INFORMAL EDUCATION: CONCEPT, CHARACTERISTICS AND EXAMPLES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Informal education is a term that is used to define learning that is obtained in an unstructured way, outside the official educational establishments of a society. This includes the notions and concepts that are acquired in the activities of daily life, such as work, hobbies and contact with other people.

This training takes place irregularly, is not planned and does not provide access to degrees, diplomas or certificates. In addition, it is characterized by not having specific didactic objectives or a specific duration.

Everything our parents teach us are examples of informal education. Source: pixabay.com

Informal education differs from formal education, which is taught in official schools, subject to progressive curricular guidelines. It is also distinguished from non-formal education, which, although it has a planning and an organization, develops outside the space of compulsory schooling.

In this case, these are optional training activities, which are carried out deliberately in order to acquire specific knowledge. Examples of this are language courses, painting or photography, and dance or tennis classes.

However, the difference between informal and non-formal education is not always entirely clear and in some cases can lead to confusion.

Informal education concept

The concept of informal education is based on the premise that it is transmitted outside the official educational centers, recognized by government authorities.

From a linguistic point of view, this notion is made up of the terms “education”, which is the system through which knowledge is acquired, and “informal”, which refers to something that is alien to formality. In other words, it does not have an execution or a development that conforms to certain requirements or parameters, and that does not imply accuracy, precision, punctuality and consequence in the actions.

From the etymological point of view the word "education" comes from the Latin "educatio", which means "education", "training" or "nurture". This term is made up of the "ex" components, a prefix that can be translated as "outward"; the verb "ducere", equivalent to "lead" or "guide"; and the suffix "-tio", which indicates "action" or "effect".

For its part, the word "informal" is also made up of Latin roots and means "that does not adhere to the rules." It is the result of the union of the prefix "in-", which refers to a negation; the noun "form", which is understood as "figure" or "image"; and the suffix “-al”, synonymous with “relative to”.

Characteristics of informal education

The development of informal education occurs throughout life. Source: pixabay.com

Informal education is characterized by being irregular, fortuitous and random, and by not following a program established by the governmental entities of each country.

It is offered casually in one's daily interaction with the environment and does not occupy a curricular space within educational institutions.

This learning is not organized or planned, and it is not progressively progressed to a degree or certification. On the contrary, it is an individual training that arises from contact with the environment in which one lives and from the information received through the media and other sources of knowledge.

In addition, informal education does not require the presence of a teacher or professor and is not deliberate, since it does not seek to educate intentionally. It also does not have deadlines and goals that must be met, nor does it follow a specific schedule.

On the other hand, it can occur in educational centers when it arises informally in the interaction between students, oblivious to the pedagogical objectives of the establishment itself.

This learning is generally unconscious and involuntary and is not bound by rules of any kind. However, this does not imply in all cases that its quality is inferior to the formal one.

In short, informal education is spontaneous, hazardous and occurs as the person grows within a society. Its development, therefore, lasts a lifetime.

Examples of informal education

As a model of informal education we can point to that learning that arises from the interaction with family, partners, friends, co-workers and the rest of our social relationships.

Family

For example, when a grandfather tells us a personal story that he lived in his childhood during the Second World War, without our realizing it, we are incorporating knowledge about that time.

The same when our parents teach us to make the bed, to use a fork and knife, to brush our teeth, to tie our shoes, or to drive a car.

Companions

Also when a colleague from the office explains to us how to operate a machine or the proper way to make a report, or indicates the place where the company cafeteria is located.

friends

Similarly, when a friend of our soccer team teaches us to defend or define a play in a specific way, we are in the presence of a case of informal education.

In all these examples we assimilate information and add knowledge, which also happens when we go to the cinema or the theater, when we watch documentaries on TV or when we read a book or newspaper.

In short, we can say that throughout our lives we live in a learning process that is permanent and constant, most of which comes to us in an unstructured way and without planning.

All this knowledge, such as what is learned in the famous "street university", are examples of informal education.

References

1. Sarramona López, Jaume; Colom Cañellas, Antoni J.; Vázquez Gómez, Gonzalo (1998). Informal education. Grupo Planeta (GBS).
2. Aagar, Igor (2014). From Formal to Non-formal: Education, Learning and Knowledge. Polona Kelava.
3. Informal education, Wikipedia. Available at: es.wikipedia.org
4. What is education? Available at: psycho-web.com
5. Etymological dictionary. Available at: etimologias.dechile.net
6. Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE). Available at: rae.es