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Danube Bridge Breakfast on the Herdbridge in Ulm/Neu-Ulm

ILEU

Margaret Bridge in Budapest

Pixabay

Cobblers' Bridge or Shoemakers' Bridge (Slovenia)

Vida Vilhar Pobegajlo

Methods

On this page, you will find descriptions for proven and tested pedagogical methods that can be applied in various contexts. The partners of BBE have applied these methods in European projects with the aim of fostering and supporting European awareness, critical thinking and the reduction of prejudices.

Name
Type
Keywords
Applied in projects

Rayna Koleva, Ruse, Bulgaria

Panel Discussion

The Panel Discussions stimulate analytical thinking, receiving feedback from the participants in the project, and allow all participants to express themselves. The aim is to provoke a conversation in which to present different points of view. The Panel Discussion is used to boost European identity, to develop and apply key competences and to evaluate the different aspects of active social inclusion. It helped in establishing cooperation with other organisations on local level (NGOs providing education for seniors, decision-makers of municipalities, associations representing older citizens, experts, national EU representatives and representatives of the European Commission).

Isabella Gaudiuso

Working group

It is a method that tends to form working groups of people with different opinions or with different professionalisms, who come together and work together in a coordinated manner to face and solve a problem that could not be solved individually by the individual components. The lifespan of a working group can last between a few months and several years.

Raya Staykova © ISSK-BAS

Presentation in a Real Situation

Presentation in a Real Situation is a participatory-oriented method for informing, persuading and motivating the audience about something. It trains people to debate. As an educational method the presentation is widely used by the trainers and by the participants - to present new learning material or when reporting learning outcomes (individual or in a group). In the project the method is used to help PhD students to train themselves with the help of a lecturer to learn to communicate with different social groups in a real situation, to debate on the scientific topics and to use the knowledge and skills what they have learned during training courses. It gives them skills to present specific scientific topics in different ways.

Raya Staykova © ISSK- BAS

Lecturing and workshop training

Mixed method for teaching and giving new information and knowledge with elements of participation. It has two phases: lecturing and training to do presentation imitating different audiences. Presentations are prepared with the help and directions of the lecturer. The group members debate the presentation and evaluate the achieving the aim of it.

Gabriel Bulancea

The “critique” workshop

Critical Workshop in the Arts and Humanities Within critical workshops, participants learn how to use their experience and knowledge in order to change attitudes in the Arts and Humanities. This method is relevant to those in the fields of: Performing Arts, Literature, Languages, Linguistics, Philosophy, Visual Arts, Classical Studies, Music, Religious Studies, etc. The “critique" workshop is considered a platform to both encourage the attending of theatre performance and to support their reception and their understanding through specific training activities. This critique workshop represents a tool for a qualitative survey and, at the same time, the first level of a multi-annual audience building programme. Its purpose is to promote: a) an autonomous choice of theatrical activities by young potential spectators and (b) their conscious reflection on their tastes, desires and cultural needs. The critique workshop also aims to obtain from the young participants insights useful to the renewal of the theatrical offer.

Danube Activities for Pupils

How to involve students in the transnational activities of "The Wanted Danube".

Crocheting and knitting for Europe

The idea is to crochet and knit a woollen ribbon that symbolizes a certain course or route – in our case it was the river Danube. The idea behind was to foster a common feeling of being part of the Danube community.

Getting to know each other with Danube Boxes

Getting to know each other in a creative way and thereby discovering similarities and differences is the aim of this method. The target group are people from all Danube countries, who do not know each other and who do not share a common language. The participants create a personal “Danube box” - and fill it with 3 objects that present personal symbols regarding the subject “Danube”. These boxes should give rise to time witness work and exchanges about personal experiences, attitudes and feelings.

Tablecloth Painting Action as an Ice-Breaker

The tablecloth was designed as an ice-breaker for conversations about a special region in Europe and as means of corporate identity at an big public intercultural event. Before the event, a team of volunteers painted the course of a river that unites this region – from its sringt to river delta with some indications of big towns. Every table host was equipped with such a tablecloth and coloured pens. During the event, the participants were invited to write or paint something related to this river/region (e.g. their hometown, birthplace, visited towns or regions, memories, symbols, etc.). This way the hosts as well as the participants had an easy way to “break the ice” and to get into contact.

Joint organization of an intercultural event

Joint organization of an intercultural event by various civic society organizations in a city. The aim of this action is not only to set up an event, but also to foster and connect local organizations.

Carmen Stadelhofer

Project-based Learning for Students

Project-based learning is based on the idea that students acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges and problems. Students learn about a subject by working for an extend period of time in a project (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project-based_learning).

