Experiential learning as a tool for adult literacy education shared activities

Grundtvig Workshop EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AS A TOOL FOR ADULT LITERACY EDUCATION

THE RESULTS

Grundtvig Workshop EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AS A TOOL FOR ADULT LITERACY EDUCATION

This project was financed by Lifelong Learning Programme - Grundtvig Workshops.

Reference number: 2013-1-IT2-GRU13-52163

The content of this document does not reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Responsibility for the information and views expressed therein lies entirely with the organizers of the Workshop.

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This document This document is a presentation of some of the final results of Experiential learning as a tool for adult literacy education Grundtvig Workshop. It presents some examples of different activities that the participants elaborated and/or shared with other learners, and reflected on how they could be adapted in the adult literacy curricula.

You are kindly invited to share this document with your colleagues and others interested in adult literacy via non-formal education activities.

Furthermore, in case you would like to share your knowledge or reflections with others, you are invited to join Experiential Learning as a Tool for Adult Literacy Education Linkedin group1, created and administrated by one of the Workshop participants, Tatiana Gavrilova, where more specific discussions on adult literacy and the related topics can be tackled.

All the activities presented in this document were shared in small working groups during the Workshop. The organizers of the Workshop do not take any responsibility about the approaches presented. If you wish to get more information about the activities listed, you are kindly asked to contact the representative of each group by writing to the indicated e-mail address or via Experiential learning‌ Linkedin group.

1. http://www.linkedin.com/ g r o u p s / E x p e r i e n t i a l - L e a rning-as-Tool-Adult-7454444?trk=my_groups-b-grp-v

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The Workshop Experiential learning as a tool for adult literacy education was a Grundtvig Workshop organized from 20 to 29 January 2014 in Turin, Italy by Associazione culturale “è” thanks to the support of the Lifelong Learning Programme.

Experiential learning… Workshop gave 19 participants from 13 European countries an opportunity to exchange their experience, reflections and working methods in the field of adult literacy.

The Workshop introduced to the learners – teachers, trainers, volunteer teachers, workplace literacy program trainers and human resources managers or assistants – the methodological approach of non-formal education and experiential learning; an approach that can be developed in their daily work in adult literacy field. Thanks to the participation to the Workshop the learners could directly experience the context of non-formal education and experiential learning methodology, debrief on it in detail, take it as possible adult literacy tool and finally transfer the learning process to a future work plan.

During 8 working days adult learners went through the introduction to national situations of literacy in Europe, group dynamics, a simulation of Greek writing and reading lesson, creative citywalk, simulation activities and, above all, a meta-level discussion on the benefits of that approach and possibilities of adapting it in their work in the adult literacy field. In the second part of the workshop, learners participated to a videoconference with National Agency of the LLP Italy to get to know the new Erasmus+ Programme in order to prepare their new project offers to be realized in the future in the field of (adult) education.

Finally, they have created and exchanged their own experiential learning methods that are presented later in this document.

Grundtvig Workshop is one of the activities of Lifelong Learning Programme (today Erasmus+). Funded by the European Commission, the LLP supports a wide range of education and training activities across Europe and provides opportunities for all stages of lifelong learning. Grundtvig itself seeks to address the educational challenge of adults and to provide them with alternative pathways to updating their skills and competences.

The specific objectives of the Experiential learning… Workshop were: • • • • • •

to create a learning opportunity for sharing and exchange the work practice with colleagues from other European countries to reflect on non-formal education methodologies – mainly experiential learning and put them in practice to practice the innovative educational approaches in intercultural teams and build confidence of the learners that they can adapt it to empower the learners to transfer the learning outcomes to their working environments and enlarge the offer of their organizations towards adult learners to build new European partnerships between the organizations active in the field of adult literacy to collect good practices from the Workshop and disseminate it among wider audience interested in the topic.

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The idea behind The idea of the Experiential learning as a tool for adult literacy education Grundtvig Workshop was prepared with regard to the Final Report of EU High Level Group Of Experts On Literacy (September 2012)2 and the observed need of key competences3 development among all age groups of European society with specific attention to adults.

