Nikolai Grundtvig was an influential Danish thinker who advocated for lifelong learning opportunities for all. The document discusses Grundtvig's ideas and their influence on the development of folk high schools in Nordic countries. It also summarizes the Socrates program, the European Union's education initiative that aims to promote lifelong learning, access to education, and skills development through transnational cooperation projects. Several specific Grundtvig projects are highlighted that brought together partners from multiple European countries to develop resources and increase understanding around topics in adult education.

1. Adult Education
the pathway to the
“Europe of Knowledge”
GRUNDTVIG
- a success story -
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

2. Who was Grundtvig?
• Nikolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig (1783-1872), a
Danish clergyman and writer, is regarded as the ideological
father of popular and adult education.
• He advocated 'life enlightenment', aimed at giving each
individual, regardless of age or background, the
opportunity to learn throughout life.
• The objective of learning was twofold, to give personal
fulfillment to the individual and to ensure the active
participation of all citizens in public life.
• As a learning method, Grundtvig advocated the use of
dialogue and the spoken word.
• He further believed that teaching should be based on and
relate to real-life experiences and not abstract matters.
• These ideas inspired the creation of the Nordic folk high
schools.
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

3. Today’s challenges
• In a world of relentless change, it is
increasingly important to build up
knowledge in order to acquire useful
skills, to get a job, or simply for personal
fulfillment.
• Education today is more and more a
lifelong process.
process
• Learning and training no longer means
only what goes on in school or university,
but also in less formal environments and
at any time of life.
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

4. European
added value
• A key feature of Europe, which is often
Europe
mentioned, is its diversity.
diversity
• This is particularly true in the area of
education, where systems and practices
vary enormously from one country to
another.
• This diversity is a source of enrichment
for everyone and offers fertile ground for
innovation and the quest for quality.
quality
• Together we can be stronger and more
creative.
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

5. The objectives of
Socrates
• Socrates is Europe’s education programme and
involves around 30 European countries.
• Its main objective is precisely to build up a
Europe of knowledge and thus provide a better
response to the major challenges of this new
century:
– to promote lifelong learning,
– encourage access to education for everybody,
– help people acquire recognised qualifications and skills.
• In more specific terms, Socrates seeks to
promote language learning, and to encourage
mobility and innovation.
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

6. Everyone is concerned…!
• Socrates targets all the members of the education
community, and this truly means everybody:
– pupils during compulsory schooling, students, people
– the young and the not so young alike wishing to return to
learning;
– teachers being trained or in service;
– ancillary, administrative and managerial staff involved in
education;
– educational establishments of all types;
• but also all external interested parties:
– civil servants and decision-makers;
– local and regional authorities;
– parents’ associations;
– the social partners;
– the business sector;
– associations and NGOs.
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

7. Common priorities
• Whatever the target groups and whatever the type of
project, Socrates sets out to stress the multicultural
character of Europe as one of the cornerstones of active
citizenship.
• It supports the education of the least advantaged groups of
people.
• It endeavors to counter social exclusion and
underachievement at school.
• It promotes equal opportunities for women and men
irrespective of circumstances.
• It sets great store by the new information communication
technologies (ICT).
• It encourages the learning of the different European
languages, and innovation in education.
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

8. Cooperation
• Socrates advocates European cooperation in all areas of
education.
• This cooperation takes different forms:
– mobility (moving around Europe)
– organising joint projects
– setting up European networks (disseminating ideas and good practice)
– conducting studies and comparative analyses.
• In practice, Socrates offers people grants to study, teach,
undertake a placement or follow a training course in another
country.
• It provides support for educational establishments to organise
teaching projects and to exchange experiences. It helps
associations and NGOs in organising activities on educational
topics, etc.
• One golden rule must be respected: only activities which have a
European dimension based on transnational cooperation
may receive financial assistance.
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

9. School
in the broad sense
• Socrates targets all forums of learning
irrespective of level, ranging from nursery
school to university.
• This includes adult education, which
education
often involves more informal pathways.
pathways
• Educational establishments cannot
fulfil their mission behind closed doors and
must open up to new ideas and
practices, e.g. by building up
practices
partnerships with establishments in other
countries or working with the various
players of civil society.
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

10. GRUNDTVIG
Adult education
and other
educational
pathways
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

11. What is GRUNDTVIG?
The purpose
of this action of Socrates is
to enhance
adult education provision
by means of European co-
operation.
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

12. A policy of
lifelong learning
• The Grundtvig action is part of the European
Commission’s aim of promoting a policy of lifelong
learning, at European level as well as in each of the
participating countries.
• It comprise all levels and sectors of adult learning
(general, cultural and social).
• In addition to learning that takes place within the formal or
non-formal system, it also comprise learning that takes
place on a more informal basis, such as autonomous
basis
learning.
• The Grundtvig action addresses a great variety of subject
areas and educational providers.
• It complements and interacts with other actions within
Socrates and with other programmes, such as Leonardo
da Vinci, to cover the whole spectrum of lifelong
Vinci
learning.
learning
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

13. Aims…
• Promoting the development of concrete
products and valid results which will be
of use in several participating countries (if
possible, throughout Europe)
• Promoting European co-operation
between bodies providing adult education
• Contributing to improving the quality of
teacher training relating to persons
involved in the teaching of adults
• Furthering the debate on lifelong learning
and contributing to the dissemination of
good practice.
practice
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

14. Implementation…
• Grundtvig 1 – Transnational
cooperation projects
• Grundtvig 2 - Learning partnerships
• Grundtvig 3 - Mobility for training of
educational staff
• Grundtvig 4 - Networks
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

