Building a Responsive Adult Learning Sector

Community educators will get a chance to visit some of Aotearoa’s heritage community education sites at this year’s Adult and Community Education (ACE) Conference in Ōtautahi Christchurch, June 11-13. Centres such as the Risingholme Community Centre, which opened in 1944, are some of the country’s earliest providers of ACE.

During the last decade those working in Ōtautahi’s ACE community have responded to many unique challenges such as the 2011 earthquakes and the recent mosque attacks which had a huge impact on the Muslim community. This year’s ACE Conference with the theme Kai Ana I te Mātauranga Let’s Get Learning will look at how such challenges can become learning opportunities which ultimately benefit communities.

Keynote speaker, Shirley Walters from South Africa has first hand experience of the challenge of global warming. Her home city of Cape Town has a desperate water crisis and Shirley will share her learning journey and how the drought in South Africa has become her teacher.

As well as keynote presentations, the 2019 conference will offer panel discussion and workshops. Panelists representing a range of community interests will explore where there are further opportunities for community learning and the workshop programme will look at the impact of trauma on learning readiness, the Inside/Outside Model of Engagement, how to use drawing to teach thinking, and a toolbox of activities for teaching numeracy.

Minister of Education Hon Chris Hipkins will address ACE educators and there will be updates from tertiary teaching excellence organization, Ako Aotearoa. The ACE Aotearoa Annual Awards will be presented at the conference dinner.

© Scoop Media