For more information about the Bridging Barriers project, please, visit https://www.bridgingbarriers.eu/.

Bridging Barriers is a two-year project funded by the Erasmus+ framework bringing together researchers, teachers and course providers from Austria, Italy, Slovakia and Switzerland to develop a competence matrix, a further training curriculum and a pilot course for teachers in adult basic education with the goal to enhance the professionalisation process of educators in this field of adult education.

Background

Adult basic education (ABE) forms a vital part of adult education, allowing adults to improve their basic skills in reading, writing, calculating as well as in using IT in professional and everyday life. Moreover, ABE is supporting migrants who have received only rudimentary education prior to their move to acquire good skills in the use of the language of the receiving country. Adult basic education is organised in different ways across Europe, reflecting different historical pathways, institutional environments and policies. Teachers in adult basic education have entered the field based on a diverse set of educational backgrounds and experiences. Programmes preparing educators to teach adult basic education courses vary grossly between countries. Competences crucial for successfully helping adults to acquire basic skills are typically not described in a systematic manner.

Aims of the project

The Bridging Barriers project aims to contribute to the professionalism and professionalisation of teachers in adult basic education in Europe by developing new approaches to make visible and systematise the specific skills and competences applied in adult basic education. The project’s key goals include:

• Developing a competence matrix for competences used in delivering adult basic education, applying proven approaches (VQTS) in the field in order to enrich the visibility and systematisation of competences of educators.
• Developing a competence-based training (curriculum, methodology, design and materials) for educators in ABE.
• Supporting the development of a European profile of ABE and enhancing networking among teachers in the field.

For more information about the Bridging Barriers project, please, visit https://www.bridgingbarriers.eu/.