"Pandora's box is still full of surprises that the fate has in store for us. So what is there left for us to do? You need to maintain the immense fascination, move forward and enjoy everything that happens to you. Sometimes, you will have good fortune, other times not so good, at least at the first glance. Yet, all our experiences make our history, which is very personal and unique. The only of the kind, in fact. I try to stay aloof and observe my life as if it was a plot of a good novel - full of flavour, action, and adventure. And I can only hope that the book proves to be a long one"...

 {A fragment of Remigiusz’s biography entitled "Pandora's box"}

I remember, back at school when we analysed the myth of Pandora, I was convinced that it was the insatiable curiosity and disobedience of the woman that brought all the evil and maladies to this world. At that time, no other thought or interpretation came to my mind. It was quite recently, during a workshop with students of andragogy, that I had a moment of enlightenment or rather experienced a Copernican revolution. One of the training participants, as part of a final project, presented his biography in the form of a Pandora's box, and thus showed me a much different and broader interpretation of the myth. Because what actually Pandora's box is? There are several versions of the myth, but to me, the most appealing proved to be the one, which I had not been familiar with. It has it that in addition to all disasters and suffering stored in the jar, at its bottom there was hope, placed there in accordance with the will of Zeus. At that moment, it was for the first time that I thought that Pandora's great curiosity, which in accordance with prescribed interpretation is criticised, was, in fact, one of the most important and natural reasons for learning and exploring the world. It cannot be denied that learning requires much courage from us, as it is often associated with risks, challenges, and threats. So, in other words, it calls for leaving the comfort zone.

This is how the metaphor of Pandora's box served for me as an opportunity to reflect on the importance of the biographical approaches to work with adult learners during training, workshops or other educational events. At this point, I would like to stress that I understand learning and education as a continuous, natural process, which covers all aspects of adult life and takes place as part of formal and informal education and learning by doing. I quote after P. Dominice that education and training are lifelong processes, which relate to the everyday lives of individuals. They involve complex situations related to the development of personality and shape the identity of individuals (P. Dominice, 1994).

So why use the Pandora's box in biographical approach and why is it important for adult education and training? Well, there are several reasons for that, but two arguments seem the most convincing to me:

• first of all - the biographical approach has recently enjoyed a renaissance and great popularity, which is best reflected by numerous publications, workshops staged using this method and didactic activities based on biographical experiences of training participants;
• secondly - there are many people who stand in opposition to those fascinated by the possibilities, which the method offers, and voice disapproval or advocate prudence resulting from the fact that this method involves personal or even intimate experiences, and not everyone may be willing to share them. Such an approach also requires a climate of trust and a sense of security. This is why when using the approach during classes, you should always remember the voluntary character of participation in such classes and absolutely respect their privacy.

Due to the fact that I am a big fan of this method and using it in work with adults, at this point, I would like to focus on the bottom of the mythical Pandora's box, i.e. opportunities, odds and hopes that, in my opinion, the biographical approach brings. Work with using this approach made me realise the role, importance, and impact, or in other words the functions that building your biography may involve:

1) From a personal and individual perspective:

•      expanding knowledge about yourself and your past;
•      exploring your personal and social identity;
•      an opportunity for reconstructing your image and self-esteem;
•      integration with family and friends (work often involves the help of close ones);
•      discovering and developing individual talents;
•      an opportunity to verbalise your dreams, plans, and expectations;
•      an incentive to reflect on yourself, the world and other people;
•      therapeutic function (journey into the past often allows to free yourself from bad memories or at least to find consolation).

2) From the perspective of a training or education process:

•     identifying educational and development-related needs of individuals participating in training or classes;
•     an opportunity to integrate the group;
•     inspiring and motivating participants to formulate personal educational and professional goals thanks to analysing the biographies of people successful in a given field;
•     an opportunity to present personal talents to the group;
•     stimulating the creativity of participants and unlocking their creative potential;
•     emphasising the role and importance of memories in the life of each human being;
•     an opportunity for the trainer or teacher offering training to reflect on their experiences.

It is an undisputed fact that encouraging reflection on carrying out a personal biography project is a major challenge. And below you can read a very suggestive report of a student who was given a task to prepare a personal biography in the framework of the project entitled Biographical life map (which I will present soon):

"Getting started is the most difficult task (...). When I first heard what I was supposed toto, I was really pleased. Something new, at last, I thought. Feeling euphoric that finally, I would have an opportunity to sit down and think about who I am and where I am right now, I started to ponder… what to write down. Then, doubts appeared if I could give something myself when all my work was based on replicating other people's thoughts and quoting individuals who were wiser than all the people I knew put together. No, this wouldn't work. I do not know where to start and on top of that, I have lost heart to this task. Dozens of comparisons to the things that I love were running through my head (...) So what to write about? Over the past ten years, I have focused on the same things: regulations, comments, specialist literature, no escape, as I have no time for that. Unfortunately, this does not translate into a profound knowledge or excellence, we all strive for. So, where am I and where am I heading…?"

In my opinion, asking this very question carries great educational and developmental value with it. In my opinion, tasks and projects related to the use of biographical experience of participants are not only a great catalyst for memories and opportunity to reflect for the authors, but also for the readers of biographies. Here I mean andragogues, coaches, educators, pedagogues, teachers and mentors who thanks to this method not only can better understand the individuals they work with, but also can find a path to an exceptional and unique understanding with them, and they themselves will feel emotions and will be touched by those biographies, and most importantly, will have an opportunity to reflect on or maybe even redefine their own experiences. I went through this process and must admit that this was an unrivalled experience.

translation: NSS Poland

dr Monika Sulik – an assistant professor, academic teacher. She teaches an author class in Biography in Education. A certified coach and academic mentor. Since 2018, the secretary of Edukacja Dorosłych (Adult Education) periodical. An EPALE ambassador.