Author: Administrator

Teaching Method: Action orientation

Action-oriented teaching in IT is a holistic, student-active teaching in which the action products agreed between the teacher and the students determine the organization of the teaching process. The aim is to balance the “head, heart and hand”, i.e. cognitive, affective and psychomotor learning of the students. It is not a didactic model, but merely a didactic-methodical concept.

• 1st Possibility: The action-oriented instruction in IT for adults usually starts from a concrete situation to the exercise (first step), to derive from it (second step) a general law or to explain a general principle (inductive approach).
• 2nd possibility: The action-oriented instruction in IT for adults could also be instructional learning. The teacher first explains the principle (such as being drawn), the lawfulness or the context, and then deals with individual cases in the form of exercises or examples (deductive approach).

Both methods of action orientation are used alternately in the course described above.

At the end of the course, the adult learners say: Not only do we know how something works, we can do it ourselves because we had action-oriented lessons.

Teaching Method: Discovering learning

Exploratory Learning (also known as Explorative Learning) is a method of acquiring knowledge as well as physical and technical skills. The focus of the consideration lies with the student and not with the mediation by the teacher. Its origin in recent times, the discoverer had learning in the lively teaching suggestions, which were also developed for younger ages.

Learning Discovery focuses on learning stimuli or learning arrangements that motivate self-active learning. Regularly reviewing existing knowledge and, if necessary, replacing it with current information is crucial for survival in today’s knowledge society.

Example:

The computer is the ideal tool for “discovery learning” because it immediately gives feedback on whether the activity was successful or not. A simple example is the marking of text to make it “bold”. One lets the students try on a finished text, how to mark and with which commands one can change the text. This will be quick and successful through discovery learning so that at the end of the lesson, the principle of changing the text attributes with the students has been worked out together. The student can always apply this principle later because it works the same way in virtually every program.

This method is possible for both children and adolescents, as well as for adults. This method works especially well for adults who have little or no prior knowledge.

This method is also good for learning ICT, because the computer responds immediately through the screen and indicates whether the command was successful or not.

Methodology: Cooperative learning

Cooperative learning refers to learning arrangements such as partner and group work that require a synchronous or asynchronous (via computer), coordinated, co-constructive activity of participants to develop a common solution to a problem or a shared understanding of a situation.

 Cooperative learning is especially recommended for adults who already have previous professional knowledge and want to enter the job market, because co-operation in learning also means learning about cooperation in working.

The following peculiarities must be considered in cooperative learning:

• Central to cooperative learning is that everyone is responsible for learning the group as well as their own.
• Cooperative learning has two levels of responsibility: firstly, the responsibility of the entire group to achieve the group goals, and secondly, the responsibility of each group member to do their share of the work.
• Both levels of responsibility must be integrated into cooperative teaching. This is achieved by measuring and reporting the performance of each member and giving the rewards at the team level. Studies show, however, that group affiliation and interpersonal interaction between students only produce higher levels of achievement when the positive dependency is clearly structured

Method of social inclusion: Learning by cooperative doing

Learning by doing is the most common form of learning in the lifelong learning process alongside learning by the model. Especially older people, who have a lot of life experience but have not learned new models and techniques, can eradicate existing deficits by learning by doing in the community.

The above-described project of Volkshochschule München has two objectives:

1. Older people learn new techniques to handle money. For this they must also learn the basics of computer technology.
2. Since these seniors do not learn alone, they can share in the group and open new relationships. This is a great way to integrate older people.
3. Elderly people become more secure when dealing with computers, allowing them to manage their lives without help.

The UNCEC United Nations Economic Commission for Europe rightly describes what efforts are needed to integrate the elderly. Here are some excerpts:

The challenge

People live longer and healthier than ever before and have the potential to make important contributions to society, even in their old age. However, older people are often threatened by exclusion, marginalization and discrimination.

