Back to search

ReflAct-reflective learning in youth work

2019-3-SK02-KA105-0022782019Youth mobilityfinalizedGood practice
Countries: SK|CZ|GE|EE|RO|AM|MD|UA · Grant: €17,083
Pedagogy and didacticsQuality AssuranceNew innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Objectives

There is a crucial link between youngsters learning quality and youth workers skills and knowledge of supporting their learning process. Hereby, staff for youth-serving organization is a critical ingredient as  the crux of learning progress occurs during the reflection process, where young people challenge their assumptions, try to make sense of experience and instead of being passive receivers of external knowledge, they become active creators and co-creators of their own knowledge,  integrating theory and practice. Considering the above mentioned from youth workers competence perspective, it’s essential for them to act as reflective practitioners since youth programs and youth work itself within non-formal education framework often attribute their success to youth workers ability to support the learning process. We don’t learn from experience, but we learn from reflecting on the experience, thus, regardless of the target group and field, any youth worker needs a toolkit of reflection process design on a first place. In their daily work, they use different techniques enabling critical thinking and fostering learning and although, every youth worker knows reflection techniques, yet not everyone can make it strategically placed with the conspicuous accent on important details.  It is also easy to fall into the trap of applying the same techniques and approaches repeatedly. Therefore, as every youngster responds according to his existing knowledge and experiences, it is important for youth workers to routinely evaluate their reflective practice competencies and consider whether it can be improved to ensure effective support of their target groups. Furthermore, youth workers are responsible for both applying the reflective process to their own role and for supporting the development of reflective skills among young people. Our working team believes that the proposed TC with the aforementioned approach will give valuable new working methods for supporting youngsters’ reflective learning, which is far away from being in the standard toolbox of youth workers. The aim of the proposed training course is to develop youth workers professional competencies by equipping them with reflective learning support skills and tools, which will highly improve their work quality. We also seek to raise awareness of the potential of reflective practice as a tool in promoting and further developing of effective youth work. In order to achieve the aim of the proposed TC, we envisioned the following objectives to be fulfilled: -to deepen participants awareness on reflective learning concept and practice in youth work; -to develop participants skills of defining individual learning styles in their target groups; -to equip participating youth workers with reflection tools and techniques; -to expand participants reflection process designing skills; -to form a network among like-minded organisations and develop follow-up projects on a similar topic

Project partners (8)