As the Report states, “[…] for many adults, learning appears to work best when it is linked to real-world tasks and relevant challenges (health, employment and citizenship)”4. In case of adults, literacy education brings much more than the ability to read and write; it’s about improving self-confidence, developing better attitudes to learning, improve health and increasing the level of social and civic involvement. “Improving adults’ literacy serves as a stepping stone not just to further education, improved outcomes for their children and better employment, but to greater social inclusion, active and informed citizenship and more fulfilling lives”5.

The report underlines the need to construct new teaching and training approaches that will support the implementation of adult literacy. It shows the importance of the provisions adapted to the individual goals of adults following the literacy courses and in their daily realities. During the process of education the users of adult literacy programs need help in identification of their skills, recording the achievements, reflection on their learning and recognition of gaps for improvement.

This in turn, needs qualified teachers, trained to deal with the specific challenges of adults, giving them individual attention. However, as report states, at present, very few tutors have specific qualifications in adult literacy pedagogy as well as chances to get new qualifications. Development of future teaching approaches should be based on that diversity of experiences, validate the importance of non-formal and in-formal learning of adults and offer flexible structures that welcome the potential users in various settings of their social and professional life.

In relation to that, the organizers and the facilitators’ team believe that non-formal learning and its accreditation respond to the challenges of literacy education among adults and other age groups. That is why we decided to propose this approach to the Grundtvig Workshop catalogue and thus hope to contribute to the development of good practices in adult literacy education in Europe.

2. Final Report of EU High Level Group Of Experts On Literacy http://ec.europa.eu/education/ policy/school/doc/literacy-report_en.pdf 3. The key competences are: communication in the mother tongue, communication in foreign languages, mathematical competence and basic

competences in science and technology, digital competence, learning to learn, social and civic competence, sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, cultural awareness and expression.

For more information, see http://europa.eu/legislation_ summaries/education_training_youth/lifelong_learning/ c11090_en.htm

4. “Final Report…” page 81 5. “Final Report…” page 77

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Some terms

Lifelong learning UNESCO, in the Faure’s report titled “Learning to be” (1972) defines lifelong learning as education that accompanies an individual for the whole life, that is that starts before the school age and continues after the retirement. Lifelong learning is an individual process aiming to the acquisition of competences and roles in order to change or substitute an education, in professional or personal field, not adequate to new social and work needs.

The lifelong learning becomes thus the essential instrument to overcome the existing barriers between formal, informal and non-formal education with the purpose to promote one’s realization on individual and social level, in the era of deep and fast changes.

The aim of lifelong learning is to contribute, by continuous education, to the development of advanced society based on knowledge, sustainable economic development, creation of new and better work places and major social cohesion and the warranty of valid environment protection and future generations (Lisbon Strategy).

Literacy education The term literacy refers to the degree of development of an individual's ability to write and read in reference to the cultural group of belonging.

According to a definition formulated by UNESCO a person is literate when he or she has acquired the knowledge and essential skills that allow him to engage in all those activities in which literacy is required, so that it can fully operate in his group and in his community.

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)6 – an international study that examines till what extent students have acquired key knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in modern societies - enumerates: - Baseline literacy: the ability to read and write at a level that enables self-confidence, and motivation for further development; - Functional literacy: the ability to read and write at a level that enables development and functioning in society at home, school and work; - Multiple literacy: the ability to use reading and writing skills in order to produce, understand, interpret and critically evaluate multimodal texts.

Today a wind range of literacy type is pointed out; for example: digital, emotional, cultural, business, media, functional literacy, and others. This variety reflects the complexity of contemporary societies and suggests a structured and holistic approach to literacy education in different age groups.

Experiential Learning 7 Experiential learning is a learning model based on cognitive, emotional or sensory experience. It's a learning process realized through experimentation with new situations, roles or tasks in which the subject, with its own resources and skills, is an active protagonist.

This type of learning allows the individual to develop adaptive behaviours in situations of uncertainty and at the same time to improve the ability to manage their emotions in times of psychological stress.

Experiential learning is an educative approach in which educators or facilitators purpose-

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fully engage students in direct experience and reflexive observation in order to increase knowledge, develop skills, and clarify values.

