Reconciling precarious life/work times with training times

Scenario

Reconciling precarious life/work times with training times

The Learning Challenge – Narative

The need to reconcile training with individuals’ commitment to work and family life management should not be underestimated in the construction of adult education pathways. It is easier to make mistakes when working under pressure, which is perceived by the difficulty of reconciling work and private commitments. An adult who is satisfied with the distribution of his or her time and the balance that exists between his or her personal and professional life will perceive a satisfaction in family ties and a feeling of serenity with respect to the time he or she spends with people that are meaningful to him or her. The same satisfaction will be perceived on an interpersonal level, especially in the bond with friends, which will be of quality.

Solving the Problem: Activities for Learning Groups

Title of activity

Meaningful learning

Working on the activity – Suggestions

Meaningful learning is a type of learning that aims to give meaning to knowledge, with the aim of integrating new information with that already possessed and using the new complex in different contexts and situations. Through this process knowledge is transformed into competences.

Title of activity

Practical activities

Working on the activity – Suggestions

The simulation of a complex situation, in which it is asked to play – sometimes through real dramatizations – key roles in order to reach its understanding and/or simplification.
The project work, which requires the development of a strategy to achieve concrete objectives.
Brainstorming, which can be applied alone or as part of other activities and interventions and is functional to the creative generation of ideas and solutions.

Title of activity

Stimulating questions

Working on the activity – Suggestions

On the sphere “work” and on the sphere “personal growth” some examples of stimulating questions are proposed, because these spheres are better suited to the design of subsequent learning and training paths to which the individual adult may decide to submit himself. With regard to work, questions can be asked about the degree of satisfaction, how much the work carried out respects and enhances one’s potential, how much pleasure one feels in carrying out one’s professional activity. With regard to personal growth, it is possible to ask oneself whether it is possible to follow training courses, to read about self improvement, to compare oneself with others in order to become more suitable.

Solving the Problem: Self-reflection (educator’s reflection)

Reflecting on the Problem Sloving measures taken to overcome the challenge
Adult education practitioners are called to work to develop an action plan for improving the skills of the adult in training. The action plan should be structured taking into account the person’s preferred learning style and constraints on the time available, the financial resources available to pay for the training and the accessible formal offer.

Reflecting on the changes in the group dynamics

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Reflecting on personal change
The adult could focus on the various spheres that contribute to a person’s psycho-physical well-being: the environment, physical well-being, psychological well-being, work, family, personal growth, finances, friends. These areas could be investigated with appropriate stimulus questions, which aim to provide answers on what can be considered satisfactory and what needs to be reviewed and designed.

Points for Discussion with your Organisation

Lifelong learning allows for the development of professional skills, which can be used immediately in work contexts, in organisational contexts and in more general life situations. In particular, it is necessary to reverse the traditional teaching/learning scheme: the classroom is no longer a place where notions can be transferred but a space for work and discussion among peers. In the management of an ideal training course the adult education expert provides all the materials useful for the autonomous exploration of the subject of study.

Suggested Training Course available online