DigitALAD Hanbook_All sections_FV

37 C17. Actively Engaging Learners Actively engaging learners empowers learners to be active participants in online environments. In an era of constant change, technologies have allowed us, as individuals, to improve being actively engaged learners. These transformations impact both the learning process and the teaching process. By enhancing their teaching and education practice to adapt to different learning styles and preferences, adult educators can ensure that they can actively engage learners in all learning activities they develop. Examples of the use of competence In the transition from the industrial economy to the knowledge economy, it is important to be aware of promoting a qualitative leap in education. This means that we must move from a model of knowledge acquisition to a model of knowledge creation. It is essential to develop the skills that currently represent the new learning environments that require technology at a transversal level. Educating 'actively engaged learners' means that, as an educator, you support adult learners to develop their mastery in the skills of the 21st century. These include the ability to communicate effectively, work as a team, be flexible, think critically and solve problems effectively. When we talk about 'actively engaging learners', there is a need for adult educators to put the learner at the centre of the learning process. They must provide learning opportunities for adult learners to conduct their own research, to develop projects in teams, to make their own meaning of the learning content and to be able to relate what they have learned to both past experiences that they have had in their personal and professional lives. In this way, it is necessary to design learning activities that ensure a degree of autonomy for the learners, so that they have the space they need to engage with the learning content in this way. How can you develop this competence? To develop this competence and apply it effectively, the adult educator should create an environment where learners want to learn rather than have to learn. This could be easier said than done, but many of the answers lie in the learning activity's format and presentation. By designing lesson plans and activities to promote learners' 'active engagement', your teaching style will change from an instructive-based style to a learner-centred approach. As educators, actively engaging learners empowers them to critically consume information within their own learning. However, how this information is designed and presented is of critical importance. One method that you could add to your teaching repertoire, which will promote 'actively engaged learners' is the 'flipped classroom' approach or model. Undoubtedly, you have already heard of this approach. Still, it is an innovative model of blended learning, where learners, at all levels of education, can be furnished with the learning content they need to cover for a particular module or lesson at home – through video lectures, articles, etc. – and then they are facilitated to unpack and work through the key theoretical content through a series of interactive and engaging