Our second trend report is available for download. Its title is: Releasing the Chained Giant.
A notable aspect of adult education is its particular focus on professional skills, combined with a public discourse that categorises continuing education and professional development as a literal survival strategy for the individual and society. Against this background, the qualities of cultural education remain largely obscured, as do the potential contributions that training and education might make with regard to radical shifts such as climatic change or an ageing society.
Cultural education and processes of change
TRANSIT is therefore proposing a new emphasis within adult learning whereby cultural education is re-evaluated and its potential is also discussed in the context of professional development. In addition, TRANSIT argues that more room should be given to education focused on processes of change, particularly since our response to radical change requires a form of education that helps to solve complex problems, whether at the individual, organisational, community, social or global level.
Digitalisation
In turn, digitisation has long been a persistent topic in the sphere of continuing education. The prohibition of classroom teaching as a consequence of the Coronavirus pandemic has, however, given real impetus to the process of digitisation. This impetus is now highlighting the fact that the educational sector still needs to find an appropriate way of integrating digital technologies into its teaching and learning settings.
Once the Coronavirus pandemic is over and the restrictions on classroom teaching have been lifted, a new balance will need to be found between the digital learning platforms and face-to-face teaching. This process should also include an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of different formats. The sector must also adjust to the fact that the requirements of learners as customers – along with their habits and expectations – will have changed during the pandemic. How long these changes will last will become clear over the coming months. The impetus given to digitisation by the current crisis is not going to leave the education and training sector unmarked.
In our second trend report, TRANSIT is therefore calling for an open yet critical attitude to the adoption of digital technologies in adult education – critical, because adult learning will always, in its essence, also be a social process, a fact that has to be taken into account in the process of digital transformation.
L’étude prévoit que de nouveaux acteurs vont arriver sur le marché avec des offres de formations numériques. On peut être satisfait de cette évolution qui générera une offre encore trop faible de formation continue à distance. Cependant, on peut regretter que le rapport présente la numérisation de la formation continue avec des mises en garde sur ses dangers (terme utilisé plusieurs fois). Toute nouvelle approche (ici numérique) peut créer des craintes par rapport à ce que l’on connaît habituellement, mais ce n’est pas forcément des dangers.
Le second thème de l’étude, la formation culturelle, est intéressant dans son concept et mérite réflexion des centres de formation et au sein des entreprises. Par contre de lire dans le rapport : « la formation de la personnalité plutôt que la formation de l’utilité » ou encore « la pandémie du coronavirus a mis en évidence de façon exemplaire l’échec du système de l’économie mondiale et de l’ordre néolibéral » fait plus penser à un discours politique qu’à une réflexion.
Merci beaucoup pour vos commentaires. Nous prendrons en compte vos suggestions et vos remarques critiques dans la suite de la discussion.
Sur le thème des dangers : Nous voulions dire que chaque perspective a son côté sombre. C’est pourquoi nous réfléchissons également aux aspects problématiques des perspectives. Mais le mot “danger” n’est peut-être pas un bon mot pur cela.