Guiding Principles of Interactive Adult Learning in Ukraine
This is an unofficial English translation. The authentic text of the Guiding Principles is the Ukrainian one, and it prevails in the event of any discrepancy. Signing takes place in Ukrainian.
Introduction
In the twenty-first century, adult education has become one of the key instruments of change — for the individual, for communities and for society as a whole. In Ukraine, living through large-scale transformation and challenge, adult learning takes on particular importance for recovery, for cohesion, for professional adaptation and for civic participation.
Research of recent years* looks, among other things, at how approaches to learning are changing and at how external factors (COVID-19 or the war, for example) affect the methods used to pass on knowledge and build skills in adults. Researchers stress that content must be adaptive and practically oriented, and that e-learning increases an organisation’s overall capacity to adapt to change. Researchers also study gamified methods (quests, games and the like) and conclude that these are highly effective both for acquiring knowledge and for motivation, that they draw positive feedback from participants, and that those who learn this way broaden their knowledge considerably and outperform those taught through traditional lectures.
Yet approaches to adult learning in Ukraine today often differ widely, notions of effectiveness are blurred, and everyone has their own idea of what quality standards are. We recognise the need for a shared understanding of what quality, effective, interactive adult learning should be. By interactive learning we mean, above all, learning through dialogue, in which there is active interaction between the person leading the learning and the participants and — more importantly — among the participants themselves.
Purpose
This document sets out to formulate a shared vision of quality, substantive and interactive adult learning. It defines the key principles that should guide the planning, delivery and evaluation of learning events. It serves as a reference point for everyone involved in interactive adult learning, and as a basis for a culture of interaction among all parties to the learning process.
Who this document is for
This document is addressed to:
- those who lead learning (as trainers, facilitators, moderators and so on);
- organisations that deliver or commission learning;
- donors, state institutions and initiatives that support the development of adult learning.
Core principles of interactive adult learning
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Active interaction
Learning should combine different formats — individual and group, practical and reflective, synchronous and asynchronous. The choice of methods should match the purpose of the learning and what participants are able to do. A lecture is only one instrument among many, not the basis of the learning process: what matters is creating the conditions for active participation, for the exchange of experience and for everyone to be drawn in.
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Co-creation, transparent planning and flexibility
Effective adult learning is a process of collaboration between those who lead the learning, the participants, the organisers and those who commission it. Every party shapes the result.
It matters that organisers and commissioners take part in planning and shaping the topics, and that they listen to those who lead the learning — who command the methodology, understand how learning is built and select the methods that work best. At the same time, those who design a learning event must consult the organisers, give them the plan in good time and take their vision and expectations into account. This is what makes learning both well prepared and genuinely useful for everyone taking part.
A learning programme should be clearly structured yet flexible enough to adapt to the group, to the way events unfold and to unexpected challenges.
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Relevance and practicality
Learning programmes should answer participants’ real needs, context and challenges. Expected results should be formulated not merely as “being informed”, but as the development of specific skills, attitudes and changes in behaviour. Learning should enable participants to act, to change things and to apply knowledge in life.
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Respect for experience
Every adult comes to learning with their own history, knowledge and identity. That experience is a valuable resource, to be acknowledged, integrated and drawn on throughout the learning.
The peer-to-peer principle applies at every stage of learning. It is about respect between those who lead the learning and the participants, respect for their experience and respect for the space. Adults learn better when they feel equal to those leading the learning and feel respected.
The peer-to-peer principle of respect should also govern how those who lead learning work with one another. Their interaction shapes both the process and the result. They share one aim and carry equal responsibility for what they produce together.
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Reflection and feedback
Development comes through making sense of one’s own experience, continually. Reflection, the exchange of views and honest feedback should therefore run throughout the learning process. Learning is worth supporting not only before the event but after it — through practice, mentoring and follow-up.
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A safe and inclusive environment
Taking part in learning is possible only where there is physical and psychological safety, respect, acceptance of diversity and accessibility. Those who lead learning should use correct language, free of stereotypes, prejudice and sexism. Their language should be plain and accessible to everyone. Where terminology needs explaining, it is worth setting time aside for that.
It is important to take account of the current context of those we teach — cultural, historical, mental, psychological, economic and so on. Doing so helps knowledge and skills take root in a safe, human-centred environment and prevents additional stress for the group.
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Professionalism of those who lead learning
Those who lead learning should have the relevant professional preparation, should command the methods of interactive adult learning, and should keep developing and improving their skills. Their work is not only about passing on knowledge but also about facilitating a process of development. The interaction between them, and their shared view of the process, matter too.
Those who lead learning can and should bring in expert practitioners and experienced specialists on topics within their competence, to help pass on experience as effectively as possible.
Competence also means responsible, timely and substantive preparation for the learning. Those who lead learning, the organisers and those who commission it should all be aware that preparation takes proper time and cannot be done at short notice. Delivering learning without proper preparation debases and discredits the very idea of quality, substantive, interactive adult learning.
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Purposefulness
Working with participants’ expectations is a shared responsibility of those who commission the learning and those who lead it — everyone should be aware of the intended end result. Those who lead learning should understand why the learning is being held and what results are to be achieved, and should help participants form and voice goals of their own. They should also manage the situation where a participant’s goal does not match the goal or the topic of the learning, which prevents the sense of time wasted and dissatisfaction with the result.
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Measuring results
The effectiveness of learning programmes should be assessed not only by how satisfied participants are, but by the changes that follow: new knowledge, skills formed, transformed attitudes and behaviour. Particular attention should go to assessing the impact of learning — on the work of teams, on civic activity, on the capacity to collaborate and to support others, on stronger ties within communities and on change put into practice locally. This can be done through surveys, self-assessment, focus groups and the like — immediately after the learning and again later, to assess the long-term effect.
We should be conscious that no learning can achieve 100% of its intended results. Our aim is to move adults towards seeking knowledge further and towards development, rather than to pursue a notional perfectionism.
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Ethics
The format of an event should assume that participants take part voluntarily and are aware of their own need to learn. Organisers should create or underline these preconditions through transparent information about the purpose, the expected results and the practical value of the learning for participants. Respect, equality, a safe space and inclusion should be fundamental to how everyone in the learning process interacts.
Those who lead learning should not only hold to high ethical standards but, by their own example, inspire other specialists in interactive adult learning to strive for competence, humanity and respect for participants.
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Care and pacing
Interactive learning should take account of the load, the pace, the energy of the group and the needs of each participant, as well as external factors that can impair participants’ cognitive capacity. Time should be planned both for work and for participants to recover, and for building interaction within the group — coffee breaks, energisers, excursions and so on.
It is important to make room for free time, so that participants can build their connections during the learning and after it.
How it can be used
These guiding principles can be used as an ethical and methodological basis:
- for designing and delivering interactive learning for adults;
- as an annex to grant applications or to tender requirements for adult learning;
- when organisations that deliver adult learning set their internal standards.
Revision of the provisions
The document is a living one and its provisions are open to revision, which should be initiated by those working in adult learning in response to changes in society, to new challenges and to new practice.
An invitation to join
We are open to other organisations, communities and initiatives adopting the principles of this document. To join, contact the organisers (contact@dobradolja.education).
The document is open for signature
The Guiding Principles are signed online. Organisations, communities and initiatives that share these approaches are welcome to join.