ABSTRACT
In this chapter I shall attempt to share with you the experience of the last ten years of working in an informal adult education project which has as a main aim the removal of barriers to learning. Rather than present a theoretical model of educational strategies, I shall describe the application of those strategies in a practical setting, an attempt to overcome the barriers created in disaffected learners by their previous experience so that they become motivated and confident students responsible for their own progress. First I shall give a brief description of the project so that you will be able to judge how applicable our experience is to your own situation. Secondly, I shall clarify what I mean by disaffection and some of the effects this can have on adults’ participation in structured learning opportunities-even informal ones-and relate this to the types of disaffection observed within the target groups for the project. I shall explain the rationale behind the targeting of particular groups and outline the educational style adopted by the project and the objectives set, including how we validate the learning in a non-accredited course. Finally, I shall identify the areas in which we feel that we have been successful and those areas which still create problems; I shall also identify those aspects which are peculiar to Strathclyde and those which could be used in other areas.