Recommended strategies

• Strengthening older people’s skills in policy

• Promoting the participation of older people in the labour market

• Promoting lifelong learning and education for the elderly, especially in new techniques and in new media

• Recognition of older people as a consumer group with specific needs, interests and preferences

• Considering the needs of older people in terms of housing, public transport and cultural activities

• Promote intergenerational relationships through positive media coverage and public image campaigns

• Promoting civilian engagement of older people and strengthening the role of volunteering

Expected result

• Better quality of life for the elderly

• Increased social cohesion in society as a whole

• Achieving a society for all ages

Teaching Method: Holism

Holisticness in pedagogy refers to an integrative component of action-oriented concepts. Initial approaches are already to be found with the idea of elementary education, learning with the head, heart and hand. Based on reform pedagogy, holistic learning emphasizes not only the traditionally privileged cognitive-intellectual aspects but also physical and emotional-emotional aspects: holistic learning is learning with all senses, learning with intellect, mind and body.

This methodical approach considers the following example: PC Learning Café

In a casual atmosphere, the participants can sit down with a cup of coffee and a piece of cake at the PC and learn. Your questions will be answered by other participants or by a tutor. The special thing about these courses is that there is no compulsion and all learning achievements build on the previous knowledge.

Teaching-Method: Holism Learning

This methodical approach considers the following example: PC Learning Café

In a casual atmosphere, the participants can sit down with a cup of coffee and a piece of cake at the PC and learn. Your questions will be answered by other participants or by a tutor. The special thing about these courses is that there is no compulsion and all learning achievements build on the previous knowledge.

It is not to be underestimated, which advantages such a learning has:

• Learning is voluntary.
• Learning is fun.
• Learning is not the sole purpose of the gatherings.
• A meeting in a relaxed atmosphere helps with social integration.
• The learner determines his own pace of learning by asking questions on the subject that interests him.
• The learner determines the time and duration of the learning itself.

Research and new methods in hungary, elte university

There’s no denying the education sector is changing. As continuous education becomes more important for working professionals keen to advance their careers, how people access education is undergoing a revolution.

The way adults learn is very different from the traditional route taken by young graduates fresh from school. Their expectations, motivations, lifestyles and experience are different for younger students. 

This brings new challenges to education providers in delivering and assessing education. At the same time, it offers great opportunities to innovate and reach out to a much wider potential student body. 

In this article, we look at the key ways adult learners are changing education. 

Shift in student demographic

People are now living longer and working well into retirement age. This means that there is a greater variety of learners wanting to upskill. 

In the EU, the number of teenagers is projected to drop slightly from 2015-2030. Education providers need to reach out to other cohorts in order to remain sustainable into the future. 

With almost more million adults having attended college without completing their studies over the past 20 years, there is an opportunity to re-engage these adults with education and grow the market. 

Four million of these adults have completed at least two years of college, making them more likely to finish their studies if they re-entered formal education. Already most learners in higher education are not aged 18-22 as might be assumed.

Differing expectations

Students entering further education straight from school might look forward to meeting new people and developing an active social life. 

They expect a variety of extracurricular activities, sororities and fraternities. Meanwhile, adult learners view education as a place for professional networking which may further their careers in years to come. 

In fact, 65% of adult learners say that they expanded their professional network through education. They are less likely to make extra-curricular activities a priority when it comes to choosing between course providers. 

Learning formats 

Convenience is an important factor in how adult learners choose education providers. Being able to fit in study around work and family commitments is crucial to their ability to undertake further studies. 

Online courses and virtual classrooms mean that learners save on the time and cost associated with travel. However, this needs to be balanced with the accreditation and recognition of the course. Adult learners choosing courses for continuing professional development will expect their new skills to be recognized within their professional sectors and across organizations. 

Continuing education may be motivated by a long-term goal of career advancement or career change. Testimonials from previous adult learners who have leveraged their education for career development can be a persuasive way to encourage adult learners to return to education or take further courses.

Experiential learning 

Experiential learning may be more valued by adult learners who want to see how the learning applies to their existing real-life workplace situations. 

While school students may be more accustomed to a more passive form of learning for learning’s sake adult learners may be more likely to question how their new knowledge fits into to their professional lives. Course assessments can integrate learning into their workplace by using projects in the workplace to assess skills acquisition. 

