Profile for EU SOL resource suite
Name:
Job title/role:
Vignette biography i.e. your background in
adult education (max. 150 words)
A short description of up to three models of
self-organised learning you know of, in your
own country or another (worldwide or EU)
(max. 200 words)
What aspects of these models are crucial to
their success? (max. 150 words)
What are the benefits of self-organised
learning? (max. 150 words)
What are the barriers that self-organised
learning groups face? (max. 150 words)
What support do self organised learning
groups need to start and to develop? Who
could/does offer that support? (max. 150
words)
How can technology help self organised
learning groups to achieve their aims? (i.e.
what benefits can technology use bring to a
group? For example: cost savings,
Pascal Paulus
Coordinator Education team AKF Portugal
Participant in cooperative self organized learning
groups since 1977, centred on participative pedagogy.
Facilitator and trainer of a great range of adult learner
groups both in institutional and informal contexts,
Graduation in adult education by Lisbon University
PhD in sociology of education by Lisbon University –
Institute of Education
 Cooperative learning group centred on themes
defined by participants, without formal leadership
of the group – this is often the case in
organisations of professionals (teachers,
psychologists, etc);
 Self-organizing learning adult groups induced by
local or grass root organizations, with occasional
presence of a facilitator;
 Spontaneous organized groups (often of a
neighbourhood, a similar age range, etc) bound
by a subject of interest. This frequently is the case
in time bank groups.
 Clear and well negotiated goals;
 Well defined subject of interest
 Summary of the session is essential as the group
often does not joins all of its participants;
 Well negotiated time table and encounter places;
 Report facilities – a public session to present what
was achieved is often a good incentive to go on
and produce objects and/or knowledge.
 The participative aspects of this kind of group
make it easier to have in context learning on how
to set up participation in other institutional and
social contexts;
 SOL groups are most of the time very narrowly
responding to the needs felt by the participants.
 Official recognition and certification when needed
(alphabetization sol for instance);
 Poor literate persons can manifest organization
difficulties to set up a SOL;
Normally the groups need some support to gain life: a
place to join, a time to join, a clarification of ideas. It
depends of the type of group what is more needed.
Here institutional help is useful (associations, local
organisations). The presence of a facilitator or
someone with former experience of SOL is in some
occasions fundamental.
On line technology can help as documentation
resource, either or not organized on a learning
platform. It helps also punctual intervening of a trained
facilitator of a group. We have had experiences with
increasing reach, improved communication,
better collaboration, improved access to
learning etc) (max. 150 words)
cooperative learning groups on line, joining people
from three continents studying a model of participative
pedagogy.
What barriers do self organised learning
groups face in their use of technology? (max.
150 words)

How can they/have they overcome these
barriers? (max. 150 words)
Internet technology:
Poor access capacities to internet;
Poor skills on the use of software that promotes
interaction;
 Technology in general:
Dispersion due to the false idea of on distance
participation or “of line – of time” participation.
This impairs group cohesion.
Internet technology: Some of those barriers are not
easy to overcome – basic structures for internet signal
for instance;
Where access capacities exist, digital literacy
(eventually as SOL group) can be helpful.
Technology in general:
Equilibrate the use and disposability of materials
(printed material, taped material, video, photo, etc.