During the transnational meeting of Transform Me in Lecce, the partners learned about theories and practical methodologies of adult education, to turn adult learners into transformational learners.

How to implement transformational learning in adult education?

The partners of the project Transform Me, from adult education organizations of Turkey, Slovenia, and Slovakia, met in Lecce (Apulia, Southern Italy) for the second transnational project meeting, hosted by the Italian partner EduVita, an adult education and lifelong learning center.

These days, EduVita shared its expertise in transformational learning and adult education, both from a theoretical and practical perspective, in order to explore how to implement transformational learning with adult learners through different non-formal tools.

The meeting started with a session about the differences between pedagogy and andragogy, focusing on the specific characteristics, and challenges of adult education.

Creative getting-to-know, brainstorming, collaborative group work, reflection: EduVita shared the practical tools they use in their daily work to involve adult learners in effective and engaging learning. Therefore, the project partners experienced the non-formal education methodologies as well as experiential and active learning as approaches to engage adult learners in interactive and participative learning experiences.

Later, the partners learned about intergenerational learning and discussed how it can be useful for transformational learning, using Dixit cards as triggers for the debate.

The session ended with an interactive walking tour around Lecce, to learn more about the cultural heritage of the town through educational trivia games. During this activity, the partners experienced how excursions and cultural tours can become tools to activate local adult people.

On the second day, after exploring the local cultural heritage at the Must - Historical Museum of Lecce, the team attended a lecture about transformational learning at the Faculty of Pedagogy of the local university. Professor Piergiuseppe Ellerani and researcher Mara De Blasi facilitated workshops about the models of adult learning and transformational learning, to explore how to put this approach into practice in adult education.

The third day was about getting to know the cultural and natural heritage of Salento, a cultural and geographical area of Apulia, in Southern Italy. The project partners traveled to Otranto and the Bauxite Cave, where they discovered and enjoyed the natural and historical beauty of this coastal area.

Transform Me: Developing Social Inclusion of Adults as Transformational Learners is an Erasmus+ KA2 project coordinated by Guzelbahce Halk Egitimi Merkezi Mudurlugu (Turkey), in partnership with Topcoach (Slovakia), Vedoma (Slovenia), and EduVita (Italy).