SESKAT. Development of social and emotional skills in adult training

In recent years the crucial role of emotions in learning has been a hot topic. It has been proven that emotions have a substantial influence on the cognitive processes in humans, including perception, attention, learning, memory, reasoning, and problem solving. Emotion has a particularly strong influence on attention, especially modulating the selectivity of attention as well as motivating action and behaviour. As a consortium of SMEs working in adult training, we had realised that the role of Emotional Intelligence had been established in the field of education, but not yet in adult training. We strongly believed that trainers and facilitators need to be trained as well in emotional intelligence. Our target group was dual. - On the one hand, the final beneficiaries were participants in any adult training process (whether in-company or in another training institution or organisation). They had learned to identify and manage their emotions during the training process, as it has been scientifically proven (McLean, The Theory of the Triune Brain) that emotional management is closely linked to the success of the cognitive processes of learning and internalisation of concepts.

The objectives we wanted to achieve by implementing the project were to improve education by giving the facilitators a set of extra skills and weapons for their performance thanks to the contact with Emotional Intelligence. In a second step, students and clients will benefit from those skills, generating better professionals and better citizens for the European society. Moreover, we wanted to raise awareness of the importance of emotional intelligence in adult education, highlight the particular implications of andragogy, identify the most important emotions involved in the formative process and how those emotions affect the daily performance of trainers, detect risks and opportunities of those emotions in the training process, make trainees participants of a better management of their own emotions, promote benefits of Emotional Education for adult educators, improve the level of adult training, promote exchange between adult educators and trainers, both at the regional level but also between countries. By creating tools for improving soft skills of trainers and trainees, the consortium achieved the objective of the project: highlight the importance of Emotional Intelligence and social skills in the new economic environment.

Project is divided into 2 types of work packages: 1. PROJECT RESULTS (PR), responsibility for 3 PRs lies with the Results leader. Detailed description of work plan, division of task and responsibilities of partners is included in section: Project Results. 2. MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION WORK PACKAGES – (financed under the item Management and Implementation) cover whole project duration. There are 3 main work packages under the item Management and Implementation including following fields of activity: 1) MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION: A. DOCUMENTATION: all templates and needed documents: project documentation, contracts, timesheets, reporting, etc. B. COMMUNICATION AND MEETINGS: transnational meetings, internal staff meetings dealing with the project itself and the intermediate inline meetings, internal staff meetings organised by partners at country level. Communication is described in detail below. C. PROGRESS REPORTING: reporting the work done and following steps achieved, milestones, reporting PRs, activities and events: progress of results, international meetings, multiplier events and other activities by partners. D. BUDGET CONTROL AND FINANCIAL REPORTING: tasks and responsibilities as well as procedure of reporting are described in section: budget control and time management E. TIME MANAGEMENT - described in section: budget control and time management F. HANDLING RISKS – described in detail below. The responsibility for work package 1 lies with Project Coordinator (EBB). 2) QUALITY ASSURANCE AND EVALUATION: A. preparation of Quality Assurance Plan B. setting qualitative and quantitative indicators C. quality checks and quality assessment of the PRs – realised under PRs, included in PR as integrated part of products development process D. evaluation of the project – all quality and evaluation indicators related to fields different than PRs – quality of management, communication, evaluation of meetings and promotion activities etc. E/ final evaluation of the project’s success – does the project meet the goals, the potential of results, potential to sustain. Tasks under this item are presented in details in appropriate sections of this application form. The responsibility for work package 2 lies with Quality Assurance Leader (SIDES) who cooperates with Quality Assurance Group (QAG) on a regular basis. 3) PROMOTION A. Promotion plan with measures and indicators B. Graphic standards C. Visualization of the project: logo, colours, templates of documents D. Project website E. coordination of promotion in partner’s Social networks (FB, LinkedIn, YouTube) F. newsletters The responsibility for work package 3 lies with Promotion Leader (Eurospeak) which cooperates with Dissemination Group (DG) on a regular basis.

