10th Adult Learners Week
TAKE PLEASURE IN LEARNING
together – at school, at work, on a visit, at home, everywhere.
The year 2007 was crucial for Adult Learners’ Week (ALW). It was ten years ago that the first ALW took place. 10th ALW was held 12-19 October.
Adult Learners’ Week is the time when we look back at our journey. An objective of ALW is to value learning in adulthood, introduce the diversity of learning possibilities and create opportunities for cooperation between learners, providers and different organisations.
Personal development is important for all of us helping to build confidence to pursue going on with one’s life and aspire for new challenges. The network of learners and educators tries to reach adults who have been discarded from learning.
The whole Estonia was covered by the ALW activities. Altogether 349 events were held with 14,000 people participating.
OPENING CEREMONY read more here…
THE RECOGNISED read more here…
LEARNING BUS
For the first time from 1-19 Oct a learning bus travelled all around Estonia visiting 52 places, mostly villages. The bus was equipped with the direct internet connection. Visitors were given information about possibilities of learning, offered coffee, ALW sweets and a possibility to speak about respective matters. Its main objective was to find out about learning possibilities and needs in the counties.
LEARNING CARRIAGE
In order to prove that learning can take place beyond the classroom, a learning carriage travelled on route Rapla-Tallinn arranged by the students of andragogy ofTallinn University. The learning carriage, 15-18 Oct, hosted lectures, quizzes and discussions.
ADULT COUNSELLING
Adult counselling took place for the first time within the framework of 10th ALW.
In their neighbourhood people could ask for free advice with an emphasis on counselling in the villages. Both employed and unemployed people were expected which is important because Estonian legislation does not support adult counselling at the moment.
3rd ADULT LEANERS’ FORUM read more here…
ADULT EDUCATION FORUM
The topic of internet and virtual learning did not end with an e-learning day. On 19 Oct the university town Tartu hosted the 11th Adult Education Forum titled as „Adult education in virtual society”. The participants reached a conclusion that different virtual environments are suitable for adult learning, but making full use of the possibilities offered by them demands a new way of thinking. Outstanding IT visionaries and experts from IT College, University of Tartu, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and local governments made their presentations on the forum.
THE GRUNDTVIG DAY
The regular, already traditional Grundtvig day took place 16 Oct. The objective of the event was to introduce the European lifelong learning programme Grundtvig to wider audience and to explain what possibilities it provides for Estonian organisations and residents.
E-LEARNING DAY
For the 5th year in a row an e-learning day was held on 17 Oct, organised by Estonian Development Centre for e-Learning. An objective of the day was to introduce the possibilities and perspectives of e-learning and to disseminate information about web-courses delivered by Estonian universities and vocational schools. There were free mini e-courses on different subjects prepared for the e-learning day. Genealogy research and course of basic guitar cords were the most popular. Over 3000 people visited the courses.
In addition to the aforementioned events, different activities took place over Estoniawithin ALW in order to promote lifelong learning and its needfulness. Especially popular were different handicraft workshops, e.g. porcelain and silk painting, course on stained glass, loom weaving, jewellery making etc. Several lectures took place from book introductions to psychological topics. Border town Narva hosted a learning fair where different learning possibilities were introduced. A Latvian delegation visitedRapla County with a wish to get acquainted with the ALW of their neighbouring country. On our biggest island Saaremaa 15 men learned how to cook. It is especially important to involve men in lifelong learning, too.
„ALW is an event securing the principles of adult education taking place in accordance of an internationally acknowledged format. Thereby it is important that ALW has during the years not become an objective as such, but has always conveyed the principle of lifelong learning and developed alongside with adult learners and educators”, Minister of Education and Research, Tõnis Lukas.
The necessity and consistency of ALW has been guaranteed for the next four years as the cooperation between Ministry of Education and Research and AEAE Andras and financing from European Social Fund will continue.
The following ALW will take place 10-17 Oct 2008