GROOVE Toolkit_Final Version_090223

61 www.grooveproject.eu This project has been funded with support from the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. [Project Number: 2021-1-CY01-KA220-VET-000033254] 1. Concrete Experience - the learner has good hands-on experience with the material 2. Reflective Observation - the learner reflects on what they have just learned and compares it to their existing understanding of the educational subject 3. Abstract Conceptualization - the learner contrasts their new knowledge with their previous understanding and this gives rise to a new idea (i.e. the learner has learned from their experience) 4. Active Experimentation - the learner begins to use their new knowledge in their encounters with the subject going forward. Kolb understood learning as an integrated process with each stage of the learning cycle being mutually supportive of one another and feeding into the next stage (McLeod, 2013). Experiential learning requires a hands-on approach that puts the learner at the center of the learning experience (Colman, 2019). There are plenty of benefits of experiential learning. Firstly, it creates a real-world experience for learners while providing opportunities for collaboration with fellow learners which helps to stimulate learning (Peterson, 2020). Additionally, this method of learning can be very impactful on adults as they have extensive life experience that they can build on. They also have sufficient cognitive ability to reflect upon new experiences, develop new ideas, and take positive action for change. Teaching Digital Skills To promote digital literacy amongst adults, as well as to improve the digital skills of the educators delivering the training, educators should seek to provide a clear understanding of digital literacy including basic computer skills, and online reading comprehension skills, and then move forward to digital literacy skills (Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy et al, 2022). By following this approach, educators can ensure that learners have a strong foundational base upon which they can build further digital skills. It is important for educators to understand where their own individual digital competency lies before providing digital education to learners as it ensures that the educators are digitally literate before providing training to adult learners. As previously stated, The European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu) serves as a general reference guide to support the development of educator-specific digital competences in Europe. Educators should assess their own digital literacy skills using the DigCompEdu self-assessment tool (SAT) to better understand their personal level of digital competence as educators. By understanding and improving their own digital literacy skills, educators can ensure that they are applying the DigCompEdu framework, which will support them ultimately to enhance the digital competence of their learners. By engaging in digitally-enhanced education that is effective and tailored to the skills and abilities of learners, educators can ensure they are supporting learners to indirectly and incrementally build their digital skills. It is important to ensure that educators can fulfil the learner’s competences of DigCompEdu otherwise they would not be considered digitally competent under the framework themselves.