„Epale“ - elektroninė suaugusiųjų mokymosi platforma Europoje

The education and history of mankind have been closely connected from the beginning, evolving together. As a result, people have been and still are subjected to multiple educational influences, which can act in various forms. These influences are spontaneous or organized and may come from the school or other extracurricular institutions.

There are several differences between in-school and out-of-school learning:

Non-formal education allows the use of a wide range of methods, and their choice may become easier if teachers identify the answer to a series of questions.

1. The topic of the activity: Which method (s) is (are) best suited for the subjects? How much time is there available? Does he want to improve the students’ skills, share some knowledge or influence their attitudes? What equipment is available? How deeply does want to approach the subject?
2. The Facilitator’s Style: What is his favorite training style? Which of the previous experiences is it based on? Is he ready to take risks? What are his skills and strengths?
3. Participants: Does he know the learning styles of the participants? How many people make up the group? What is the average age of the group? What is the sex ratio in the group? Is it possible for each participant to attend? What is the cultural framework of the participants? What skills do the participants have? Do they have special needs that may prevent them from using a method? Will they be able to focus long enough? Will previous feedback from participants be taken into account (if any)?
4. Frame: How big is the hall? What is the shape of the room? What kind of light is there in the room? Will the temperature affect the putting into practice of a certain method (is it too hot for an active method or too cold to sit on the chair for too long)? How many powerpoint slides are there and where the file is? Is it a private space or is it public? Are there enough rooms if you need to work in small groups? What is the floor covered with? Does this influence the development of a method?

Outdoor education is very similar to non-formal education, as it also maximizes the learning process through active participation. Both non-formal and outdoor education can be successfully integrated into formal education.

Outdoor education has many benefits: it builds the community, raises standards, strengthens collaborative relationships, builds culture, develops positive feelings and memories around school and the outdoors. To ensure an effective activity, teachers can use the following set of questions: Where does the activity take place? How will the program run? What activities will take place outdoors? What sources of information do I have for such activities?

Non-formal and outdoor education support the development of the socio-personal skills (improving team spirit, improving social relations, developing leadership skills) and developing management skills (organizing, coordinating, evaluating both those who apply it and the students).

By increasing the link between non-formal education and outdoor education, a much more valuable education system will be reached in terms of quality.  There will be long-term benefits, more subjects will be covered and more students and teachers will be involved in education.

When the child goes outside, he is offered the whole world. Let's take him outside to show him real things instead of representations of ideas and let’s not keep them indoors. (Maria Montessori)

Bibliography:

•  Ionescu, D., Popescu, R., (2011), Activități extrașcolare în ruralul românesc. Dezvoltarea de competențe cheie la copii și tineri, București, Ed. Universitară
• Văideanu, G., (1988), Educaţia la frontiera dintre milenii, Editura Politică, București