Non-formal education 8 “Any organized and sustained educational activities that do not correspond exactly to the definition of formal education. Non-formal education may therefore take place both within and outside educational institutions, and cater to persons of all ages. Depending on country contexts, it may cover educational programmes to impart adult literacy, basic education for out-of-school children, life-skills, work-skills, and general culture. Non-formal education programmes do not necessarily follow the ‘ladder’ system, and may have differing durations, and may or may not confer certification of the learning achieved.”

6. For more information, see www.oecd.org/pisa/ 7. See approaches of David A. Kolb.

8. UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning, 2006.

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Adult literacy: soft skills development as essential competence The recent OECD report evaluation has shown the deficiency of interpersonal skills as part of problem-solving skills, considered as one of the essential adult competences, like literacy and numeracy, - ‘a range of generic skills, such as collaborating with others and organizing one’s time, required of individuals in their work’ (OECD 2013: 5). The report is questioning the availability of the skills, the demand for which becomes clearly obvious in the continuously complicating high technology applications’ context: the higher the technology, the more demand for the essential skills, also when taking into consideration recent employment trends, like less occupied in manufacturing and rapid increase of employed in business and social spheres (Ibid:19).

The deficiency of the soft skills at the labour market lead to negative consequences in civic contexts (CIPD 2014) and is complicated by the global context demanding global mind-set leadership and tangled with increased mobility and integration diversity (Adler and Bartholomew 1992, Bigelow 1994, Harvey et al 2009). Similar to literacy and numeracy, the soft skills absence should be considered not only as a problem of purely personal or corporate success but crucially important factor of economic and social development, productivity on the national scale and thus well-being.

The new project of the Charted Institute of Personnel and Development (UK), 2014, considering skills as an economic drive, underlines that since the world economy becomes more dependent on skills, the gap between education and work undermines productivity and efficiency, thus job security and general economic situation (CIPD 2014). The new project of this year calls for combining efforts of all the stakeholders like educational institutions and businesses for developing cohesive skills policy: in order to promote innovation in all areas, it is essential to become innovative in skills development. The project also drives the attention to the changes initialed urgently, as the situation could become irreversible, since low and weak essential skills slow the further development.

Despite the importance recognized, the soft skills are either not trained within or trained beyond the formal management education (Mintzberg1992, Mullen 1997, Jain and Anjuman 2013, Jessy 2009, Watts and Watts 2008).

The specific theme of the soft skills in academic research has developed only during the last three decades, the soft skills defined as an ‘umbrella’ term of behavioral competences interchangeable with interpersonal skills/people skills opposed to hard skills (Bush 2012, Parente et al 2012, Robbins and Hunsaker 2000, Crosbie 2005). The importance of acquiring soft skills for the success (Garwood 2012, Hunt and Baruch 2003) is linked with the competitive advantage and strategy emergence as the application of the resource-based view (Lyons 2007, Parente, Stephen and Brown 2012, Porter 1987, Neffke and Henning 2013). The empirical research represent a range of training transfer case studies of best practice in different national and industry contexts (Aycan et al, 2000, Mahendra 2013, Gumuseli and Ergin 2002, Hawley and Barnard 2005, Longnecker 2004).

Paradoxically the research doubts the possibility of soft skills training (Deepa and Seth 2013, Doh 2003, Georges 1998, 1996, Muir 2004, Barron 1998, Ganzel 2001) and questions the efficiency of the training transfer (Baldwin & Ford 1988, Burke & Baldwin, 1999, Burke and Hutchins, 2007, Ford and Weissbein, 1997, Foxon 1993, Holton and Baldwin 2000, Kozlowski et al, 2000). The doubts are probably connected with efficiency measurement and evaluation problems (Griffin 2010, Kirkpatrick 1994, Pine 1993, Rae 1986, Bramley 1996).

Despite the doubts expressed by the academics, the figures and the problems represented both by OECD report 2013 and CIPD 2014 project reflect the worries of the business prac-

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titioners and politicians calling for urgent steps to be made towards the skills development policies.

Tatiana Gavrilova For any information about this article, please contact <tatiana.sorensen3006@gmail.com>

ARTICLE REFERENCES Adler, N. and Bartholomew, S., 1992. Managing globally competent people. The Academy of Management Executive, 6(3), pp. 52-65.

