The seminar entitled “Go new ways – use new methods effectively in education work” saw delegates responsible for education in EZA member organisations from nine countries gather at the Nell-Breuning-Haus in Herzogenrath/Germany in late June 2017.
The course first addressed theoretical foundations for education, its historical development, sense and purpose, stakeholders and forms. An overview was given with the aid of social scientist Prof. Ulrich Deller from the Catholic University of Applied Sciences of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the seminar also took a special look at the changes in learning and teaching caused by the Internet and smartphone. Both in learning and teaching, these new technologies expand the possibilities in formal education (school/university), in non-formal (extra-curricular) and also informal (individual, unguided) education.
The workshop part of the course with the Head of the Academy for Scientific Further Education at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Ilona Matheis M.A., dealt with creating education measures in such a way that the course content interrelates well and is designed in such a way that acquired knowledge can subsequently be used and applied effectively. Given the specific conditions of European seminars with different languages, origins of participants and learning needs, this requires particular attention. The course also presented activating methods and techniques that can bring about new dynamics for learning and apply this easily in European education activities, too.
In a planning simulation, the participants were also able to contribute their own seminar projects with content, programmes and aims, and to select appropriate methods. The plans presented were then discussed with the expert, and further suggestions put forward.
In the seminar it became clear that it is often possible to trial innovations and apply activating methods without having to completely ditch seminar concepts tried and tested for this purpose.
Other learning topics EZA is looking at for its range of courses will be the question of participant profiles and acquiring seminar-goers, as well as moderator training.