Europe is becoming a learning society and citizens are required to constantly update their competences, not only with regard to the world of work but in an encompassing approach to participate in contemporary societies. Moreover, European societies face a rapid differentiation of educational pathways, opportunities and biographies. This increase in complexity from learners requires great effort into initiative taking, creativity, problem solving, risk assessment and decision taking, all of which requires learners to become stakeholders of their own learning process. It however has been demonstrated, that learner groups with a disadvantaged background or those remote from learning have great difficulties to take ownership of their learning, without being empowered. However, although a great deal of rhetoric about learner empowerment, adult education practice too often remains caught in traditional instruction methods, fixed curricula and pre-defined learning outcomes. It's in particular low achievers who suffer from this situation, because in the formal education system they often have made the experience that major parameters of their learning is out of their control, and thus never had the chance to develop a sense of ownership for their own learning. The PARTICIPATE partnership starts from the assumption that the impact on disadvantaged target groups can be greatly increased if education providers manage to adopt participatory approaches and methods, and this way support their learners to develop a sense of ownership of their learning and to become lifelong learners. The overall objective of the PARTICIPATE project is to promote participatory methods in adult education and, more specifically it will build a model for participatory design of learning outcomes. The PARTICIPATE project will identify and examine good practice in the field and, from them derive a generic model for the design of participatory evaluation and assessment of learning outcomes, whereby the adult learner is included in this process of setting their own outcomes and indicators. Instead of being initially presented with a final set of specific learning outcomes within an already agreed assessment framework, the learners are offered the opportunity to participate in determining how their course will be measured and evaluated. Complementary PARTICIPATE will promote participatory design of learning assessment, and support educators and practitioners on its implementation. The major target groups addressed in the framework of the PARTICIPATE project are migrants and refugees (Germany, Greece, Spain), traveller communities (Ireland) and Roma minorities (Romania) and adult education practitioners engaged with those target groups. A main result of the project will be the PARTICIPATE design model, which will reflect a) the elements and processes making a participatory approach, b) principles and guidelines for the participatory design of learning outcomes, c) recommendations on how the model can be integrated with existing adult education practice, as well as d) identification of capacities needed to effectively implement participatory design methods. The project will build a European community of practice, which shall help us a) to incubate the PARTICIPATE model in a collaborative setting and actively engage practitioners in the development process, b) to leverage the impact of the project through promotion and multiplying of project results, c) to continuously improve our work through critical debate with lifelong learning practitioners from outside the partnership, d) to identify and guide practitioners and organisations who would be interested in the application of our project results, and most importantly of all e) to ensure the sustainability of results. The partnership in all partner countries will organise focus groups, including adult learners from the different target groups. The purpose of the focus groups is to understand the perspective and needs of the target groups and involve them as stakeholders in the project design and implementation phase. The partnership in the course project will conduct 2 workshops, which will take place in Greece and Spain. The two workshops are described in detail, in Learning, Teaching, Training Activities. Last but not least the project will produce promotional materials and, promote the project and its results through a broad range of channels. The project is expected to have a significant impact on practices and attitudes of educational staff and practitioners. The participants in the course of the project will learn how to to include participatory approaches in course programmes for adults, and how to actively engage adult learners in the evaluation and assessment of learning outcomes. Moreover it is expected that the introduction of participatory methods positively affects the motivation of the target groups and, strengthens their sense of ownership for their learning.
The focus of the project was on exchange of experience between educational actors from different European countries, as well as different fields of adult education. The aim was to work with peers to identify proven approaches and methods for the participatory design of adult education courses, from this to derive a basic working model for educational practice, and to critically reflect on the model together with teachers and learners. Our basic question was: Which participatory approaches are pursued in the partner countries involved, and which elements and processes characterize successful participatory practice? The overarching goal was to develop the conceptual basis for an empowerment of educationally disadvantaged target groups based on participatory approaches and methods, with special attention to opportunities for learners to participate in the definition of learning outcomes.
Europe is becoming a learning society. The continuous adaptation and renewal of knowledge or lifelong learning has become a common habit for many Europeans. However, this also entails new requirements. Lifelong learning requires a high degree of personal agency, and the capacity for self-directed and self-organized learning. In a learning society, learners are expected to develop ownership of their own learning. This is particularly difficult where learners have had little or no experience with self-directed learning in the course of their educational biography, and have experienced education as a passive and largely externally determined process. It's particularly educationally disadvantaged and disadvantaged target groups, who suffer from this situation and due to negative experiences with the education system lack the motivation for participating in continuing education. The project is based on the assumption that participatory approaches and methods in adult education can help to increase the educational participation of these target groups, support learners to take the initiative and take responsibility for their own learning (empowerment).