Aycan, Z., Kanungo, R., Mendonca, M., Yu, K., Deller, J., Stahl, G., and Kurshid, A., 2000. Impact of culture on human resource management: a 10-country comparison. Applied psychology: an international review, 49 (1), pp. 192–221.

Baldwin, T. T., and Ford, K. J., 1988. Transfer of training: A review and directions for future research. Personnel Psychology, 41, pp. 63-105.

Barron, T., 1998. The Hard Facts about Soft-Skills Software. Training and Development, 52(6), pp. 48-51.

Bartlett, C. K. and Ghoshal, S., 1992. What is a global manager. Harvard Business Review, 70(5), pp. 124-132.

Bigelow, J.D., 1994. International Skills for Managers: Integrating International and Managerial Skill Learning.

Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 32(1), pp. 1-12.

Bramley, P., 1996. Evaluating training effectiveness: benchmarking your training activity against best practice.

2nd ed. London: McGraw-Hill.

Burke, L., & Baldwin, T. T., 1999. Workforce training transfer: A study of the effect of relapse prevention training and transfer climate. Human Resource Management, 38, pp. 227-242.

Burke, L. A., & Hutchins, H. M., 2007. Training transfer: An integrative literature review. Human Resource Development Review, 6, pp. 263-296.

Bush, C. E., 2012. The Case for Soft Skills Training. Monarch Media’s Planet eLearn Newsletter. Available at http://www.monarchmedia.com/enewsletter_2012-2/case-for-soft-skills.html [Accessed 27 February 2014].

CIPD, 2014. A Budget for Productivity. London: CIPD. Available from: http://www.cipd.co.uk/binaries/6517-Budget-submission-report-PROOF2.pdf [Accessed 28 February 2014].

Crosbie, R., 2005. Learning the Soft Skills of Leadership. Industrial and Commercial Training, 37 (1), pp. 45-51.

Deepa, S. and Seth, M., 2013. Do Soft Skills Matter? - implications for Educators Based on Recruiter’s Perspective. IUP Journal of Soft Skills, 7(1), pp. 7-20.

Doh, J., 2003. Can Leadership be Taught? Perspectives from Management Educators. Academy of Management Learning and Education , 2(1), pp. 54-67.

Ford, J. K. and Weissbein, D. A., 1997.Transfer of training: An update review and analysis. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 10(1), pp. 22-41.

Foxon, M., 1993. A process approach to the transfer of training. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 9(1), pp. 130-143.

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Ganzel, R., 2001. Hard Training for Soft Skills. Training, 38(6), pp. 56-60.

Garwood, R., 2012. Supporting the Underperforming Manager: Teaching the Soft Skills that Can Make All the Difference, Human Resource Management International Digest , 20 (1), pp. 39-42.

Georges, J.C., 1996. The Myth of Soft-Skills Training. Training, 33(1), pp. 48-50.

Georges, J.C., 1988. Why Soft-Skills Training Doesn’t Take.Training, 25(4), pp. 42-47.

Griffin, R.P., 2010. Means and ends: effective training evaluation. Industrial and Commercial Training, 42(4), pp. 220-225.

Gumuseli, A. I. and Ergin, B., 2002. The manager’s role in enhancing the transfer of training: A Turkish case study. International Journal of Training and Development, 6(1), pp. 80-97.

Harvey, M., Fisher, R., McPhail, R., Moeller, M., 2009. Globalization and its impact on global managers’ decision processes. Human Resource Development International, 12(4), pp. 353-70.

Hawley, J. D., & Barnard, J. K., 2005. Work environment characteristics and implications for training transfer: A case study of the nuclear power industry. Human Resource Development International, 8(1), pp. 65-80.

Holton, E. F., and Baldwin, T. T., 2000. Making transfer happen: An action perspective on learning transfer systems. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 8(2), pp.1-6.

Hunt, J.W. and Baruch, Y., 2003. Developing Top Managers: The Impact of Interpersonal Skills Training. Journal of Management Development, 22(3), pp. 729-52.