PR1 Task 1.1 Survey Task 1.2 Focus Group Task 1.3 Self-Assessment Tool PR2 PR3 The concrete results of the project are split in the different Project results. In PR 1 (A MAP OF TRAINING EMOTIONS) we, as a consortium, identified a set of 12 emotions that play a role in adult training. Every partner conducted a focus group with 10 to 25 local adult trainers and issued a national report. Comparing the different results, INDECPIE issued a common report and, based on that, we were able to select what we thought were the most relevant socio and emotional skills in adult training. Based on this selection, we created collaboratively a self-assessment tool with 120 questions, 10 per skill, on a likert scale. The self-assessment tool has been tested by at least 20 participants per country. This was intended to be the starting point for learners using the SESKAT learning platform. Once users proceed in the online course developed in PR2 the overview will modify- according to the content and exercises taken. In PR2 (THE EMOTIONAL EDUCATOR) the project consortium has developed a corpus of 36 training modules (3 for each social and emotional skill) in order to support the management of adult trainers’ emotions in their training performance. In addition to the planned result of the videos and quizzes about the different 12 skills, every partner has created four self-paced exercises to improve the 12 socio- and emotional skills (two per skill). In the online course users will find not only a content module with three quizzes per skill (one at the beginning, one in the middle and one at the end of each module), also two self-paced activities. To complete the course offer, every project partner has created (and translated into the partners’ national languages) an audio meditation. The topics are: Be grateful, Awareness of emotions, Accepting your emotions, Feel-Describe-Be aware- Practice Self-Compassion and Self-Love, Explore different responses. In P3 (THE EMOTIONS OF LEARNING) the work will be focused on the facilitator as an intermediate step and link in the transmission of contents and emotions to the learners. So, the project consortium will develop 36 learning tools and resources to be worked in the classroom and also useful in online training. TANGIBLE RESULTS - In P1 (A MAP OF TRAINING EMOTIONS). The project consortium will identify what are the 12 emotions that play a role in adult training and will develop a self assessment tool for adult trainers in these emotions. - In P2 (THE EMOTIONAL EDUCATOR), taking into account the results of IO1, the project consortium will develop a corpus of 36 training modules (3 for each emotion) in order to support the management of adult trainers’ emotions in their training performance. - In P3 (THE EMOTIONS OF LEARNING) the work will be focused on the facilitator as an intermediate step and link in the transmission of contents and emotions to the learners. So, the project consortium will develop 36 learning tools and resources to be worked in the classroom and also useful in online training. - In the Multiplier Events (E1-E6) the project consortium will celebrate workshops in order to ensure the sustainability of the project results beyond the project partnership and project’ lifetime. - In the learning activity (C1) the result will be a train-the-trainers for 12 staff members in order to develop in practice and with real targets the tools and competences mainly described and developed in O2 and 3. OUTCOMES RELATED TO MANAGEMENT Managing guidelines; Reporting procedure and administrative guidelines; 4 Transnational meetings + meeting minutes. 4 Intermediate online meetings OUTCOMES RELATED TO EVALUATION Evaluation plan and tools: meetings evaluation questionnaire, project progress questionnaire, Intellectual Outputs evaluation tools and multiplier events evaluation questionnaire. Evaluation Reports: mid-term and final evaluation report, Intellectual Outputs reports; Project Risks Analysis (PRA). OUTCOMES RELATED TO PROMOTION Project graphic design; Project website; Project mailing list; Newsletters; Informative brochure. INTANGIBLE DIRECT RESULTS: Developed knowledge and skills of adult trainers and trainees taking part in testing project outputs on how to manage their emotions. Increased awareness of the need to manage the adult trainers emotions in their formative process. Introduction of good examples) in organisations taking part in the project; ADDITIONAL OUTCOMES FOR PARTNERS: Raised capacity of partners and associated partners through expanded offer of their organizations with free of charge solutions available for customers and recipients; Developed experience and potential of partners on a basis of international cooperation of diverse partners, experience exchange, mutual learning; Closer cooperation between partners; Reinforced image of partners as those which undertake innovative initiatives and promote innovative approach; Results of dissemination are presented in detail in section: dissemination.