ELTE University of Hungary has implemented competency-based education (CBE) for the past five years. Students earn college credits based on their demonstration of skills acquired rather than hours spent in the classroom. 

For a professional fitting further education into an already busy life, this option could be very attractive. Less time spent in the classroom away from work and other commitments may make accessing education more financially viable also. 

Course credits

Another approach to assessing adult learners is to give course credit through Prior Learning Assessment (PLA). 

For a student with years or even decades of professional experience accelerating their path through education to graduation using their existing skills makes sense. It recognizes that not all learning takes place in formal education and that “on-the-job” experience should be valued alongside more traditional models of learning and assessment.

These developments can be used to tailor courses to reflect individual learners’ needs instead of a traditional of a one size fits all model. Education providers need to be responsive to the needs of adult learners. This should be reflected in timetabling classes, communication and use of technology. 

Adult learners are more likely to view themselves as partners in the learning process rather than simply recipients of learning.

Microlearning

Working professionals want access to education that can be applied to their role instantly so require bite-sized and relevant learning. Microlearning encourages learners to make learning habitual and track their progress as they go. 

It has the added advantage of fitting in around adult learners’ existing work schedules. The rise of the use of smartphones means that accessing microlearning can happen while on the move, commuting to work, between meetings or even while waiting to pick up children at the school gates. 

The success of the language app DuoLingo, with over 25 million users per month, demonstrates the public appetite for microlearning. 

Impacting cost models

Unlike traditional degrees, education that attracts adult learners is short, impactful and relevant. The cost needs to reflect this. While some adult learners may be fortunate to have employers footing the bill, others, particularly those seeking a change of career or re-entry into the workforce, will be paying their own fees. 

Beyond the fees, there are other hidden costs associated with further education, including books, travel and additional childcare costs. Unlike younger students whose college experiences are as much about socializing as education, mature students may be more results focussed and will want to see a return on their investment sooner rather than later. 

The University ELTE eVersity program allows students to take one class at a time, charges a standard rate for credit hours and includes the required textbooks in the cost. This allows students to budget for their courses and pay as they go. 

Technology is crucial

As digital technologies are now a normal part of the workplace, employees need to know how to use digital relevant to the role and for those that are comfortable with technologies expect it to be part of their learning experience. 

Technology underpins many of the aspects which make education more widely accessible such as certifications, CBE and microlearning. 

Conversely, developing supports for adult learners who are not digital natives or lack access to it will be required, especially if their recent work experience has not required much use of technology. 

Adult learning requires greater collaboration

In order to know what adults and working professionals require educators need ties to both industry and government. 

Developing partnerships between employers and educators will mean education tailored to the needs of the workplace. For adult learners, this reassures them that the courses they take are relevant and up to date. Buy-in from employers could have the added benefit for adult learners of accessing financial support to finance their studies. Creating links between education providers and industry can facilitate work placements for students and allows industry experts to contribute to developing course materials.

The South Korean city of Suwon with assistance from its universities, guarantees libraries within 10 minutes walk of every citizens’ home as well as learning facilities slightly further away at 20 minutes walk. Having access to education on their doorstep reduces two of the main barriers to further education, time and travel cost, opening education to students of all ages and income levels. 

The days where education ended when students graduated in their mid-twenties are long gone. 

Professionals of today recognize that lifelong education is crucial to both career and personal development. Continuing learning in adulthood has been shown to contribute to better physical and mental health, increase the likelihood of having higher paid jobs and more active citizenship. 

In order to thrive in this changing marketplace education providers need to put themselves in the shoes of their target customers, experiment with new ways of assessing students and giving them access to education in innovative new ways. By doing this they can broaden their appeal to a much wider market.

Traditionally, basic adult education has had a particular concern with the skills of literacy and numeracy, seeing these as essential for entry to the world of work. Adult education teachers may therefore be reluctant to adopt ICT, unsure of the part it should play, and worried about the time it takes away from the development of those basic skills. As we enter the 21st century, however, ICT has already become a necessary and important component of adult education. Formal and non-formal education are being delivered at a distance via technology – particularly the Internet – with the promise that learning can take place at any time and in any place.