Jain, S. and Anjuman, A.S., 2013. Facilitating the Acquisition of Soft Skills Through training. IUP Journal of Soft Skills, 7(2), pp. 32-39.

Jessy, J., 2009. Study on the Nature of Impact of Soft Skills Training Program on the Soft Skills Development of Management Students, Pacific Business Review, October-December, p. 19.

Kirkpatrick, D. L., 1994. Evaluation Training Programs: The Four Levels. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.

Kozlowski, S. W. J., Brown, K. G., Weissbein, D. A., Cannon-Bowers, J. A. and Salas, E., 2000. A multilevel approach to training effectiveness: Enhancing horizontal and vertical transfer. In: Klein, K.J. and Kozlowski, S. W. J., eds. Multilevel theory, research and methods in organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, pp. 157-210.

Longnecker, C. O., 2004. Maximizing transfer of learning from management education programs: Best practices for retention and application. Development and Learning in Organizations, 18, pp. 4-6.

Lyons, P., 2007. A Leadership Development Model to Improve Organizational Competitiveness, Advances in Competitiveness Research , 15 (1 & 2), pp. 103-115.

Mahendra, A., 2013. Soft Skills Training in the Indian Context: Need to Prevent Cultural hegemony. IUP Journal of Soft Skills, 7(3), pp. 46-50.

Mintzberg, H., 1992. MBA: Is the Traditional Model Doomed. Harvard Business Review, 70(6), pp.128-140.

Muir, C., 2004. Learning Soft Skills at Work. Business Communication Quarterly, 67(1), pp. 95-101.

Mullen, J., 1997. Graduates Deficient in ‘Soft’ Skills. People Management, 3, p.18.

Neffke, F. and Henning, M., 2013. Skill relatedness and firm diversification. Strategic Management Journal, 34(3), pp. 297-316.

OECD, 2013. Skilled for Life? Key Findings from the Survey of Adult Skills . OECD Publishing. Available from: http://www.oecd.org/site/piaac/SkillsOutlook_2013_ebook.pdf [Accessed 26 March 2014].

Ohmae, K., 1989. Managing in a Borderless World. Harvard Business Review, 67(3), pp. 152-162.

Parente, D.H., Stephan, J.D. and Brown, R.C., 2012. Facilitating the Acquisition of Strategic Skills: The Role of Traditional and Soft Managerial Skills, Management Research Review, 35(11), pp. 1004-1028.

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Pine, J., 1993. ROI of Soft-Skills Training. Training, 30(2), pp. 55-58.

Porter, M., 1996. What is Strategy? Havard Business Review, 74(6), pp. 61-78.

Porter, M.E., 1987. From competitive advantage to corporate strategy. Harvard Business Review, 65(3), pp.

43-59.

Rae, L., 1986. How to Measure Training Effectiveness. Aldershot: Gower.

Robbins, S. P. and Hunsaker, P. L., 2000. Training in Management Skills. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Watts, M. and Watts, R.K., 2008. Developing Soft Skills in Students. Available from: http://l08.cgpublisher.com/ proposals/64/index_html [Accessed 20 January 2014].

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The activities In the next pages we collected the learning methods individuated and proposed by the participants of the workshop.

MOVIES FOR MOVE AND REMOVE - Method shared by Enrica Maria Ganau Session Information Name of the session

MOVIES FOR MOVE AND REMOVE Movies can move the minds* and remove** the barriers

Objectives

The process of alphabetization and/or functional literacy through visualizing pieces of films that ease the learning process: learn through 5+1 senses) in a non-formal way.

Focus of our attention is: • the non verbal communication (regard, silhouette, gestures, voice tone, sounds and noises • the ability to observe the surrounding environment

Target group(s)

Young and adults, also disabled

Personnel

1 facilitator

Material needed

Screen and DVD player or PC Films chosen Sheets of paper, pen

Duration

About 30 min with discussion, depending on number of film fragments displayed and their duration.

Description

It is better to choose film fragments in their original language (for example italian films as the participants do not know the language): Jhonny Stecchino, Roberto Benigni, 1991; Pensavo fosse amore invece era un calesse, Massimo Troisi, 1991 Phase 1 – explain to the participants that the objective of this activity is to use all the senses we have to collect as much information as possible about the fragment of the film we are going to see, independently on the language barrier.

