A European Strategy to implement Adults' Informal Learning for Intergenerational Creative Experiences

Ensuring Intergenerational Learning, through the creation of adequate educational environments is a challenge both for researchers and practitioners. From one hand formal education promotes mainly intra-generational experiences, structured in contexts of learning were few or none contact among generations (beyond the technical role of teachers/educators) occur (Loewen, 1996; Miller et al. 2008). From the other hand, intergenerational learning also implies configuring adults’ adequate learning settings (Newman, 2008). More research is clearly needed in this field: in spite of the relevance given nowadays to the lifelong learning perspective, adults informal learning, as more frequent learning situations for adults of low educational attainments, is not sufficiently explored, characterized and modelled. This research focus should accompany modernisation of Higher Education, as well as recognition of professional learning, achieved through working situations; the lack of attention to this issue could end in lack of participation to the lifelong learning perspective of an important part of the adult population, as it is emphasized by ET2020 indicators and strategy. This paper aims at presenting the European training of trainers strategy to be adopted for the implementation of adults’ learning pilot programmes that promote intergenerational creative experiences. The training strategy is introduced and discussed within the framework of a socio-constructivist approach that empower trainers to reflect on their own role in implementing adults’ informal learning opportunities as key dimension of a lifelong learning perspective for adults of low educational attainments. In line with the above mentioned research problem, this paper aims at introducing a perspective on the issue of adults’ educators needs’ of qualification, through a case study, namely, the European training of trainers’ strategy within the GRUNDTVIG LLP PROJECT ALICE “Adults Learning for Intergenerational Creative Experiences”. The training strategy is envisaged as a device to promote innovations regarding adults’ learning, particularly those excluded from formal training because of their social condition. The project’s leading hypothesis is that generations “speak” different languages; as it happens in multilingual, intercultural contexts, the only way to create common spaces of interaction is to adopt creative languages, that encompass a process where the individual (particularly adults) goes out from the own resources and processes of meaning, to “play” with new meanings in the relationship with the kid. Therefore, learning situations should adults to reflect on the own role as educators, and hence, early promoters of a lifelong learning strategy . Informal activities, in the project, foreseen the adoption of creative languages (art, storytelling, social media) as a mean to generate rich and caring environments for kids; moreover, in the process of interacting through creative languages the differences between adults and children are mediated, with impact in both children and adults achievements regarding key competences 1 , 4, 5, 7 and 8 (COM 2006/962/EC ). Consequently, adults’ trainers must be able of understanding the value of informal learning situations, developing skills to promote events with strategic impact on key competences. It is not enough to promote cultural events: trainers, as scaffolders of generational dialogue are called to be aware of the educational impacts of their informal activities as a way to engage adults that are normally far from formal (University, Further training) and/or non-formal (training on the job) in lifelong learning trajectories.