department of adult continuing education university of wales swansea an educator of adults ‘an...

Department of Adult Continuing EducationUniversity of Wales Swansea

An Educator Of Adults

‘An individual confronted with the responsibility of becoming an educator of adults learns partly by the process of participation and partly by his own examination of that process’

Houle, 1960


Where is Wales?


WWAALLEESS

CCYYMMRRUU


Training Community Tutors

Judith James and Jean Preece


Foundation in Technology

Delivered over 20 weeks

12 hours a week

14 Community Centres


The Course History

1989 Women in

Technology (WIT)

Women returners

school hours & holidays, childcare support

Included men redundant

from pit closures &steel works


Course Ethos“Begin at the beginning…”

Friendly, flexible, non-threatening

teaching

Mutual trust and tolerance

Interactive style of teaching reduces distance and builds trust


Course ContentICT

Word Processing

Spread- sheets

Database File Management

PowerPoint Basic Concepts

Internet E-mail

ECDL


Personal Development

Daily diaryConfidence building

Job applicationskills

Presentationskills

CV writing

Course includes


Project

Students produce a project using all their new ICT skills

Topic - students choice i.e. football, coping with diabetes, history of the Lipizzaner, travel etc.

Experience in researching and information skills


Provision in the Community

“Learning contributes to social cohesion and fosters a sense of belonging, responsibility and identity. In communities affected by rapid economic change and industrial restructuring, learning builds local capacity to this change.”

‘The Learning Age’ DfEE 1998


Community Centres


Areas of deprivation(coal mines closed)

Community PartnershipCommunity centres of education and training located in:

Isolated rural communitiesUrban communities

suffering social exclusion


Why We Developed Community Tutors

The course was attracting a large number of students who had not been successful in main stream education

Feedback revealed that students felt that “tutors came from a different world”


Student Profile: educational participation

female male

First education or training since leaving school 38% 43%

Undertook further study 66% 57%

Gained paid employment 51% 27%


» sessions on the course identified IT Tutors as a possible new career“

Dace developed more courses in new locations

Successful students sought

progression routes

Guidance identified ICT Tutors as a

possible career

Why We Developed Community Tutors


Criteria for Community Tutors

motivating

patience

empathyenthusiasm

encouraging


How We Developed Community Tutors

“Having found this new world of computers to be totally captivating, and amazed with what one is able to achieve with a computer, …… ….I felt I had found this new career path I had been looking for. This was to pursue a new career in teaching other adults how to use computers”

Stephanie


How We Developed Community Tutors

They were invited to work along side existing tutors as paid assistants for the duration of the complete 5 month course


“I used to joke with my FIT tutor, that if ever she got tired of her job would she please let me know.”

Brenda


Local recruiters“There weren’t many people in the village who escaped my clutches”.

Nannette FIT

Advantages of Using Local Community Tutors


Empathy with students

“As a tutor who has been an adult learner, I have a better understanding of where my students are coming from, and some of the fears they have.”

Alison

“Having been an adult learner, it gives me an insight and empathy with people…I understand their responsibilities, their fears and issues.”

Karen



Wide range of life experience

Here I was for the first time ever, redundant at the grand old age of 49 and awaiting surgery to have 2 replacement knee joints and no obvious job prospects for the future, not a very good year

Peter



Tutor TrainingPractical and Theoretical

All tutors have completed the course themselves

Potential tutors work as a trainee alongside an experienced tutor

Study for formal teaching qualifications Further and Adult Education Teaching Certificate (FAETC)


My FIT tutor was inspirational she instilled in me a sense of the high standard that the course required as well as giving me the confidence to do it, she has a very good sense of humour and her story telling is legendary…..

Mary


Tutor TrainingAccreditation of Associate Tutors

Originally University required computing degree

Extensive negotiations

European Computer Driving Licence

Successful completion of FIT course

Further & Adult Education Teaching Certificate


Training Community Tutors

Judith James and Jean Preece

department of adult continuing education university of wales swansea an educator of adults ‘an...

Documents

trust slide

social exclusion slide

jean preece slide

different world slide

main stream education

community learning

course history

information skills