The objective is to focus on the meanings beyond the verbal communication.

Phase 2 – show the fragment of the movie chosen Phase 3 – each participant writes (or memorizes) the information that he or she collects during the vision.

Phase 4 – the participants exchange the information collected and the analysis of the meanings they did.

Phase 5 – participants see the second fragment Phase 6 – exchange of the information collected.

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Conclusion phase – group reflection on the favorite or dominant different communication channels of collecting and elaboration new information. In this phase the group reflects on how we learn (or get new info) or teach (or give information to others) and on which other communication channel could be used in a given moment. The facilitator can point the fact that the efficiency of a message depends on the content of the message itself and the mode in which this message is perceived by the receivers (for example in non-verbal communication: facial expressions – 55%, coice – 38%, verbal aspect -7%).

Additional notes

* to learn, to know

(Variations, things to pay attention ** barriers: of communication and language differences, of learning (different and subjective use of senses). to, etc.)

The films should be chosen in function of the target group and on the theme of the meeting. This activity is easily adaptable to tackle higher levels of literacy: critical thinking and orientation in the contemporary and complex world.

Methodological references: Fernel, Keller, Orton, Montessori, Mehrabian.

For more information about this activity, please contact: Enrica Ganau <enrica.ganau@gmail.com>

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COOKING TOGETHER - Method shared by Bogdan Banas and Irina Briede Session Information Name of the session

COOKING TOGETHER

Objectives

Develop language skills Learn (foreign) language in a creative way Use non-formal education and informal education in developing communication skills.

Tackle functional literacy.

You can adapt the method to what you want to achieve. At the same time it is great tool for integration, intercultural education, developing numeracy skills, learning how to cook, etc.

Target group(s)

The method can be used with any type of group of adults (and youngsters).

Some modifications may be needed depending on the group type: • Deaf people (use more pictures and visualisations) • Blind people (cannot see the images, they have to touch every object of the activity, use more words, speaking) • Kids – but you need support

Personnel

1 person for a group of 5 people.

In some cases an individual assistant is needed (blind people).

Material needed

Equipped kitchen, ingredients’, paper and pens to present all the elements needed, flipchart, (maybe PowerPoint / YouTube depends how you want present tasks, produces, activities)

Duration

Depending on what we are going to prepare, and the group profile from 1 hour 1 day

Description

1. Warming up game with the tools from kitchen: a grating tool, a knife, a dredger.

You can make an energizer, just ask people to present one tool.

Separate the small groups; each one has to present one tool, the rest has to guess.

2. We are drawing pictures of tools and products and next we translate in two languages (one which people know and in language which participants are learning).

3. We are in the preparation process. We are using tools and products, which we used before. For example apple and knife means “to peel an apple”.

4. Practical work: We show to participants how to work with showing pictures with words. We divide task, rules. We divide people by giving them pictures with task for example product+tool and we describe the action to be undertaken.

After this we prepare schedule with different tasks in order.

We do all the tasks. It is really important to control the whole process, what people are doing, especially during the cooking exercise. We have to check what kind and how much product people use. We should speak the language (using words presented on the pictures) that the participants are learning.

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Additional notes

(Variations, things to pay attention to, etc.)

A card Example: a peeling knife un coltello to peel an apple an apple

pelare una mela

una mela

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TWICE TWICE - Method shared by Mustafa Burhan Esen Session Information Name of the session

TWICE TWICE

Objectives

For basic literacy: To learn new words in a creative way For multiple literacy: to introduce new terms connected to a specific topic in a creative way (e.g. civic competences, etc.)

Target group(s)

Adults, Students.

Personnel

1 Language Teacher / facilitator

Material needed

The teacher needs to individuate couples of words that present similarity and differences at the same time, for example: “revolution – evolution” and that will be the object of the lesson or that are connected to the theme the facilitator wants to tackle.

Card games need to be created.

Duration

Depending on the needs of the group.

Description

The activity is based on a combination of differences.

Start out with same aspects of different words (e.g. one letter missing) to discover the differences. Sameness can be an inception for something interesting.

