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laboratory of new pedagogy and digital learning . That makes change a continues practice among
educators in Finland.

The key to making it right is in making sure that the change does not happen in detachment from
society and the market, which require from educators to build relevant connection to society and
the local stakeholders and constant evaluation how what is being taught and how it is being taught
corresponds to the learners needs and the external requirements. That takes a lot of networking,
working in partnership with universities and research centers, constantly improving competences
of educators and exchange of knowledge, lessons learnt and support between educators, which
allow to identify the best approaches and build over each other’s experiences.

Why is relevant for adult educators and adult education centers?

Why this case study is a success / best practice?

The case of Finish approach highlights the need and the benefit of educators, and especially adult
educators of engaging in continues change which will stimulate the evolution of educational offer
and methodologies in a way that keeps up with global changes and local needs. It shows the
relevance of embracing differences in educators’ competences and skills and providing them
upskilling that will allow them to engage more in knowledge-based experimentation and the ability
to bring change, rather than need to react to change when it is inevitable and to offer rigid
methodologies to deliver by the educators. The approach based on flexibility, knowledge exchange,
close relation to the community and experimentation shows not only high ability to respond to local 32
needs, but also to generate significant engagement of population in adult education.

5.5 PORTUGAL

Seek support of the community

For Portuguese educators the integration of digital education, proved to be especially challenging
due to low quality of infrastructure and common lack of equipment required for digital education
among the adults they are targeting, especially those leaving out of 3 main urban areas of Portugal
concentrated on the coastline. Considering the need for ensuring access of the learners, but also
often the educators, to proper equipment (as stable internet, PCs or laptops) (which significant lack
became painfully clear during the recent pandemics), the biggest challenges for many educational
centers lies not only in updating the existing materials and methodologies to increasingly digital
world, upskilling their educators in digital methodologies and basic digital skills, but often in a simple
lack of equipment that needs to be shared between multiple users. The remedy that proven to be

quicker than reaching for public support was to reach to the community, for both support for access
to digital skills and equipment. Some organisations providing adult education as well as support to

1 Vahtivuori-Hänninen. (2015). New Learning Environments and Digitalization – Government’s Key Project in Knowledge and
Education. Ministry of Education and Culture.