Learning Objectives
After engaging with the content of this blog post and reflecting on it, readers will have had the opportunity to acquire meaningful insights into:
- Key elements related to support incorporating capacity assessments within adult education, alongside supervision, training, and tutoring;
- The fundamental aspects concerning support and adult education, supervision, tutoring, and habitats of knowledge;
- Connections between support strategies that range from capacity assessments to tutoring;
- Supportive approaches and insights, such as those associated with strategic planning, and consultative scans; and,
- Practices and viewpoints that embody the core principles of support in adult education, supervision, tutoring, and training.
Topics Covered
This blog post explores the following subject areas:
Supportive Environments in Adult Education and Training
You are likely to achieve your preferred educational and training results when supervisors, trainers, and tutors, families, and communities support you in your endeavours. This in turn, can facilitate your emotional well-being, and academic success.
There are different types of help that may be offered to you ranging from counselling, mediation, to additional support services. You can find that you flourish in learning environments that offer tailored supports.
Habitats of Knowledge and Support in Adult Education and Training
Tyack (1988) suggests that education includes knowledge drawn from all walks of life.
Combining Adult Supervision, Training, and Tutoring, and Support in Education and Training
The common element among these models is their emphasis on the development of skills, enhancement of aptitudes, and preparation for the workforce or life generally.
Helping Hands and Support in Adult Education and Training
The availability of social resources and student assistance significantly influences both learning outcomes and instructional processes (Merriam, et al. 2007). Students gain advantages from a variety of support mechanisms, which include supervision and tutoring.
Strategic Planning and Support in Adult Education and Training
Strategic planning in the realms of education and training, whether at the national, provincial, state, or local levels, frequently necessitates the establishment of coherent policies alongside the judicious allocation of resources.
Integrating Consultative Scans and Capacity Assessments, and Support in Adult Education and Training
There are varying ways to conduct capacity assessments. These assessments may gauge your needs, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in your studies. Capacity assessments often help to identify gaps and set tangible goals for learning improvement.
How to Contact Us
Supportive Environments in Adult Education and Training
Our organisation offers mediation, counselling, the arts, and various forms of support. Within the support category, we provide adult education and training opportunities. Adult education is characterised as non-formal education aimed at individuals often aged 25 and above (Cilasun, et al., 2018).
Offer of Support in Adult Education and Training
Our educational support encompasses supervision, training, and tutoring, all situated within a comprehensive framework. Our approach to supervision is solution-focused (McGhee & Stark, 2021; Stark, et al., 2016). We integrate experiential environments with our observations to promote solutions to needs derived from shared reflections and discussions.
For our purposes we define training thus, an elemental approach to optimise workers’ aptitudes and employability (Marcaletti, et al. 2022). Also, our approach to tutoring is to be guides pointing the way to a variety resources that facilitate optimal learning experiences (Felling, 1998).
Habitats of Knowledge Shape Support in Adult Education and Training
Tyack (1988, p. 33) posited that education encompasses “all habitats of knowledge.” David Tyack, an esteemed educator, mentor, and historian, passed away at the age of 85 in 2016 (Brooke, 2016). Tyacks’s death was attributed to complications from Parkinson’s disease, marking the loss of a visionary thinker and a significant figure in the field of history. Tyack welcomed new educational and historical insights and approaches. In 1996, Tyack earned the Walter J. Gores Award based upon excellent teaching performance and contributions.
Educational habitats are linked to supervision, training, and tutoring. These are processes aimed at fostering human development and growth across professional, educational, training, and personal spheres. Although each of these processes serves unique purposes and employs contrasting approaches, they exhibit numerous commonalities. These overlapping models can include the following factors.
Guidance and Support in Adult Education and Training
The supervisor, trainer, or tutor serves as a guide to help you navigate educational, training, and broadly life challenges. Through our support services we offer guidance and direction to help you achieve specific goals or improve in certain areas.
Skills Development and Support in Adult Education and Training
Each process is designed to help you develop skills, whether technical, academic, professional, or personal. The focus is on supporting you as you enhance your knowledge, competencies, and abilities.
Feedback-Oriented Support in Adult Education and Training
Supervision, training, and tutoring often rely heavily on feedback. Constructive feedback can help you to identify your strengths and areas for improvement, fostering your life-long learning journey.
Goal-Oriented Support in Adult Education and Training
Our services are structured around specific goals or objectives. Whether it’s mastering a subject in tutoring, developing professional competencies in training, or achieving work-related tasks in supervision, the focus is on achieving meaningful leaning outcomes.
Combining Adult Supervision, Training, and Tutoring
Supervision, training, and tutoring often involve a level of personalised attention to address your specific needs, strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles. This tailored approach may help maximise your study effectiveness.
The Mentorship Role And Support in Adult Education and Training
Supervisors, trainers, and tutors may take on a mentorship role, providing both professional and personal support. We offer guidance based on your experience and expertise, helping you to grow in your respective field.
