The I-MOTOLE project developed primarily as a reaction to high drop-out rates in adult education in disadvantaged social-economic environments, and the need to increase upward integration. The overall aim of the project is to produce a more effective educational experience for adult learners through effective strategies focused on improving the intrinsic motivation of adults from marginal, vulnerable, disadvantaged groups or situations of social exclusion. Specific objectives: -To improve the intrinsic motivation in adult learners in situations of exclusion to learn in both formal and non-formal adult education. -To improve adult learners’ perceptions -To reduce drop-out rates in centers and motivated learners to succeed and finish their respective education and training. -As a result of increased take-up and reduced drop-out rates, to improve participation in adult education in centers. -To improve the participants' range of experience, enhancing their experience and cultural understanding. -To improve the employability of participants in the programme Intellectual Outputs: We will carry out a significant study into effective national strategies which could improve motivation, thus identifying the gap we need to fill (IO1).We will then draw up a training package to be piloted, evaluated, and redrafted into a final product which will be further piloted with a group of learners formed by representatives from each organisation (IO2). A validation toolkit through a portfolio will be designed (IO3) The final product and its findings will be disseminated to other European stakeholders, and will be made public in the expectation that other European organisations will use it. We will finally create 10 recommendations to include in the European Strategy (IO4) Training Activities: Staff training (C1) and Adult Learners from Marginalized Groups Training (C2) Target groups: Migrants; Roma & disadvantaged groups; refugees and asylum-seekers; people with disabilities; people in specific situations of exclusion from learning, such as those in hospitals, care homes and prisons; members of deprived communities experiencing poverty and social exclusion. All the field work for this project will be carried out with such groups as the outcomes of the project are destined primarily for such groups. Methodology: -To develop a holistic, intersectoral methodology and to implement this methodology in centers of Adult Education across Europe far beyond those of the partner organisations. Results: -A new methodology which takes into account specifically the difficulties of marginalised groups. Through the use of this methodology, adults from such contexts will be more motivated to learn and achieve their goals. -To increase participation in education, to reduce marginalization and to improve the employability of the participants in situations of social exclusion. It will be readily available to all educators and will be able to be used in a variety of contexts of adult education across Europe, in no way limited to any particular educational content, being useful for any content to be delivered, whether it is languages, academic subject teaching, practical, vocational content etc..). -An interactive portal with free access open to all which contains the whole output of the project. Impacts: For MARGINALISED LEARNERS: Improved awareness of their effective potential and Improved quality of life: social and civil skills enhanced. Partners: Seven I-motole partners represent different geographic areas and disciplines. The common thread of the partners, is our work with different, vulnerable sectors of society at risk of social exclusion.
I-Motole responded so to the European needs, challenges & policy within Adult Education: Recognition + validation of key competences acquired through non-formal learning as a major challenge (CEDEF OP 2009) covering the settled four common EU objectives to address challenges in education and training systems by 2020: making lifelong learning and mobility a reality, improving the quality and efficiency of education and training, etc. The targeted groups were specially Roma & disadvantaged groups; refugees and asylum-seekers; people with disabilities; people in specific situations of exclusion from learning, such as those in prisons, plus members of deprived communities experiencing poverty and social exclusion. We also targeted educators, trainers, staff, other professionals and policy makers working in adult education once their work affects directly or indirectly our last beneficiary (adult learners). The overall aim of the project was to produce a more effective educational experience for adult learners through effective strategies focused on improving the intrinsic motivation of adults from marginal, vulnerable, disadvantaged groups or situations of social exclusion. Firstly we developed an Analysis research and Needs Analysis (IO1) to identifies the gap between teachers and vulnerable learners perceptions that affects learner’s motivation. Then, innovative methods were developed and included on the Training Package for Adult Educators (IO2) developed. The partnership met in September 2018 in Macedonia (C1) to train each other and go back to each country in order to pilot with Adult practitioners. Adult practitioners involved reported that they feel more motivated and learnt tools to use in their sessions. A Validation Portfolio (IO3) was developed to raise awareness among learners of the competences acquired in non-formal and informal settings. This portfolio also serves as a tool for the educators to track, validate and certify their learner’s knowledge and competences what also enhance the learner’s employability opportunities. The most satisfactory register that we received during the project was from the evaluations results of the 83 learners that had the opportunity to participate, at least, in one of the sessions provided training activity in Portugal in March 2019 (C1). For most of them this was their first experience in such international context. Through the development of the Recommendations (IO4) and the dissemination events, we could spread the Action plan with recommendations to improve Adults Education systems in Europe throughout many different organizations and levels of actions at a systemic level. Each partner held local multiplier events, the Belgian partner hosted the International Multiplier event where we had the opportunity to meet and share with a major number of policy makers and professionals on the adult education field all project developed. Throughout the project lifetime the Online Interactive Portal (IO5) has been enriched with the interactive tools developed by the partners. Those methodologies are online and available to all educators across Europe and behind boarders - they can be used in a variety of contexts of adult education, in any way limited to any particular educational content, being useful for any matter to be delivered by adult educators, whether it is languages, academic subject teaching, practical, vocational trainings, etc..). Among the long-term benefits for adult learners, the opportunity to experience and learn with other peers from other countries provided them self-confidence and an all-new experience as a real feeling about European citizenship. Moreover, they had the opportunity to get to know better themselves, rising awareness of their effective potential and improving their quality of life: their social and civil skills were enhanced. For the staff of our schools and associations, for our local partners, and for all the educators and trainers we are now equipped with luggage of activities, methodologies and tools to deal with adult learners and in how to improve their motivation to keep studying, participating and investing on their future. we had the opportunity to meet other training organizations and schools across Europe; understanding the work they do and how they are doing it; creating and testing new methodologies and activities for adult education; testing our new propositions and mainly enlarging our spectrum of action on the field as enlarging our international network. The project brought more attention to adult education and its importance among our institutions, staff, local partners and policy makers, where there is little investment in innovation. Finally it also made people (organizations and learners) more aware of the possibilities of such projects and about Erasmus+ program. The policy makers that the partnership met were available with engagement, promising an Imotole impact on future policies.