Adult learning through Tinkering. A toolkit for informal science learning educators working with disadvantaged and underserved communities

This document is aimed primarily at Informal Learning (IFL) educators working with adult learners from disadvantaged and underserved communities, who wish to:  

• exploit the inclusive nature of Tinkering to create engaging and relevant STEM learning experiences for adult learners and their families 
• better understand how and why collaboration and co-design with community organisations can help develop more inclusive programming in STEM learning for adults.  

It can also serve as a useful reference for community leaders and adult educators wishing to collaborate with the IFL sector to explore the use of Tinkering with the adult groups that they serve.  

The toolkit is based on work taking place through the Erasmus-funded “Tinkering EU: Addressing the adults”. A key aim of the project is to bring innovation to the way informal learning (IFL) educators work with adult groups and their families and to support them in developing inclusive Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) learning programming with and for disadvantaged or underserved communities (DUCs). It is reaching out to adults who may not currently identify with STEM learning, who have relatively low levels of confidence with STEM and who are less likely to choose to participate in science-related social, cultural, or training opportunities. In this way, it is targeting adults who are likely to have low levels of ‘science capital’.