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Compall

Winter School 2018

23.02.2018

The Winter School 2018 just finished!

Press release: Sustainable discourses on lifelong learning raise in lower Franconia

In February 2018 along with the first days of sunshine, Würzburg raised particular attention in the worldwide discourse on lifelong learning. Over 60 motivated graduate students and doctoral candidates from 15 countries, such as Italy, Nigeria, Portugal, USA, Ghana, India and Spain, participated in the 5th International Winter School “Comparative Studies in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning“ from 5th until 16th of February 2018. The intense programme was hosted by the Professorship for Adult and Continuing Education of the Julius-Maximilian-University of Würzburg as part of the ERASMUS+ Strategic Partnership COMPALL.

After an intense online preparatory phase that included online tutorials and authoring a transnational essay, the students met highly motivated in Würzburg for the first time. The two weeks programme was aiming to deepen the students’ understanding and knowledge on different aspects of Adult Education and Lifelong Learning. Therefore, proven experts from universities all over Europe were invited to teach and support the students in their learning.

In the first week, different well-founded theories and approaches to European and International Lifelong Learning strategies as well as Policies in Lifelong Learning were introduced and discussed. Field visits to established local institutions of adult and continuing education e.g. to DB Training, the Volkshochschule Aschaffenburg, the Rudolf-Alexander-Schröder-Haus, the Frankenwarte and the Continuing Medical Education at University Würzburg Hospital, enabled the participants to reflect on the practical application of the learned strategies.

In the second week, the students were split into ten different comparative groups. Each group focused on a specific topic in the field Lifelong Learning among selected countries. Exemplary topics were “Innovative Teaching Methods”, moderated by Dr. Simeon-Fayomi from Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria; and “Adult education, Lifelong Learning and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”, moderated by Prof. Nemeth from the University of Pécs, Hungary, Prof. Orlovic from the University of Belgrade, Serbia and Prof. h.c. mult. Carlsen, former director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. After four days of intensive group work, the results were presented in a highly interested and engaged plenum on the last day.

The lasting intercultural exchange, which was present during the comparative group work as well as during the cultural activities, field trips and free time made the 2018 Winter School a great value and success for all engaged participants. The programme succeeded once more not only in forming a strong partnership on a professional level but also in providing an intense and common ground for students who find themselves encouraged to create their own networks and thus promote sustainable international cooperation and relationships.

Our Italian colleagues from Florence University have elaborated on the Winter School on EPALE: https://ec.europa.eu/epale/en/content/international-winter-school-comparative-studies-adult-and-lifelong-learning-compall

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