Adult education workshopAnnual conference

22 September 2015

Welcome!

• The current picture for adult education in Erasmus+

• Focussing on dissemination activities and practices

• Showcasing a current project• Discussing and sharing ideas on

dissemination

This session is all about…

• A space for different types of learning• How has Adult education responded to

changes in the programme? • Identifying the trends• Looking beyond Europe• Engaging with other fields of learning

The picture so far…

2014 2015Budget available (€) 4,359,768 4,353,446

No. of applications 134 126

No. of projects supported 26 29

Success rate 19% 23%

Adult education - overview

• Sector Consultative Group for Adult education

• Transnational Cooperation Activities • Eplatform for Adult Learning in Europe

(EPALE)• European Agenda for Adult Learning• Working with key stakeholders

Complementary activities

• To encourage more and better quality dissemination

• To share approaches to dissemination and highlight good practice

• To support organisations in dissemination activities

• To take advantage of an integrated programme in disseminating results across fields

Improving impact through dissemination

Guest speaker presentation

VALMOPRISDissemination

Kirsten SamsManager, Prisoner Learning and Skills

VALMOPRIS

• Validation of informal learning in a prison context

• Training prison teaching staff in validation of informal learning

• Produce a toolkit for validation of informal learning

• Link to and build on other relevant initiatives in field of recognition of informal learning

Dissemination Plan

Core element of the project• Project sponsored by European Prison Education

Association• Involves partners influential in their domestic

criminal justice settings• Evaluation – key to communicating the message• Involves end users – prison teaching staff• Incorporates feedback from prison learners

DisseminationDissemination Models

Dissemination

Dissemination Models

Dissemination

Key Stages• Target Audiences• Articulation of Key Messages• Objectives• Dissemination Methods• Resources and Funding Available• Timeline• Assignment of Tasks

Dissemination

• AudienceWho will find the project interesting/valuable?Which organisations might be able to incorporate the learning/practice into their future policies or future research?Who can take the learning and turn it into practice?What kind of reporting does each audience require? How is it best to reach them?

Valmopris - Audiences

• EPEA members• National Prison Services• Policy makers• Researchers• Prison teachers• Prisoners/Learners• Other adult education organisations

VALMOPRIS Audiences

• EPEA – http://epea.org/• Europris - http://www.europris.org/• Prisoners Education Trust • Prisoner Learning Alliance• SPS• SCCJR• Journal of Prison Education and Re-entry https

://jper.uib.no/• Inside Times/ STIR

Dissemination

• The User VoiceSince desistance is about discovering agency, interventions need to encourage and respect self-determination; this means working with offenders not on them

(McCulloch, 2005; McNeill, 2006).

STIR

Learner Voice - STIR

High quality prison magazineChallenges prisoners to stretch themselves – aim highDevelops a range of skills – introduces “agency”Makes public aware of positive work that happens in prisonsRaises awareness among prisoners of arts projects in the community/ supports transitionEncourages dialogue between prisoners and the wider society

Dissemination

Dissemination

• Articulation of Key Messages

– Value of informal learning in prison settings– Links with desistance theory– Importance of creativity and the arts– Importance of prisons as whole learning environments– Prison culture – moral performance– Pro-social identities/ asset based approach– Need to build the professional profile for prison teachers

Dissemination

• Objectives - NCL– To protect a varied prison curriculum– To resist the drive towards accreditation of low level

skills as the focus for prison education– To protect a tradition of a liberal arts education with

an emphasis on creativity and cross curricular working– To help develop skills of prison teachers– To build prisoners self confidence and encourage

engagement in learning

Dissemination

Dissemination

• Objectives - Project– To reach and influence the relevant audiences– To promote good practice– To influence policy– To support prison teaching staff– To raise awareness of prison education and its

importance– To develop new approaches to assessing the

impact of prison education

Dissemination

• Dissemination Methods– Website– Twitter– Policy Reports– Academic Papers– Workshops/Conferences– Film/Animation– Membership of Networks and Forums

Dissemination

• Resources and Funding Available– Ensure sufficient attention is paid to this in context

of the project budget– Look at potential to use already existing events

and networks to promote the project– Concentrate on targeting organisations with the

greatest reach – influencers

Dissemination

• Timeline/Assignment of TasksPartner Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q81 Project

LaunchEstablish Project Website and Twitter Account

Article in STIR

Article in Scottish Justice Matters

Publication of Final Report

2 3 Article in

EuroPris Newsletter

4 5 Article for

EPEA Newsletter

6 EPEA Conference

Dissemination

• Conclusions– Important to consider at the outset– Compile a list of target audiences– Compile a list of events/conferences which will be

interested in the outcome of your project– Target academic and policy publications with the

outcomes of your research– Consider the potential for evaluation to impact on

dissemination – academic evaluator?

Breakout session

Conclusions

Thank you!

Enjoy the remainder of the conference.