Future planning and local support for IAL

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Comment by John Konrad on November 9, 2009 at 7:40am

Lesley,

Thanks for your comments - much appreciated!

I think that the potential and actual role of U3A is a separate, though important issue. Should this be a separate strand on this platform?

IMHO, I sometimes think that co-ordinating U3A activities at a local/regional level must be a major undertaking and really needs thinking through. At the moment, I'm still engaged with a major project on the Recognition of Prior Learning [see http://www.rplo.eu ] but hopefully will have a break to reorganise after mid-December.

For myself, I think it would be good to go back to "our" roots. Lesley's question about the "penny levy" points towards some wider Qs. Perhaps a good starting point would be the classic by the late Brian Simon 'Education and the Labour Movement, 1870-1920' (1965)?

Off-line for a few days - travelling!

John

Comment by Lesley Price on November 8, 2009 at 10:03pm

BTW Bob...have done lots of searching on internet and can't find any references to penny levy....help please????

Comment by Lesley Price on November 8, 2009 at 10:02pm

John....what you are doing sounds really interesting....please keep us updated. As you have seen from U3A example I gave which is based on purely personal experience..what you are taking forward sounds really great so all the best and hope that you keep posting so that the wider community can learn ..at the end of the day, that's what its all about:-)

Comment by Bob Harrison on November 8, 2009 at 8:06pm

Thanks John, I am sure the College would be very interested..bobharrisonset@aol.com

Comment by John Konrad on November 8, 2009 at 4:52pm

Bob,

We're about to start working on an EU LLProgramme project "Connect" - "Web2.0-based virtual communities and social learning to strengthen competencies of people at risk of exclusion"

Due to start in January - maybe you would be interested? If so, please let me know.

John
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Abstract:

The process of learning is increasingly understood as social development of knowledge, skills and competences involving communities of practice. Personal Learning Environment “through which learners can explore and create, according to their own interests and directions, interacting at all times with their friends and community”, versus “virtual learning environments”, “merely accessing external artefacts”(Graham Attwell, 2006); the “‘e-learning 2.0′ - approach based on conversation and interaction, on sharing, creation and participation”(Stephen Downes, 2006); WEB 2.0 devices as enablers and drivers for awareness processes from tacit-individual to explicit-social knowledge (Brown J S-Adler R P, 2008) underline the centrality of learner who can actively design their learning and construct their own understanding. The project will concretise these concepts within atypical, heterogeneous, virtual communities. Target groups will be people at risk of exclusion, 50+ people, 45- women and migrants, from different countries (IT, CZ, DE, ES, UK) and cultural backgrounds, willing to develop eskills, communication and teamwork abilities, competences, e.g. creating their own e-portfolios or searching internet for sources, services. Diversity and motivation will be key valuing factors. In the testing phase, they will meet virtually bringing their own experiences, supported by tutors and coaches by a peer to peer approach. Initial learning material will be increased and improved by them during their learning process. A first survey will analyse needs, behaviours and desires of target groups and identify the sample for testing. Three further target group surveys will monitor their views and wants during the three year project. Summative learning-outcome based assessments will evaluate the effectiveness of learning as social event and will feed the final version of the WEB-based learning model, WEB-learning platforms and open source, free WEB 2.0 tools, the outcomes of the project

Comment by Bob Harrison on November 8, 2009 at 2:55pm

Thanks lesley...I think my central point is about the term "revolution" and how inappropriate it is as an umbrella for this important work....and you are right that there is a role for the LA in all of this but they are hidebound by the funding and restricted in scope. At Northern College we are working hard to implement "the Learning Age" in a "Digital Britain".Any help is welcome :)

Comment by Lesley Price on November 8, 2009 at 12:23pm

Did not know that Bob....Guess I am learning :-) Must go and find out more about the 'penny levy'. I think you are absolutely right...the way that the internet has developed with 2.0 and social networking make it a wonderful way to learn. U3A connection is a great example, I accessed the photos of the event through a photo sharing site and they were made available by one of the ever growing throng of 'silver surfers'. Having looked at the scope of many of the transformation fund projects, when they start taking effect, more people will have the skills to take part and they will have more information at their finger tips....

Comment by Bob Harrison on November 8, 2009 at 10:47am

Agreed John as did the miners who started the "penny levy" the founders of "The People's Colleges"(forerunners of some of our universities) and the founders of the WEA! You have made the critical point about this project being called a "Learning Revolution" it is anything but and frankly is merely the Government attempting to divert attention from how it has abandoned the principles and values outlined in "The Learning Age"!

Comment by John Konrad on November 8, 2009 at 10:33am

Where did the concept of "Revolution" come from? Perhaps the relevance of U3A is that it returns the responsibility for Learning to the Learners - I suspect that those involved in the 19th Century Mechanics' Institutes would recognise the importance of a Learning group taking responsibility for content and process?

Comment by Bob Harrison on November 8, 2009 at 10:32am

PS....Annie Kenny,Emiline/Christobel Pankhurst and Emily Davison did not wait for a White paper or a Local Authority plan surely??

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