Easy Learning
Start date: Jan 1, 2015,
End date: Jun 30, 2015
PROJECT
FINISHED
Studies show that traditional way of teaching cannot provide youth anymore with the skills and competences required by the labor market. Although we still witness a monopoly of formal education institutions, non-formal education contributes more and more to the life-learning process and to the development of human capital. In this context, experiential learning is adding an essential ingredient to youth education and that is self-reflection about the things we are experiencing daily both in school and outside of it. Overall project lasted 6 months in total. The training activity took place in Ferrara and lasted 7 days gathering 45 participants coming from Program Countries: Italy, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Estonia, Spain .
The trainers were Alina Gabriela Burlacu from Romania and Maria Kavouri from Italy. The lectio magistralis was given Aims and objectives:
The overall aim of the project is to enhance the development of new non-formal teaching methods in different field of studies
Objectives of the project are:
1. To increase the competences of youth workers, trainers, youth leaders and volunteers in designing new activities based on experiential learning model
2. To design new training curricula based on innovative teaching techniques
3. To create a toolkit with tested non-formal educational tools for developing youth abilities and skills, available for free
4. To improve cooperation between people working in the field of European youth organizations, youth workers and young people.
Activities:
Activities are: Lectio Magistralis "Some reflection of Learning " by the researcher psychiatrist Maria Cristina Turola, vice president of AIMNETWORK. They took place workshops inside and outside the classroom more over in the social centre "Resistenza" in Ferrara featuring the video on Ferrara of videomaker Rita Bertoncini following discusssion with the author. Short presentation on behalf Davide Barbieri on the integration and inclusion opportunities of mental health users through sport activities that his organisation made of ex mental health users organises. Presentation of Maria Kavouri on Intercultural Dialogue and how avoiding Early school leaving in education from young people and in particular from young foreigners. Workshop on experiencial learning through theater conducted by the young film director, Dimitris Katsidoniotis member of Greek Acting Youth.
Intercultural night, NGO fair, ELC Toolkit Fair, conversations, presentation of best practices, preparing reports of best practices, planning of future, creating drafts of the projects, partnership building activity, project simulation, discussions and evaluation activities.
Methods are: group dynamic games, ice breakers and warmers, brainstorming, group discussions and bilateral discussions, group presentations, workshop, individual work, brainstorming, problem analysis techniques, design thinking model, ice-breakers.
Impact and results:
After being involved in this project the participants will be able to create and deliver trainings in the field of intercultural dialogue, young entrepreneurship, early school leaving and human rights in an innovative way and with greater impact in youth development. The project will also lead to the development of a new design of international educational pathways in line with students need. This will generate the recognition and validation of the skills and qualifications across the national borders and in the labor market.
The main tangible result of the Easy Learning project was the ELC (Experiential Learning Cycle) Toolkit called Easy Learning Toolkit. The Toolkit is developed as a brochure that can be used by trainers, professors, youth workers and other professionals when designing trainings for youth. You can find it on the Toolbox of SALTO it is accessible for free for all the members. It gathers 11 new and innovative methods created by the participants together with the trainers during the last 3 days of the project - the methods are focused on the following topics:
A) intercultural dialogue / intergenerational dialogue
B) young entrepreneurship / early school leaving
C) human rights
Each method was created following the next structure: -purpose of the method -steps for implementation; materials needed - topics approached - context: when to use it and with which target group -learning points/impact The design of the toolkit and the content was established together with the participants during the ELC Toolkit Fair; held on the last day of the project. Also, the toolkit was send to every partner organisation in order to be disseminated on a local and national level.