15. Our experience…
• We started this exciting adventure in 1998
• We’ve been as “new born babies”,
coordinating a Grundvig 1 TCP – ENVIRAE
• Even the Commission representatives at
the time, have been curious how (if…?) we
will be able to develop and to implement
the project
• We’ve been…!!!
• It was a true success: all the tasks
fulfilled, in time, with good impact and
efficient use of the money.
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

16. ENVIRAE
DEVELOPMENT OF AN ADULT
EDUCATIONAL STRUCTURE
ABLE TO PROMOTE THE
PROTECTION OF THE
ENVIRONMENT.
A “SOCRATES - ADULT EDUCATION” PROJECT
71169-CP-1-1999-RO-ADULT EDUC-ADU
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

17. Curriculum…!!!
Short courses
booklets, folders
(leaflets), posters
Adults, give a clean world to your children !!!
Methodological VIP's
Guide
seminaries
About us… advertising
clips
Exhibition
Final Report
CD-ROM TV series
(*.pdf)
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

18. Growing fast…
• In the year of 2000 we’ve been
involved in another Grundtvig 1
project:
“The Way to United Europe”
• Coordinator: St. Cyril and St.
Methodius University of Veliko
Turnovo, Bulgaria
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

19. Outcomes of the
“Way to United Europe”
• better understanding of how the idea of a United
Europe emerged and what the European Union
is;
• the development of a sense of shared European
identity;
• knowledge of individual European cultures;
• higher educational standards and more
opportunities for professional fulfillment for the
two target fgroups;
• CD‑ROM materials with multimedia information
on all partner countries;
• a website;
• 15 trained adult learners;
• 15 2009 trained specialised teachers;
July 10,
fully G & D Chirlesan

20. 2001: a fruitful year…
• Two Grundtvig 1 TCP approved…!
• Both of them going deep inside the
background of Adult Education,
addressing ambitious aims
• Large partnerships, generous
budgets, “high level” outcomes
• Difficult tasks, “time-consuming”
management
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

21. EUPECO
• European Pedagogical College
in Adult Education and Training
• 90403-CP-1-2001-RO-GRUNDTVIG-G1
• 50387-IC-4-2000-1-RO-ERASMUS-
EPS-1
• General Aim: To develop an adult
education structure which to be able
to provide a Diploma with European
Recognition in ADULT Pedagogy.
Pedagogy
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

22. The Building…
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

23. ECTS in LLL
• ECTS-LLL - European methodology
for accreditation of prior experiential
learning in Lifelong Learning
• 90642-CP-1-2001-1-UK
GRUNDTVIG-G1
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

24. General Objectives…
 The promotion of adults individual demand for
lifelong learning through the recognition of
skills and accreditation of prior experience and
learning.
 Improving the supply of lifelong learning
appropriate to the necessary expansion of
continuing education & training.
 The development and testing of a flexible
accreditation and certification system based on
the European Credit Transfer System [ECTS]
for lifelong learning.
 Development of appropriate documentation
and training resources.
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

25. AGREED OUTPUTS (1) …
No. OUTPUTS TARGET GROUPS
1. A developed Policy makers in order to shape policy at both
methodology for European and National Levels
the recognition of
skills and
accreditation of prior
experiential learning.
2. A validated set of A Community of Practice comprising:
tools & procedures Adult Education providers (formal, non-
for 4 professional formal and informal);
profile areas (Law, Universities carrying out research and
Management of curriculum development and providing
Schools, Nursing and educational opportunities for adult learners;
Computer
all users;
Technology)
3. A scientific Universities carrying out research and
evaluation of the curriculum development;
process of piloting Adult Education providers (formal).
across the The wider scientific community.
partnership
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

26. AGREED OUTPUTS (2)…
No. OUTPUTS TARGET GROUPS
4. Web-based Users and providers linked to the partners and
training also for an ECTS-LLL network to be
resources for an established after the end of the project to
ECTS-LLL network assure sustainability.
5. A final report European Commission and SOCRATES
National Agencies.
Governments and agencies of European
Countries.
Potential members of the proposed ECTS-LLL
network.
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

27. Another one…
Adult Learning in Environment
Related Themes
– phase 2 (ALERT-2)
•101067-CP-1-2002-1-UK –
GRUNDTVIG-G1
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

28. Outcomes…
• a summary document setting out the
environmental issues faced by Europeans
and the citizen’s role
• materials describing practical actions to
reduce household environmental impacts and
costs, in a pictorial form;
• an advice resource highlighting national
differences which enables learners to act as
mentors for others
• information for adult education tutors,
community workers, journalists and others to
enable and encourage them to use outputs 1-3.
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

29. Community Centres promoting
Sustainable Living
• The proposed three-year project aims to
initiate, in each participating country,
community centres that bring together the
synergistic efforts of formal educational
institutions, NGOs, local councils and
adults to promote sustainable living in
their respective communities.
• This will be achieved by exploring specific
community needs and by designing
programmes that respond to these
requirements.
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

30. SOCRTAES /
Grundtvig 2 project
Modern Evaluation Tools
For Adult Education And
Training
[MODETA]
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

31. General objectives…
• To put in common the actual knowledge and
experience of different European countries, in
adult evaluation.
• To improve the existing background related to
adults evaluation (methods, techniques, tools).
• To develop and to offer modern learning
materials for the teachers/trainers/educators in
the field of adults evaluation.
• To share new didactic and pedagogical
approaches in adult education.
• To produce a set of evaluation instruments for
adult education.
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan

32. What we actually
achieved…?
• European spirit & dimension…
• European added value …
• European partnerships and networks
• European inputs in our education
• European quality and standards…
• European vision…
• European FRIENDS…
FRIENDS
EUROPE IN OUR HEART AND MIND !!!
July 10, 2009 G & D Chirlesan