Assessment and Evaluation and Support in Adult Education and Training
Regular assessments and evaluations can be critical to these processes. These activities could inform self and informal assessments to gauge your progress and to adjust your learning strategies.
Interactive and Collaborative Support in Adult Education and Training
We support you to become interactive, optimising dialogue, discussion, and shared understanding.
Anchored Approach to Support in Adult Education and Training
Although the levels of formality may differ, all three processes—supervision, training, and tutoring—can utilise informal, semi-formal, or structured methods in education and training, including the organisation of your schedule.
Focus on Empowerment and Support in Adult Education and Training
We aim to empower you to become more adaptive, confident, and capable in your area of focus. An end goal is often to enable you to perform learning tasks independently and to excel.
Establishing Regular Meetings and Support in Adult Education and Training
It is not uncommon for students to experience anxiety during meetings with their supervisor, trainer, or tutor. Wainman (2018) emphasises that distress can be alleviated through regular meetings. These may facilitate a sense of familiarity and predictability, reducing the anxiety associated with such encounters.
Supportive Hands in Adult Education and Training
You may as you engage in education or training initiatives feel vulnerable and question the effectiveness of your academic pursuits, leading you to believe that you prior learning is inadequate for entry into your field. You could encounter intense emotions and disruptions during this time. It is essential for you to cultivate both internal and external resources and to prioritise self and social care.
Holistic Support in Adult Education and Training
Holistic support can assist you in managing your physiological and emotional stress levels (Tripping, et al. 2004). Furthermore, d’Errico (2000) acknowledges the advantages of education and training related to the law. Gaining an understanding of legal principles enables you to conduct preventive legal health checks. This information may be beneficial when pursuing access to housing, financial aid for students, and different types of support through civic engagement.
Your Life Context and Support in Adult Education and Training
Your study progress is shaped by your life situation and broader cultural, social, political, psychological contexts (Jenkins, et al., 2002). Nelson (2005) referred to these broad impacts as being recognised by a ”contextualist approach”. You are not alone and you can reach out for support in education and training habitats.
Misgeld and Jardine (1989) refer to a hermeneutic perspective of education and state, “It is the bringing forth and exploring of possibilities of understanding, possible places the traversing of which brings forth a sense of self, a sense of what is possible for us (of which the instigation of technical skills may be one such possibility” (p. 269). Education and training conceived in this way provides opportunities for personal insight and growth (Misgeld & Jardine, 1989).
Optimising Active Engagement and Support in Adult Education and Training
Ultimately, Wainman (2018) encourages students to take an active role in their instruction by regularly reflecting on their progress and seeking diverse feedback. This proactive approach may help reduce anxiety and create a more supportive and productive learning environment. To explore other possible stress reducers refer to the Resiliency Toolkit.
A Prime Objective in Support in Adult Education and Training
Wainman (2018) states that the “ultimate aim of educational supervision is to support trainees through their training and ensure it runs as smoothly as possible.” This guidance is vital for students who often require ongoing support in their academic and personal development. The services we provide beyond the age 16 years, extend to various forms, including tutoring, training, and supervision, to aid your holistic development.
Our professional assistance is informed by principles in further education and training focusing on transitions and growth. This extensive assistance may include suggestions for developing an online portfolio, keeping a learning log, and acquiring feedback from multiple sources (Wainman, 2018). Such tools not only reflect academic progress, but also account for various life challenges, providing a more nuanced understanding of your learning journey.
Strategic Planning for Education and Training
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and USAID
UNESCO (2022) highlighted the importance of national educational plans for all, noting that the fundamental challenges of translating these blueprints into actionable steps. Educators and trainers may be challenged in ensuring effective learning implementation, and their potential to enhance learning outcomes. These policy and challenges remain significant concerns.
USAID (n.d.) emphasised the necessity of a comprehensive and interconnected approach to optimise local capacity. A critical starting point involves evaluating capacity across various levels to develop integrated and inclusive frameworks. Organisations are encouraged to define their own objectives and devise actionable solutions, including at the local level, to ensure the success of capacity strengthening initiatives.
Recognising Diverse Perspectives on Support in Adult Education and Training
National, provincial or state, and local governments often have varied policy considerations and legislative practices. Their diverse perspectives enhance comprehensive frameworks of understanding. As noted by Tyack (1988, p. 24) stated, “alternative ways of seeing not only draw on different kinds of evidence, but also depict different levels of social reality and so aid us in gaining a wider and more accurate perception of the past”. These different frames of reference contribute to holistic habitats of knowledge recognising the whole student and their learning contexts.
Van Manen (2003) emphasised the significance of comprehending how language may emerge from social constructs, which can vary from national to local contexts. In environments where power is present, it is probable that there will be opposition to the established social and political hierarchies (Fillingham, 1993). These elements lead to diverse and often conflicting interpretations of data and information, as well as wider perspectives on needs and priorities (van Manen, 2003).
