Education Information

numeracy in working class communities).

- Making learning student centred, participative and active.

- Supporting learners who may be uncertain about the learning process (both real world and online).

- Helping participants to bring their own lived experience to the training environment and giving them a voice and respect often not available elsewhere.

- Structuring learning so that everyone participates and all voices are heard.

- Allowing for collaborative learning with the exchange and debate of ideas and solutions.

- Building in checks on learning so the tutor can ensure that all participants reach the desired level of learning.

- The development of creative learning environments that stimulate and engage.

- Accrediting and validating learning for learners (often for many union reps the first “qualifications” they have been awarded).

What can the future look like?

Whilst there is still lots to be learnt, Trade Union educators have developed expertise and understanding of how to implement successful online learning and development programmes. There is a demand from some learners for the availability of online learning to continue – often for reasons of access. There is also a demand from other learners for a full return of face to face learning. There has never been a better time for Trade Union educators to map out what a blended approach to learning and development should look like. In order to do this we need to further develop how we share ideas about delivering the best learning experiences for our learners.

Some areas for further discussion include:

1. What is the experience of the different online platforms and which features do educators value the most?

2. What models of blended learning have unions tried and which ones are working the best?

3. What other models could we explore, e.g. tutorial-based online learning, Sugarta Mitra's self-organised learning environments

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