The words can be shown separately or like twin words – an idea for learners to notice them easier.

We can open the subject with two examples: Generally people are different one from another, exactly like words. When we meet somebody and then meet another person who resembles us and wears same clothes – sometimes we are attracted by the similarity and the meeting can become more interesting. Or when we see a thing, and then another one similar to the first one, we notice it easier and remind the first thing with less effort.

We research their sameness or differences immediately. It becomes interesting for us.

Additional notes

This concept can be used in a session with adults. If we see a

(Variations, things to pay atten- new word, then another word similar to the first one, we tend to remind the similarity it and remember it easier. When one word tion to, etc.)

reminds another, it can make our learning easier. The similarity can be manifested by sound, pronunciation, spelling, etc.

For example: “evolution-revolution”. Only one letter missing, but they are similar visually, even if their meaning is very different.

Words are remembered by their similitude and differences at the same time.

For adults, a different approach from traditional word cards may make the learning process easier. Front side of traditional card shows the word, other side shows the meaning (equaled to word) of this word. These cards have to make according to combinations of differences idea: One of the similar words (evolution) is on the front side; other word (revolution) is on the backside. Each word can be supported with a known picture about its description or meaning to support memorizing.

Other couple examples: change-chance; ice-dice; lose-close; etc For more information about this activity, please contact: Mustafa Burhan Esen <burhanesen@gmail.com>

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An example of card used for different learning levels, in this case, for adults:

for adults LEARNING WITH CARDS

front

back

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INTRODUCTION TO NEW SKILLS FOR WORK - Method shared by Carlos Farfan Cruz Session Information Name of the session

INTRODUCTION TO NEW SKILLS FOR WORK

Objectives

• • •

To introduce the topic of skills for work in a nice and humoristic way in a lesson.

To introduce how people perceive the sound of different languages.

MULTILITERACY AND INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE

Target group(s)

Adults in career counseling Adults that start to learn a language

Personnel

1 facilitator

Material needed

Video The offensive translator on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY66ZJ0TFUI (to avoid technical problems, it is better to download the movie)

Duration

Introduction: 5 minutes Activity: depending on the needs of the group

Description

The teacher let the students see the short video of the offensive translator and according to what he wants to achieve with it he can start asking some questions.

Example: If you will use film to introduce the importance of good skills to do a job you may ask these questions: • What did you see in the film?

• What is the man looking for?

• Why? • What did the lade propose?

• Could she really do that job?

• Do you think that she is qualified to do such a translation?

Additional notes

This activity is a good introduction to work with the group adults

(Variations, things to pay atten- in career counseling and to tackle the question related to multiple literacy with a group of adults. tion to, etc.)

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STORY - Method shared by GEM Session Information Name of the session

STORY

Objectives

To improve group dynamics by playing together To improve group dynamics by working as a team To exercise the imagination To use the imagination To practice reading To practice speaking

Target group(s)

Universal ages, Universal culture.

Personnel

1 facilitator

Material needed

Essentially nothing

Duration

30 min with instructions

Description

Pick a well-known story to the group.

Check comprehension by getting them to retell the story to each other.

Thinking about the beginning of the story - one player walks onto the stage and physically creates a frozen image of either a character or an object.

The next person does the same.

When everyone is on stage a frozen picture is created. This process is repeated for the middle and the end of the story.

Each performer in each “tableaux” has the opportunity to speak the feelings of what they have chosen to be.

Additional notes

The participants could invent the story themselves. A short story

(Variations, things to pay atten- could be read to them or they could read it themselves.

It is important that each person enters the ‘stage’ one at a time. tion to, etc.)

Learners must not tell each other what to be or do; they simply have their own idea and show it.

Physical swiftness is encouraged from picture to picture.

When speaking it could be just one word or a sentence or two sentences.

The most enjoyable sentences come when the character is speaking about how they feel and not just describing their function in the scene. For example a tree being chopped down saying,‘ I am dying!’

