The idea of this project was born thanks to the cooperation of several institutions dealing with formal and non-formal adult education from different European countries. Thanks to the analyses carried out in our institutions we have noticed the problem and the need to better support people in acquiring and improving basic skills and key competences. Therefore, it is extremely important for us to change and enrich the methods and forms of work from traditional to blended learning and to make the courses offered by our institutions more attractive. We want them to be adapted to the changing realities of the 21st century, so that everyone, regardless of age, place of residence or wealth, has equal access to them, and thus has equal opportunities for education. We have been thinking about the possibility of introducing blended learning into the methodology of folk high schools for a long time, and the current difficult educational situation caused by the Coronavirus pandemic has strengthened our belief that this is a good idea to explore and implement. The aim of our project is to determine whether blended learning is a working technique that can be successfully used in institutions such as folk high schools and other institutions working in the formula of a folk high school; and to increase and develop the key competences of educators in adult education institutions with a special focus on teachers working in folk high schools, which have so far based their work on the traditional Grundtvigian concept. This project is to open the door to new opportunities, tools and working methods for teachers from our institutions, which will translate directly into the development of the curriculum, which will include a catalogue of courses, enabling teachers to conduct classes with the use of on- line forms and remote teaching, and making it easier for adult learners of our institutions to access paths to improve their skills and raise basic competences. The project is therefore addressed to teachers working in adult education institutions, participants in six pilot courses from different European countries and to adult education organisations. The project involves eight institutions from different European countries. Most have experience in implementing Erasmus+ projects strategic partnerships, while organisations with less experience will be able to acquire and develop their skills in this field. We expect that about 500 participants will participate in the project directly and indirectly. These will include educators from all partner schools, project coordinators, people directly involved in the project, course participants and people involved in dissemination activities. They will all contribute directly and indirectly to the achievement of the project's results. In the course of the project we plan to develop the results of intellectual work in the form of 6 pilot courses with their evaluation carried out in the partner countries, a set of course programmes and a methodological and didactic guide for adult educators with a special focus on folk high schools. An extremely important result for all partner institutions will also be an increase in didactic and digital competences among the teaching staff, an increase in the number of interested persons and participants taking part in courses offered by the Radawnica Folk High School and other partners, as well as the development of partnerships with other schools dealing with adult education in Poland and Europe, with particular emphasis on twinning institutions from Finland and Scandinavian countries. It will also be a good solution in the case we are currently experiencing - a general pandemic or "only epidemic", because it will allow us to continue learning without the need to suspend classes and postpone the duration of courses. We believe that this project will increase interest in adult education and folk high schools both in Poland and in Europe.
The implementation of this project had been in our plans for a long time. After all, its main provisions were to answer the most nagging questions about the possibility of developing folk high schools through quite fundamental changes (introduction of hybrid education) in methodology. To make the project comprehensive we wanted: - prepare universal programs using the hybrid education model - focus on the folk high schools in Poland and abroad - increase the involvement of adults in lifelong education - increase the attractiveness of education in our institutions - prepare a universal methodological and didactic guide, which would be a "recipe" for teachers of adults who would like to use the hybrid model of education - improve the ICT competence of educators - make educational offers of participating organizations more attractive
Thanks to the intra-institutional analysis of all partners, we were able to spot the problem and the related need to better support adults in acquiring and learning basic skills and competencies. The most important thing for us was to enrich the methods and forms of teachers' work with adults with elements of blended learning and to test the newly created course programs in real conditions in adult schools in various European countries. In addition, we wanted to create a methodological guide that would clearly and transparently show both the advantages and problems associated with hybrid education. Within the framework of this project, we were able to achieve all this. The project described above addressed the following identified needs: - To diversify the forms and methods of working with the adult learner - Making the educational offer aimed at adults more attractive - Improving the competence of adult education teachers - Development of the offer of long courses for adults - Increasing the number of adults in continuing education - Ensuring continuity of education even in case of unexpected problems (e.g. pandemic)