Please find 29 slides of the presentation by Michael Kenny, Department of Adult & Community Education, Maynooth University, to the Adult Literacy and Community Educators Joint Conference November 2019 Galway Ireland.

1. Roinn Oideachais
Aosaigh agus Pobail
Department of Adult
and Community
Education
Collaborative Conference
ALOA and CEFA
21st November 2019
Galway Bay Hotel, Galway.

2. Maynooth
University?
Department of Adult and Community Education

3. Partnership

4. Empowering Adult
Learners Through
Digital Literacy
By ALOA
21/09/2016
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

6. Department of Adult
& Community
Education
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=73&v=j9SlZo4BHCo

7. Why I am here …
• Kenny, Michael (2019) Informal Learning - oxygen of a
lifelong learning society. EPALE (Electronic Platform for
Adult Learning in Europe). 12/07/2019,
• http://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/11685/ English
original, Document available also
in: DE EL ET IT HU CS SK. Keywords: Validation of Prior
Learning, Education, Adult Education, Nonformal,
Informal.
• AEGO
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

8. Activity
• Step 1:
–a. Find a colleague who was
born in the same month as
you?
–b. Write in your names
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

9. Activity
• Step 2:
–c. If ALO find a CEF / If CEF find
an ALO
–d. Add their Name and Month
of birth
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

10. Activity
• Step 3: Complete the back ….
• Step 4: Place in the bag for
selection
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

11. Opening
Danger that the attempt to define
the field of education and learning
… an attempt to control and
dominate the discipline
(Murray, 2014: 105-106).
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

12. Define
… different learning environments are
often defined as formal, non-formal
and informal, and these definitions are
recognised and utilised by the
European Commission (2003)
The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training
(CEDEFOP, 2015)
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

13. Define
• Formal Education - institutionalized, intentional
and planned through recognised public and
private bodies - recognised as such by the
relevant national education authorities or
equivalent authorities (Source: UIS 2012).
• Formal learning refers to a type of learning
programme in which the goals and objectives
are defined by recognised public and private
bodies.
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

14. • Non-formal Education - an addition, alternative and/or
complement to formal education - does not necessarily
apply a continuous pathway - may be short in duration
and/or low-intensity - mostly leads to qualifications that are
not recognised as formal or equivalent to formal
qualifications or to no qualifications at all. (Source: UIS 2012)
• Non-formal Learning includes various
structured learning situations which do not either have the
level of curriculum, syllabus, accreditation, and
certification associated with 'formal learning', but have more
structure than that associated with 'informal learning.
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA
Define

15. • Informal Education consists of an accidental and
purposeful ways of collaborating on new information -
which typically takes place naturally and spontaneously -
can be discussion based and focuses on bridging the
gaps between traditional classroom settings and life
outside of the classroom.
• Informal Learning resulting from daily activities related
to work, family or leisure - not organised or structured in
terms of objectives, time or learning support - in most
cases unintentional.
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA
Define

16. • ‘Informal learning is a more popular choice than
formal or non-formal educational activities,’ and
reported that over 60% of Irish people aged 25-
64 participated in informal education. (CSO 2017
Adult Education Survey Report)
• The trends across Europe are similar with a
60.5% participation rate across the EU28 (Adult
Education Survey 2016).
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA
The importance of informal learning

17. 60.5% participation rate across the
EU28
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

18. Adult Learner Journal 2018
Community education provision is ‘amongst
the most dynamic, creative and relevant
components of Adult Education in Ireland’
according to the White Paper on Adult
Education, Learning for Life
(Department of Education and Science, 2000, p. 112 in.
Assessing the Health of Community Education: The Experience of Change
from the Perspective of Community Education Practitioners
Adult Learner Journal 2018, p.50, Suzanne Kyle.)
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

19. Needs
… society experiencing increasing pressures
as a result of austerity, the ever widening
gap between rich and poor (Social Justice
Ireland, 2016), severe and disproportionate
cuts to the community sector (Harvey,
2012), and a prioritisation of skills
development over a broader view of
education as a tool for strengthening
democracy.
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

20. The Response
• … since the collapse of the Irish
economy in 2008 and the imposition
of harsh austerity measures,
community education has been
experiencing considerable
temperature fluctuations
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

21. Reality
• Community education is not and never
will be in the mainstream as it is critical of
centralised top-down structures
• An out of school alternative education is
foreign to structural hegemony
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

22. Tends
– Rise of Populism
– Mental health challenge
– Sustainability challenge
• Less sure of the future than ever before
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

23. Challenge
• Our sector has been complicit – unsustainable model
• We have reached a sustainability tippling point
• Radical responses required
• Responses can and will come from non-formal
and informal Community Education sector
• Must educate for sustainability
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

24. Educate for sustainability
2. Kenny, Michael (2019) The Power of One – A
Voice. EPALE (Electronic Platform for Adult
Learning in Europe).
11/04/2019, http://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/1
1689/ English original, Document available also
in EL DE PL HU RO and ET. Keywords: Climate
Change, Education, Adult Education, Life Skills,
Nonformal, Informal.
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

25. Challenge
• Build Soft skills among learners
• Literacies education
• Trust – Less time in the office
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

26. Want to partner with you to …
• Consolidate the status of Adult Literacy and Community
Education
• Explore Innovation
– Micro Credentials
– Digital Badges
– Personal Digital Files
• Build capacity
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA
Use this
conference to
identify ways of
partnering and
mandate ALOA
and CEFA to
proceed

27. https://www.fess.ie/categoryblog/2-uncategorised/480-postgraduate-certificate-in-
programme-design-and-validation-in-further-education-and-training-level-9
2019 Collaborative Conference ALOA and CEFA

28. Roinn Oideachais
Aosaigh agus Pobail
Department of Adult
and Community
Education
Collaborative Conference
ALOA and CEFA
21st November 2019
Galway Bay Hotel, Galway.
Thank
You

29. Thank you
https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/adult-and-community-education/our-
people/michael-kenny