The Lifelong Learning Platform, in collaboration with EPALE, invited Prof. Dr. Regina H. Mulder, holder of the chair for educational science at the University of Regensburg and Dr Maria Kyriakidou Zeniou, Assistant Professor in Educational Innovation and Research at the UCLan Cyprus to discuss the challenges that adult educators face today.

The discussion kicked off with a focus on the most promising methodologies and pedagogies out there. A special focus was dedicated to the wide array of profiles that constitute adult teachers and educators, a category which is much harder to define than other sorts of teachers. When it comes to different backgrounds, we come across qualified people that have a lot of knowledge - content knowledge for instance - but they may be lacking the pedagogical knowledge to effectively carry out their roles as educators. 

Another point of discussion was the implications of digital tools in their professional development, and of AI in particular. While they offer opportunities to engage students in real-time teaching, they are much less effective in asynchronous teaching; on top of that, ethical implications pose challenges to teachers and educators. 

Experts also tried to bring the focus back to assessment, which is much more fluid than in other education settings, and on the need to reskill and upskill the workforce. While a much welcome effort, upskilling and reskilling as it is today is depicted as a short-term solution. On the contrary, it would be preferable to constantly prepare people for changes in the future, building transversal skills and resilience instead of focusing on hard skills. 

The conversation moved to address lifelong learning: it is important that learners and policy-makers understand that a lifelong learning approach is not a choice, but rather a necessity. And lifelong learning is not an abstract concept, it is a pedagogical approach that informs everyday life. 

Read the full transcript of the podcast here!