Integrating Consultative Scans and Capacity Assessments, and Support in Adult Education and Training
Consultative scans and capacity assessments play a vital role at different levels of government from national to local. Scans and assessments are often both focused on enhancing institutional, organisational, and human capabilities to fulfill successful educational and training procedures and practices. These frameworks generally aim to identify the necessary tools and resources to improve service implementation, educational, and training policies and planning.
Assessing Resources. Supporting students in Adult Education and Training
Menzies, et al. (1993) mentioned the use of consultative scans to engage with individuals to address questions that arise in local government practices. During the scanning process civil participation is sought and this shapes the activity. Menzies, et al, (1993) recognised the benefits of listening and assessing resources. A capacity assessment is a means to conduct an assessment as to educational and training resources that can be available to you as you begin of a new school year or term.
Capacity assessments often involve evaluating a system’s, institution’s, or student’s abilities, resources, and needs. These assessments may help to optimise effective learning and teaching practices. This serves to identify strengths and gaps in resources, infrastructure, teaching methods, and your overall readiness to achieve desired educational and training outcomes.
The subsequent elements are useful to consider when conducting your self-report capacity assessment.
Institutional Capacity Assessment and Support in Adult Education and Training
Infrastructure AND Support in Adult Education and Training
Explore your educational institutions’s website and assess the physical and technological resources it offers. If you plan to participate in in-person classes, assess the availability and adequacy of libraries, laboratories, computers, internet access, and other vital facilities to ensure they can accommodate your needs.
Human Resources: Support in Adult Education and Training
Assess supervisors’, trainers’, and tutors’ backgrounds and availability. How will they interact with you, and do they possess a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter? Are your supervisors, trainers, and tutors prepared to help you in finding information. For instance, resources that are frequently associated with digital literacy? Are they current with the key latest trends in the education and training fields? Are you curious about how subject matter will be delivered? Have you learned about your organisation’s mission, vision, and strategies?
Curriculum and Instructional Capacity Assessment, and Support in Adult Education and Training
Are you intrigued by the curriculum and the methods of instructional delivery? Can you envision an employee path in this domain? When you are engaging in conversations with people currently employed in this domain you may gaining a deeper understanding of your potential career pathway.
Student Capacity Assessment, and Support in Adult Education and Training
Based on your self-assessment do you have the necessary prior learning knowledge, skills, and receptiveness for your studies ? Have you enhanced your social and emotional competencies, such as your capacity to regulate your emotions, foster relationships, and exhibit resilience and adaptability when tested? Do you possess specific diverse learning styles, needs, or any unique educational and training requirements? Are you driven to acquire new or different knowledge that is may be essential for achieving effective learning processes and outcomes?
Family Capacity Assessment, and Support in Adult Education and Training
Does your family provide emotional, financial, or practical support for your educational and training pursuits? Are they inclined to engage in significant events such as your graduations? Can they facilitate a conducive home environment that allows you the necessary time and space to study effectively? Are they able to offer home-based support giving you time to study in a quiet and safe environment?
System-Wide Financial Capacity Assessment, and Support in Adult Education and Training
Locate funding sources and read about educational and training policies at the local, provincial and state, and national levels. Gather, assess, and apply data and information to inform your financial decisions, track your progress, and enhance educational results.
Theoretically all students should have equitable access to quality education, regardless of, for instance, age, physical capacity, socio-economic status, gender, location or other factor (UNESCO, 2022). Read more about different kinds of challenges in Human Flourishing and Human Rights. These protected human characteristics are often impacted by changes in demographics, economic conditions, or emergencies, for example, pandemics and disasters. Explore more information at The Plague.
Support in Adult Education and Training: Next Steps
Lang (2006) has observed that educational and training environments are frequently influenced by various theoretical and philosophical contexts. Furthermore, learning takes place in a monetary milieu (Bouchard, 2006). Education and training services are often shaped by political events and situations (Rubenson & Walker, 2006). Social forces shape the systems in which instruction takes place (Hall, 2006, p. 230; Kapoor, 2006, p. 239). In addition, educational constraints might be practice-based (Quigley, 2006). These shortfalls could be transformed through strategic planning and development.
Strategic planning can be guided by comprehensive capacity assessments. By collecting information and data from your self-capacity appraisal, you may identify the essential supports needed. Nurturing and innovative environments, along with strategic planning and capacity assessments, could help you to attain educational and training success.
Upon finalising your capacity assessment, it is frequently crucial to develop an action plan that outlines the necessary steps to rectify identified shortcomings, utilise existing strengths, and prioritise interventions. This process may involve soliciting support from family and friends, distributing resources effectively, and promoting active participation in educational and training policies and practices.
Support in Adult Education and Training: In Closing
This blog entry explored the subsequent topics:
- Supportive settings in education and training;
- The educational context;
- Blending supervision, training, and tutoring;
- Strategic development for education and training;
- Merging consultative scans and capacity assessments;
- Our contact information; and,
-
How to contact us.
References
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1755738017743535