Informal education has for a long time been treated with a lot of controversy. This is because it is considered as a means of entertainment. Informal education refers to education which occurs outside the official classroom and school environment. It involves field trips to aquariums, science centers, zoos, museums, or planetariums. While informal education is regarded controversial because of its rather entertaining technique it takes, the learning outcomes are bountiful. Furthermore, it takes the shape of a classroom setting without many differences from formal education. However, many people assert that informal education is only profitable when there is prior knowledge on the subjects from official classroom education prior to moving out of class to learn. Learning outcomes in informal education are determined by having prior knowledge.
Informal education has shaped my attitudes and perceptions about what goes on in and out of a classroom. In a formal set up, one is only presented with facts which a student cannot practically dispute or prove. However, formal education presents the exact idea in a more natural and real way. Classroom concepts in geography and science can be visualized and internalized by the student. For instance, it is very likely that one only learns about mountains in classroom. Not until I visited the mountains to study the physical features is when I could actually internalize the concepts in a better way. In short, informal education makes us to better understand the concepts we learn in class.
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Apart from understanding the classroom environment, informal education has helped me to understand the hidden curriculum and the school as an agent of socialization. My experience as a student has been a rich one. I have had many happy moments to build healthy relationships and gain many more friends. A school is the only environment that shapes a person’s perceptions on socialization and relationships. In the course of my time schooling, I have learnt to socialize through the informal means of education. A formal environment is not conducive for socializing and building relationships. However, engaging in activities in an informal education enables one to work together with other students thus becoming a social being. This is probably the hidden curriculum our educators will never tell us about but would want us to find out on our own.
Furthermore, the culture within a school has helped enhance my academic progress. A school is a multicultural platform where people of different cultural backgrounds come together to share a common school culture that unifies all of them. Going out with students from different cultural backgrounds has shaped my perception of culture. I am an all-round person who is now able to accommodate people from different cultures. Furthermore, I am familiar with different meals and languages spoken my different classmates. Such experiences have not only helped in my academics but also in shaping my personal opinions and perceptions about people.
We cannot learn community involvement without informal education. How can a student who is seated in class know how to engage in a community? My experiences in field trips have enabled me to take part in community projects which have helped in enhancing the development of the whole community. Furthermore, I have learnt the very important aspects of budgeting, volunteering and administration. This is because I have been directly involved in activities in the community which have required all these skills, something I could hardly get in a formal class set up.
In summary, informal education has not only enhanced my academic development but also has made me a better person. Other than just sitting in the classroom, informal education helps better understand concepts taught in class.