For more information about this activity, contact: Gem Rudd-Orthner <gemskii@postmaster.co.uk>

19

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AS A TOOL FOR ADULT LITERACY EDUCATION

Grundtvig Workshop

TRADE PARTY - Method shared by GEM Session Information Name of the session

TRADE PARTY

Objectives

Speak language, Listen to language and for the players to read and learn a trade names (or any other names) BASIC AND MULTIPLE LITERACY

Target group(s)

8 +, adults.

Personnel

1 facilitator

Material needed

Small piece of paper with the trade written on.

For early learners this can have the trade picture too.

Duration

30 min with explanation.

Description

This is a combination of improvisation and guessing.

There is a ‘host’ and their job is to guess what job everyone has.

All other people playing have been given a piece of paper with their trade written on it – this can be accompanied with a picture of the trade (for early learners).

They enter the party and talk to the host a bit giving clues to what they do by how they behave.

After, the next person enters and does the same, then the third enters. At this point the 1st and the 2nd are free to interact with each other.

Additional notes

The ‘host’ can be the audience; it means that the person whose

(Variations, things to pay atten- part it is also has a trade.

Be careful that players aren’t talking over each other. It is why it tion to, etc.)

is good to have them entering one at a time, gives the players a chance to establish themselves.

For smaller groups: everyone can be in the game and each person is trying to guess the trade of everyone else. When they think they have got it they can leave the party.

In this version players may talk over each other a little because the conversations they have will be to try to get enough clues to know the others trade.

In either version, ‘What job do you do?’ is a cheat question. Players should be looking to use language in way that gives the answer to everyone else. * To tackle higher level of adult literacy, this activity can be adapted to any names linked to a given field and thus become an introduction to a deeper conversation on controversial themes (e.g. health, civic competences, work problems, political involvement, etc.).

For more information about this activity, contact: Gem Rudd-Orthner <gemskii@postmaster.co.uk>

20

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AS A TOOL FOR ADULT LITERACY EDUCATION

Grundtvig Workshop

RHYTHM COUNTING - Method shared by GEM Session Information Name of the session

RHYTHM COUNTING

Objectives

Learning numbers using in sequence both ascending and descending.

Speaking numbers NUMERACY

Target group(s)

Any age, Universal culture.

Personnel

1 facilitator

Material needed

None.

Duration

10 mins with instructions.

Description

Predetermine what number counting to.

Esablish a rhythm, e.g slap thighs twice and clap twice.

On the first clap one person says the first number and on the second the next number.

Counting continues to the next person.

When a mistake is made, counting begins again starting with that person.

When the predeteremined number is reached, e.g. 10 counting proceeds but descending.

Additional notes

(Variations, things to pay attention to, etc.)

For more information about this activity, contact: Gem Rudd-Orthner <gemskii@postmaster.co.uk>

21

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AS A TOOL FOR ADULT LITERACY EDUCATION

Grundtvig Workshop

GROUP CLOCK - Method shared by GEM Session Information Name of the session

GROUP CLOCK

Objectives

Calculating simple sums within a short time.

TEAM WORK, NUMERACY

Target group(s)

Any age, Universal culture.

Personnel

1 facilitator

Material needed

Numbered positions on the floor.

Sign showing the mathematic symbol being used.

Duration

10 mins with instructions exercize.

Description

The floor is marked with sequential numbers in a circle, starting from 1 to x.

The group are asked a sum (for example 2+5) and have to move to the correct number on the floor. The group needs to move towards the number that, in their opinion, is correct.

The time limit is established by a rhythm that the facilitator does.

Additional notes

This activity works well for addition and subtraction.

(Variations, things to pay atten- It has low impact because the group moves together, so it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expose anyone and gives safe practice at understanding and ustion to, etc.)

ing the numbers, also in foreign language.

For more information about this activity, contact: Gem Rudd-Orthner <gemskii@postmaster.co.uk>

22

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AS A TOOL FOR ADULT LITERACY EDUCATION

Grundtvig Workshop

Contacts For any information, feel free to contact Associzione “è”:

Associazione culturale “è” Turin, Italy e.associazione@gmail.com eassociazione.wordpress.com This document can be downloaded here: http://eassociazione.wordpress.com/grundtvig-workshop/

Document curated by Enrica Maria Ganau and Izabela Smela Document Design by Roberta Boncompagni Associazione “è” 2014

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