September 6th-10th is National Adult Learners Week www.adultlearnersweek.co.nz including International Literacy Day on the 8th. ALW and ILD are UNESCO initiatives which mean we can expect signs of life in adult learning in countries UNESCO is active in. Today I met with withered remains of the ACE network to discuss how we would promote this week. I say withered as we have gone from 26 members to 3 as a result of the National Government's cuts last year.
As an adult learner I need to be stimulated, stretched and challenged in my learning, already this course is providing these 3 in spades, unlike a literacy and numeracy course I have recently finished where I found myself moving to the role of a 'naughty student' disruptive, noisy, and overyly contributing.
When thinking about national Adult Learners Week and perhaps the results of the Goverment's chainsaw action far fewer adults will be stretched, stimulated and challenged, oh and we rarely have the type I was for a little while (then I started to behave myself, ie grew up.
Jane
ReplyDeleteI am saddened by your account of your ACE network. I likewise as a Polytechnic staff memebr have been part of a vibrant ACE network in Dunedin, helped organise the 2004 Conference (and was once nominated by my TaiChi teacher as an adult learner of the year!!!) Now I find it so prescriptive and so few people are able to access the funds. Yet at another level things are go- the Professional development work with the support of Ako Aotearoa seems great and the online ACE support page that comes to me is full of useful tips and opportunities. I wonder if we simply hang on in, look for alternative sources of funding etc we may revive some??