Adults in the United States with low literacy – and in other OECD countries and many developing countries – are heterogeneous demographically. Such individuals, like most adults, may have complex family, work, and social circumstances that cannot easily be put aside to permit education to take place. These factors add additional complexity to issues of instruction methods, learning strategies, and programme planning and management.

In this article we suggest that the digital divide among adults within and across many nations is likely to persist for some years, the adults concerned being probably more resistant to change than children and youth, who will be growing up within societies ever more permeated by new technologies. Furthermore, up to the present the vast majority of ICT investment in education worldwide has gone into children’s schools and higher education, without regard for the educational needs of disadvantaged adults. There are extraordinary opportunities for ICT to bring about significant change for adult populations with low literacy, especially since adult education is less hampered by rigid education systems, required curricula, and constraints on individual motivation.

We know that only a small percentage of those who could benefit actually enter adult education programmes. Improving the ways technology is utilised as a learning tool can make adult education more engaging and effective. Already ICT is providing additional opportunities to learn in less structured environments, such as independently at home or at libraries. ICT-based education seems to be ideal for giving additional educational opportunities to at-risk and disadvantaged adult learners. Most of the examples in this article are drawn from the United States, where the focus on new ICT for adults is relatively advanced.

https://www.oecd.org/site/schoolingfortomorrowknowledgebase/themes/ict/basicskillsinadulteducationandthedigitaldivide.htm?fbclid=IwAR0QJSsEJ5NanpDL3X_AlQA1zVFjXT_qp0gjNEtx52X1THCTQMbUzFO9veE

People often joke about how much easier it is for children to embrace technology than their parents, and there’s probably a bit of truth to those tales. After all, children don’t tend to worry about hitting a wrong button, and many young people seem to have an uncanny sense of what they need to do with a gadget in order to accomplish their goal. However, technology isn’t just for the young. It holds promise for people of all ages. While older adults sometimes resist using new advances, the benefits of technology for seniors are numerous.

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Benefits of Technology for Seniors

Technology can be intimidating, frustrating, and intrusive. It can also open doors, support intellectual curiosity, provide increased safety, offer assistance, and simply be fun. Ultimately, it’s all in how you use it. Let’s explore the many benefits of technology for seniors.

Making Social Connections

There are countless technologies that help people connect with family, friends, and people with common interests. Seniors can use video chat services like Skype to see their grandchildren grow up when distance might otherwise make that impossible. Email will feel familiar to those who enjoy writing letters or cards, but it has the advantage of instant delivery. Social media options like Facebook and Twitter help people share thoughts, pictures, and news with just a few clicks.

Providing Mental Stimulation

Study after study suggests that learning new things and participating in activities that challenge the brain both offer some protection from dementia. Simply learning to use a new technology provides mental stimulation, and once someone has mastered a technology, they can often use it to find new challenges. Video games can provide hours of mental exercise, and the Internet delivers plenty of opportunities to explore new topics and delve deeper into areas of interest.

Increasing Safety

Have you ever had your vehicle break down on the side of the road? If so, you know firsthand that technology can increase safety by improving a person’s access to help. For some seniors, that might mean a cell phone that they carry with them on their travels. For others, especially those who live alone, it might mean a personal emergency response system (also known as a medical alert system) that allows people in trouble to request assistance from emergency responders with the push of a button.

Encouraging Exercise

How does technology encourage exercise? Many video games today prompt players to get out of their seats and use their whole bodies. For those who want something less competitive, the Internet offers access to a multitude of videos demonstrating an amazing array of exercise routines.

Helping with Health Care

Today’s tech can also make health care easier. Cell phone apps are available that offer seniors audible reminders to take their medications, reducing the chance for missed doses. In addition, many doctors and hospitals now have online programs that provide a place to keep up-to-date medication lists and health histories and offer easy access to test results. Using these programs lets seniors and their families keep needed health information at their fingertips.

Delivering Fun

Whether you like to socialize, enjoy challenging games, or thrive on learning something new, technology can help you do it. It offers fun at your fingertips and a world of possibilities. So if you’re bored and looking for something fun to do, explore your online options.

