PUBLICATION - ABOUT THE CVE BOOK

"This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein."

The paper-based publication "Cultural vehicles in education" by Agnieszka Ginko-Humphries has been published as a textbook on the new methodology, carefully designed and illustrated (eg, photographs from all pilot workshops and creative works made by the participants).
The main idea behind the book is both to present the new methodology and to inspire the educators to use their own arts-based methods. The proposed scenarios of educational units are written in such a way as to allow for easy adaptation to the needs of one's group. Every exercise can and should be creatively developed and improved, often the workshop participants introduce valuable changes, as it was discovered during the CVE pilot workshops. The language of the book is informal and user-friendly to go in line with the CVE spirit. It is learner/reader centred, focused on actively involving the person in the educational matters, asking surprising questions and encouraging creativity ("Perhaps a story or poem will come to your mind?").
The edition of 3.000 copies in six languages (EN, FR, DE, PL, LT, CS - 500 copies of each language) has ensured wide distribution at the European level. The book has 147 pages, with a cover in full-colour, and is spiral-bound to allow for easy use at workshops and training sessions.

Review in English

Why do I like this book? First of all, the design and appearance of the book reflect the true idea. The cover is attractive. There are enough photographs and illustrations making the book easy to page through and read. I must admit that I read the book in one sitting. It is light and easy to understand. The author presents the text in a dialogue form, asking the reader questions. For example, the author asks, "are you still reading"? Then, we are given time to reflect, think, and feel our emotions. "Relax! Breathe in and out. Perhaps a story or poem came to mind?" says the author. The book presents its value through its instructional structure. That is, the four countries where the project took place are included and emphasized and genuine participant comments and lecturer workplace interviews are presented. In addition, the end of the book includes important aspects of learning competencies which are currently being discussed yet not everyone knows about them.
What is the significance of this book? First and foremost, it is about creativity and practical application to learning methods. Hanna Bloesser, an expert observer from Germany talks about creativity and its meaning in an interview saying that everyone is creative from birth. It is said that early in childhood we teach our children to walk and talk. Later we teach them to sit and be quiet. When they grow up and learn about being creative, we invite them to various creativity seminars where we teach them to experiment and learn new ways and to be spontaneous.
Another important aspect of the book, according to expert observer Arune Taunyte is the coordinated, successful effort of gathering information, gathering the acquired skills and the therapy of art itself. At one time art came into the realm of therapy and took a firm hold. In this context it is a means to the participants’ workplace motivational learning, self knowledge, self respect, and trusting in ones development.

Rasa Kučinskiene

Psychologist, andragogist,
Member of the Lithuanian Association of Adult Education, member of the Psychodrama Society of Lithuania,
Board member of the Youth Psychological Aid Centre,
Editorial board member of the magazine "Psichologija Tau" and co-worker of the magazine "Aš ir psichologija"