. ——————————— Marta Lottes: EAEA, Belgium. ——————————— Dimitris Vergidis: HAEA/University of Patra, Greece. ——————————— Vilija Lukosuniene: Lithuanian Association of AE, Lithuania. ——————————— Markus Weil: Zurich University, Switzerland. ——————————— Hans‐Werner Franz: Dortmund University of Technology, Germany. ——————————— Guy Tilkin: Landcommanderij Alden Biesen, Belgium. ——————————— Hannelore Audenaert: Adjunct van de directeur afdeling OOP (INT), Belgium. ——————————— Jens Vermeersch: Adjunct van de directeur GO! Onderwijs van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap, Belgium. ——————————— Teresa Almeida Pinto: Association VIDA, Portugal. ——————————— Magda Trantalidi: Ministry of Education, General Secretariat for Lifelong Learning, Greece. ——————————— Stefan Hummelsheim: German Institute for Adult Education (DIE), Germany. ——————————— Rodica Mariana Niculescu: Univer‐ sity " Transilvania" of Brasov, Roma‐ nia. ——————————— Regina Lamscheck‐Nielsen & Joergen Ole Larsen: Metropolitan University College, Denmark. ——————————— Peter Hofmann: Pame Ambro/ UNIQUE, Italy. ——————————— Rhona Heywood: European Sci‐ ence Foundation, France. ——————————— Andreas Fejes: ESREA Secretary, University of Linköping, Sweden. ——————————— Elmo de Angelis: Training 2000, Italy. ——————————— Lorna Unwin: London Institute of Education, United Kingdom. ——————————— Mike Osborne: University of Glas‐ gow, United Kingdom. ——————————— Larissa Jõgi: University of Tallinn, Estonia. ——————————— Wolfgang Jütte: University of Bielefeld, Germany. ——————————— Jim Bradley: University of Stirling, United Kingdom. ——————————— Maren Elfert: UIL, Germany. RELA ‐ Academic Open Access Journal T he European journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults (RELA) is ESREA’s refereed academic journal creating a forum for the publication of critical research on adult education and learning. It has a particular focus on issues at stake for adult education and learning in Europe, as these emerge in connection with wider international and transnational dynamics and trends. Such a forum is important at a time when local and regional explorations of issues are often difficult to foreground across language barriers. As academic and policy debate is increasingly carried out in the English language, this masks the richness of research knowledge, responses and trends from diverse traditions and foci. The journal thus attempts to be linguistically ‘open access’. Whilst creating a forum for international and transnational debate, contributions are particularly welcome from authors in Europe and other locations where English is not the first language. ————— For more information about the journal and on how to submit a paper go to: www.rela.ep.liu.se Liability Notice: Despite careful examination, we cannot accept liability for the contents of external links. The initiators themselves are solely responsible for the contents of the linked web sites.