Learning to use technology can open doors and provide significant benefits for people of all ages, including seniors. Seniors who want to discover how to utilize new technology can often find classes at libraries, community colleges, and senior centers. You can also find tutorials online or ask a family member (such as a grandchild) for help. No matter how you learn about it, never underestimate the benefits of technology for seniors.

Benefits of Technology for Seniors

We are facing certain times all over the world that have proven to all of us how important digital skills are in the modern world. Ljudska univerza Rogaška Slatina and its learners have been facing quite a lot of challenges in this area during the last two months. The main challenge the education organizers at the organization are facing is a different level of digital skills of their learners, which raises the question how to make learning opportunities equal for all, for those with lower and those with higher digital skills. Therefore, a lot of differentiation in education organization has been made and the lecturers are using various digital and other tools for involving as many learners as possible into educational sessions. The lecturers are using different online applications to carry out online group sessions and online classrooms for creating lessons and quizzes for the preparation for the final exam in the formal vocational programmes. At the moment, Univerza has also started offering online language courses. But the main challenge was keeping in touch with the members of the University for Third Age due to low levels of digital skills of senior participants. The problem is even bigger since their children and grandchildren cannot visit them to help them with setting up online tools and devices. Therefore, the contact is being kept with the help of ordinary phone messages and through exercise sent by regular mail, which enables equal treatment of all senior participants. So, everybody is doing their share to try to keep contact and to continue with the educational offer at our organization to learners of all ages.

The digital@dults.eu project continues the implementation of its activities respecting timetable and deadlines set by the workplan; all the project partners are currently actively working on the translation and subsequently the fine-tuning of the “Manual containing comparative studies in Europe on methods of approach and teaching in the use of ICT for disadvantaged adults”, and preparing themselves to participate in the 4 transnational project meeting.

This manual constitutes one of the most important results of the digital@duts.eu project because it collects all the research work carried out in the previous months from the beginning of the project.

The German partner VHS SOB oversaw the selection and drafting of case studies of good practice across Europe on teaching methods for adults in ICT and methods of inclusion of disadvantaged adults. The manual will soon be uploaded on our website and will be accessible to anyone who wants to use it as a resource to expand their knowledge in this field.

In early April all the partnership should have met in Norway hosted by the partner TERRAMPACIS, but due to the current global health emergency situation it was decided by mutual agreement, to relocate the meeting on an online platform, giving still the consortium the opportunity to continue to work, meet even if virtually, to discuss the next steps in the implementation of the project activities.

IT

Marzo 2020 Aggiornamenti sul progetto: Il manuale e il 4° Meeting transnazionale

Il progetto digital@dults.eu prosegue nell’implementazione delle sue attività rispettando i tempi e le scadenze previste dal workplan; tutti i partner di progetto al momento stanno lavorando attivamente per la traduzione e successivamente la finalizzazione del “Manuale contenente studi comparativi in Europa sui metodi di approccio e insegnamento nell’uso delle TIC per adulti svantaggiati” e si preparano a partecipare al 4 meeting transnazionale di progetto.

Questo manuale costituisce uno dei risultati più importanti del progetto digital@duts.eu perché raccoglie tutto il lavoro di ricerca svolto nei precedenti mesi dall’inizio del progetto.

Il partner tedesco VHS SOB ha curato la selezione e la redazione dei casi studio di buone pratiche in tutta Europa sui metodi di insegnamento delle TIC rivolti agli adulti e i metodi di inclusione degli adulti svantaggiati. Presto il manuale verrà caricato sul nostro sito web e sarà accessibile a tutti coloro che vorranno utilizzarlo come risorsa per ampliare le conoscenze in questo campo.

I primi di Aprile tutti la partnership si sarebbe dovuta incontrare in Norvegia ospitati dal partner TERRAMPACIS, ma a cause dell’attuale situazione di emergenza sanitaria globale è stato deciso di comune accordo di sportare il meeting su una piattaforma online, dando la possibilità al consorzio di continuare a lavorare, incontrarsi anche se virtualmente e discutere dei prossimi passi nell’implementazione delle attività del progetto.

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