Contemporary Witness Work

Contemporary witnesses are people who are able to give insights on historical events and traditions, since they lived during that time. Contemporary witnesses work focuses on these witnesses, and refines their experiences for the public, and in some cases, it also helps the contemporary witnesses themselves to better understand their past.

European Soirée

The European Soirée is a role-playing game in which participants present themselves as historically or contemporary important personalities with significance for Europe from his/her home country. It is the aim of the game to introduce important personalities to all participants from different countries. Important means that the person should have a significance for Europe. For one evening each participant acts and gets dressed as that famous person she/he selected. It can be a person with a political, cultural, educational, social, scientific or other background.

Emiliya Velikova, Ruse, Bulgaria

Simulation

In the simulation the participants perform a certain activity in conditions, as closely as possible to the real situation. The method is useful, where practice is required for the performance of certain tasks, and it is not possible to practice the activity concerned. The method allows participants to apply directly the learning outcomes.

Emiliya Velikova, Ruse, Bulgaria

Seminar

The method helps organizations from different countries and different spheres of activity to work together and exchange best practices in areas such as adult social inclusion and the acquisition of new cultural and / or linguistic skills through formal and non-formal education and training. The creative process of the seminar encourages creative expression of thoughts and feelings in thematic areas related to the living environment, history and cultural identity of the participants.

Emil Kyustenbekov, Ruse, Bulgaria

Mobility

As a method, mobility allows the exchange of experience, practice and methods to better understand the diverse cultural, social and economic trends in Europe as well as areas of common interest. It helps to enhance the opportunities for adults to study and work with students in other countries to promote their self-esteem and to increase their adaptability.

Yordan Kazakov, Ruse, Bulgaria

Drama Game

Drama Game is a basic learning activity. This is how students are stimulated to think and experience their individual or social problems. Older learners could learn to explore, explore, and experiment with their problems, events and relationships. Drawn by the drama, they draw their knowledge and experience of the real world.

Emiliya Velikova, Ruse, Bulgaria

Practical Training in Computer and Internet Usage

Lifelong learning of people of every age group, also old adults, is not a luxury but a social necessity. The method serves to consolidate or apply knowledge, skills and competencies in practice. It consists of deliberately carrying out certain actions and repeating them in order to form and improve one or other skills and habits. The character and the methodology of their application depend on the specific curriculum, as well as on the level of preparation and development of elderly learners.

Emiliya Velikova, Ruse, Bulgaria

Festival

The main purpose of these festivals is to improve the quality of training by enabling participants to exchange experiences, information and promote among them the contemporary understanding of European awareness, and dialogue between cultures and the generations.

Milena Popova, Ruse, Bulgaria

Story-Telling Cafés

Lifelong learning is the key to assuring that experience and competences of older people are not lost to society. The method was used to enhance the participation of older learners, intercultural and intergenerational dialogue, and to increase the participants’ creativity on the topic of the river Danube and Danube countries through telling personal stories.

Emil Kyustenbekov, Ruse, Bulgaria

Cross-national Meeting

The Cross-national Meetings (Theoretical-practical conference) are an important final organizational form in adult learning. They are of great importance for activating learners, generalizing and systematizing the mastered knowledge, skills and habits. It provides a public view of the learning outcomes. A Cross-national Meeting was used to promote European values, tolerance towards other cultures, and diversity, as well as the unity of Europe and the Danube Region during the DANET project.

Panel Discussion

Panel discussion was used to boost European identity, to develop and apply key competences and to evaluate the different aspects of active social inclusion. It helped in establishing cooperation with other organisations on local level (NGOs providing education for seniors, decision-makers of municipalities, associations representing older citizens, experts, national EU representatives and representatives of the European Commission).

Ana Zlibut, LSFTB

Exchange of cultural packages

In December 2016, the association Danube-Networkers started a small project with the purpose of finding out how people from the Danube countries celebrate Christmas and brining these people together. Christmas is a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Christians all over the world celebrate it in different ways.

Ana Zlibut, LSFTB

Elaboration of creative and literary materials

The elaboration of creative materials intends to collect of creative thoughts, which will be put in a specific material form, as a result of the individual`s aptitudes.

Peer to peer learning

With the help of the trainers, the seniors were able to get basic knowledge in coding.

Learning by doing

Just showing some concepts and explain how to do something is not enough. Seniors were asked, for example, to create a Google account by themselves or to adapt the existing code and colour an existing background from blue to yellow.

