On June 17-25, our staff member Anna Jotyan participated in the exceptional Experiential Learning Training of Trainers program, organized by the European Outsourcing Institute Foundation (FEIO) and delivered by the International Experiential Learning Network (IELN). The training took place in Budy Głogowskie, Poland.
The scope
The program was designed based on the theoretical and practical synthesis of David Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory and Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed.
This training is the first part of a long-term project that consists of several stages:
Training of Trainers in the form of a 1-week face-to-face meeting
E-learning process through a specially dedicated online platform
Training implementations by participants on 3 levels:
Local
National
International
Evaluation in the form of a physical meeting to be implemented at the beginning of 2024
The methodologies applied in non-formal learning are based on the Experiential Learning Cycle, which integrates 4 components:
Concrete Experience
Reflective Observation
Abstract Conceptualization
Active Experimentation
Indeed, this cycle is a life-long spiral since the learner always moves up around it based on their competencies.
A trainer is first and foremost a learner!
During the training, the participants (non-formal education trainers coming from 8 different countries) experienced activities aimed at understanding their own learning styles, enhancing their trainer competencies and enriching their non-formal education toolbox.
The final part of the training was dedicated to the workshops delivered by the participants, with carefully designed objectives based on the local needs assessment across the countries. In frames of these sessions, together with an international team of trainers, Anna delivered a workshop on the topic of mental health and wellbeing. Then it’s time to smoothly transition into the second phase of the project.
In the end, it is worth emphasizing that Experiential Learning is not just a tool but a holistic learning journey and the learning itself. Putting it into effective use can yield powerful results: everything depends on you! :)
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