ACTION LEARNING

1
ACTION LEARNING A SUCCESFUL METHOD FOR ADULT
EDUCATION

• Anca Dodescu, Anca Drugas
• University of Oradea
• Ljubljana 22 October 2004

2
General description of the project

• The PHARE Project PH1700 ACTION LEARNING FOR SMEs
  - a new model of school for entrepreneurship
  skills - was localised in the Northwest region of
  Romania in three neighbouring counties Bihor,
  Salaj and Satu-Mare from 1st of May 2003 till 30
  of April 2004.
• The project is based on the collaboration between
  University of Oradea and The Revans Institute for
  Action Learning and research from Salford
  University, Great Britain.

3
The objective and the core idea

• The objective of introducing Action Learning to
  the participants was changing the mentality of
  the entrepreneurs, managers or employees
  concerning their relationships with other
  entrepreneurs, managers or employees and with
  different institutions or with their superiors
  and their colleagues.
• It is not Action Learning which solves the
  problems, but the people involved who are better
  equipped as a result of Action Learning.

4
Working in "Sets"

• The process of learning with from each other
  in a group called set, was studied and
  developed by Prof. Reginald W. Revans troughout
  all his life.
• Revans saw the need for sets to be free to work
  without artificial hindrances. The members must
  all be able to exchange thoughts freely, explore
  ideas without restraint, and not be restricted to
  working to a preconceived agenda, which would
  direct the process. There were to be no chairmen,
  leaders, authority figures, advisors,
  facilitators, or other interlopers who would
  interfere with the natural operation of the set.

5

• With the direct and intense support of Prof. A.
  E. Barker from Revans Institute we decided to use
  Action Learning as a teaching method within the
  courses of the project, courses that had 40
  important themes for the activity of
  entrepreneurs.
• These 40 themes were divided in 9 groups with 4-5
  themes and they were called Actions. So the
  Actions defines a monthly couple of a formal
  course with the promoters and a meeting with the
  target groups on a certain group of themes that
  were established at the beginning of the project.

6
The implementation

• The implementation of the project had three
  phases
• The first phase The promoters training classes,
  Implementing meetings/The working groups of each
  promoter with his/her target group
• The second phase The implementation of Action
  Learning method
• The third phase A final evaluation meeting

7
The organisational structure

• Working groups project coordinating group the
  operational group the scientific group human
  resources group finance and accounting group
  media group acquisition group administrative
  group.
• Central promoters, local promoters, the target
  groups, the extended target groups.

8
The working groups

• Project coordinating group, with 7 interconnected
  working groups (27 persons)
• The operational group, having the role of an
  administration board, takes all the important
  decisions connected with the project
• The scientific group, members of this group had
  as main task to elaborate of all the necessary
  instruments for the classes designed for the
  promoters and for the working meetings of the
  target groups, both as input as well as output

9
The working groups

• Human resources group, was dealing with the
  problems connected with the people collaborating
  on the project
• Finance and accounting group, was in charge with
  the accountancy and financial issues of the
  project
• Media group, took care of the image and the
  publicity connected with the project
• Acquisition group, was in charge with all the
  acquisitions
• Administrative group, was buying all the
  consumables necessary for the project.

10
Promoters

• Central promoters (8 persons) they were selected
  from those people that were already in contact
  with the Action Learning method and they were
  continuously trained by the British consultant.
  The central promoters are responsible for the
  scientific and methodological quality of the
  implementing performed by the local promoters.
• Local promoters (16 persons), who are working
  directly with the target groups, were selected
  from the Commerce and Industry Chambers, from the
  Local Councils of the SMEs, private companies,
  university, schools, banks and NGOs, being
  trained by the central promoters in the counties
  they came from.

11
The target groups

• The target groups of the project, 24 of them (191
  persons), had into their structure a number of 7
  to 11 entrepreneurs, managers or employees from
  the SMEs.
• The extended target groups (over 600 persons)
  represented by the employees of the targeted SMEs.

12
The effects of the project

• Social the entrepreneurial spirit was
  stimulated, the entrepreneurs group was developed
  and consolidated
• Education contributed to the formation and
  perfecting managers by the European model
• Economic determined the raise of performances of
  the SMEs that had managers and employees involved
  in this project.

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• During the first step of the project the total
  number of direct beneficiaries were of 215
  persons
• During the second step 600 persons were
  indirectly benefiting
• The social impact of applying the Action Learning
  method will cover more than 5500 people, if we
  calculate the number of all the employees from
  the participating SMEs.