Ana Zlibut LSFTB

Critical incidents

Critical incidents are similar in design to case studies. But they are much shorter, usually a paragaraph in length.

Ana Zlibut, LSFTB

Role-playing game

The method is suitable for forming skills to adequately react to a particular situation or to understand the behaviour of other people / heroes. Each role-playing game has the following elements: a role-playing situation, a place of action, and actors (real and imaginary) who enter certain roles. (Applied Classification of training methods-Valentina Vasileva)

Ana Zlibut, LSFTB

Learning game

Learning by playing is a welcome method. Playing games is a great leisure activity enjoyed by people of all ages, moreover it motivates participants and helps them build selfconfidence, as well as social and problem-solving skills.

Slovenian Third Age University, Dušana Findeisen

Descriptive ethnographic method

Descriptive ethnographic method is a research method observing and investigating human behaviour, objects, people, relationships in a local cultural setting. It can conclude collecting personal stories, memories, life histories, etc. It is a qualitative research method. It was used in the Project Personal Town tours. In this project personal itineraries titled Between Lettuce and Plečnik (the architect), Living at the edge of Barje Marches, Between culture and friends were set up and illustrated with the stories contributed by older interviewed townspeople. Ethnographic interviewing is a type of qualitative research that combines immersive observation and directed one-on-one interviews. ... The idea is to interview users in their natural setting, while they are performing their tasks, asking them questions about what they are doing and why.

Modification of materials

It is valuable to be submitted basic structure of the course to develop, if the structure has been validated in practice, in real life. The partnership had an expertise in different reference areas, which enriched the material considerably.

Making short featured films

The method is complex, leading to the final result professionally made short featured film. Since it is a short film it demands a lot of dexterity and substantial intellectual input.

Biographical method

This method was included as part of evaluation, detection and recognition of prior learning. Another dimension is social – self-reflection which is not only related to vocational training but also to social and cultural background of participants. This method is used to analyse an individual’s history, present and future, raise his self-awareness and encourage conscious planning of future actions, has positive effect on personal development of an individual. It helps the individual to better understand the importance of events and transitions in his life, become aware of his own identity, recognise and take responsibility for his own life and take an active role in it. Focus is to collecting and analysing the different ways of acquiring knowledge and competence development in different life circumstances and different social situations in which life skills are important. This method is useful in the detection of hidden knowledge and empowerment of self-confidence, and in opening new paths in training process. In this project were used spoken and written forms of biography in combination with guided interview. On institutional level this method is very useful tool for collecting data about previous learning, and important part of process for recognition of prior learning

Shared classes with golden topic

This training process was based on activities that grow out of one common centre of interest of adult learners (called “golden topic”). The golden topic was “Old cooking recipes”. Around this topic were set three main branches of activities: ICT, literacy and English courses. In this training was also included development of another two basic skills: literacy, with reading and creative writing courses and Basic English communication skills. The methodological approach was based on four pillars: motivation, learning through acting, self-confidence and active participation of the adults all along learning process.

Training Workshop

item 7 Methods used in vocational training* applied Classification of training methods (Valentina Vassileva) The method reflects the pursuit of learning in close proximity and direct connection with practice. It is a particular form of practice-oriented learning, providing both professional knowledge and skills and key competencies. It is based on a mix of single methods combined in a certain way. The workshop combines: individual work, group work, discussion, document analysis, moderation, etc.

Project method

item 7 Methods used in vocational training* applied Classification of training methods (Valentina Vassileva) The main idea of the project method is to set up a task related to solving a real problem that needs to be performed by a group of people within a certain period of time. Learning through a project method involves practical work in the form of a purposeful, time-limited work. During the different phases of the project, participants are encouraged to accumulate various knowledge, skills and abilities. Linking learning to action in fulfilling a specific task aims at mastering professional competence, including a social one.

Presentation (with artistic means)

Presentation is a participatory-oriented method for informing, persuading and motivating. In the learning process, the presentation is widely used by the trainer and the participants - when presenting new learning material or when reporting learning outcomes (individual or group). In this specific case it helped the participants from different countries to convey content with artistic means. [Applied Classification of training methods (Valentina Vassileva)]

Mihail Georgiev, Platform AGORA

Drama game

These are role-plays, in which a certain scenario is produced in the form of a monologue, dialogue, pantomime. It is possible to play dramas on a specific text or on a scenario designed by students. The goal is to experience a particular problem or situation where emotional involvement raises real issues. After the play of dramatization, comment is made and a lesson related to reality is summed up. [applied Classification of training methods (Valentina Vassileva)]

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