-
Home
-
European Projects
-
Reflection as core transferable competence in high..
Reflection as core transferable competence in higher education and adult education
Start date: Sep 1, 2014,
End date: Jan 31, 2017
PROJECT
FINISHED
The projects is in line with the major projects for competences development methodologies in the EU, which emphasize student-centered approach. Student centered approach means a learning culture that, first of all, encourages willingness to unlearn and change mental frameworks, an open, objective attitude, time for reflection and questioning.
The major topic of this project is reflection of learners and teachers in higher education and adult education. The project will analyse and answer the question, - how can a lecturer or trainer help learners to reflect more appropriately in both formal and informal education? As research indicated, there is a clear need in both fields for better understanding how reflection works (and how not), how one can change by means of reflection a person’s awareness and his ability to act. Moreover there’s a clear methodological need how to integrate all this understanding in ways to assist and stimulate good quality reflective practices (both classical and ICT-based methods). Therefore project REFLECT aims to develop an adequate problem and need analysis why reflection often does not work in higher and adult education (in order to know what to avoid), an on-line learning platform for lecturers and trainers about the ‘why & how & when to reflect properly’, including the guidelines, methods and materials for using individual and group reflections, and an adequate assessment guidelines for reflection as a core transferable competence. The main target groups of project REFLECT will be lecturers in higher and teacher education and adult educators in non-formal education, the project intends to involve about 1280 people (including learners) and involve in the discussions more than 1000 lecturers in higher and teacher education, adult educators and learners via dissemination events.
The project activities include a thorough analysis of different resources on the topic, development of methods and materials for reflective practices in higher and adult education, testing of the materials created in combination with training events and valorisation activities. On an on-line open-access platform of the project lecturers, trainers and stakeholders will be able to find the following products of the project:
- Analysis of existing practices, crucial sources and research on reflection in higher and adult education.
- Publication on reflection and inner readiness. It will consist of three main parts: firstly, a framework with guidelines and principles for reflection (why, how and when to use reflective practices in order to design and deliver study programs and adult training programs; this part will also include examples on how reflective practice should be used), secondly a toolbox with best methods and practices (including a description of ways how the theoretical concepts on reflective practices can be applied in practice), thirdly a description of an adequate assessment method for reflection.
- ICT-methods for reflection. We will create some ICT-methods for reflection, mainly based on already existing e-tools and websites with open-source content. This methods will explore different strategies to give input for reflection assignments and will be applicable to both higher and adult education.
During the project the above mentioned products will be discussed with a large community of lecturers and trainers via an on-line open-access platform of of the project,training and testing events and dissemination events. The learning/training activities will serve for dissemination purposes and for the assuring the quality of the materials and methods which will be developed. Moreover, by the activities we will create a large community of reflective practitioners which will cooperate and share after the project is over, in this way assuring the sustainability of the results of the project.
In addition to this for the dissemination plan we choose explicitly to use the already existing and broad networks of the partner organizations. This will ensure a rapid and broad dissemination of the results of the project. All partners will organize internal meetings and/or workshop in their organization to communicate about the ongoing and final results of the projects. This will further the integration of project results in the delivery of new courses, curricula and training modules. All partners will organize a seminar, masterclass or similar activity on reflective practices for lecturers and adult educators from other organizations in Belgium, Iceland, Italy and Lithuania. We will also organize 2 multiplier events outside Italy, Iceland, Belgium and Lithuania. This multiplier events will be organized as an extra day of already existing conferences and workshop. In each country we will plan a meeting with the National Agencies for Quality in Studies.