Formal, Non-formal and Informal Learning: What Are the Differences?

December 31, 2010

Earlier this year I did some applied research on the differences between formal, non-formal and informal education in both the sciences, as well as literacy and language education.

These terms have been used by the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) as well as researchers and practitioners around the globe. Here’s a simplified explanation:

Formal education – Organized, guided by a formal curriculum, leads to a formally recognized credential such as a high school completion diploma or a degree, and is often guided and recognized by government at some level. Teachers are usually trained as professionals in some way.

Non-formal learning – Organized (even if it is only loosely organized), may or may not be guided by a formal curriculum. This type of education may be led by a qualified teacher or by a leader with more experience. Though it doesn’t result in a formal degree or diploma, non-formal education is highly enriching and builds an individual’s skills and capacities. Continuing education courses are an example for adults. Girl guides and boy scouts are an example for children. It is often considered more engaging, as the learner’s interest is a driving force behind their participation.

Informal learning – No formal curriculum and no credits earned. The teacher is simply someone with more experience such as a parent, grandparent or a friend. A father teaching his child to play catch or a babysitter teaching a child their ABC’s is an example of informal education.

These may be overly simplified explanations. There are times when the lines between each type of learning get blurred, as well. It isn’t always as cut and dry as it seems, but these definitions give you a general idea of each type of learning.

If you’re interested, the two reports (one I wrote and the other I co-authored), they have been archived in 3 countries are available free of charge. There are links to the full reports here:

Formal, Non-formal and Informal Learning in the Sciences http://wp.me/pNAh3-gX

Formal, non-formal and informal learning: The case of literacy and language learning in Canada http://wp.me/pNAh3-C

Related posts:

Formal, Non-formal and Informal Learning (Infographic) https://wp.me/pNAh3-266

Formal, non-formal and informal learning: The case of literacy and language learning in Canada

Formal, Non-formal and Informal Learning: A podcast

Breathtaking Impact of Volunteers’ Contribution to Non-formal and Informal Literacy Education in Alberta

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Free, online resources on how to take notes in university

October 4, 2010

Know someone in university or college who struggles with note taking? Here are a few excellent free, online resources that offer practical tips, strategies and advice.

Taking Class and Lecture notes
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/notes.html
Dartmouth College site on note taking. Scroll to the bottom of the page for even more resources.

Note Taking Skills from Lectures and Readings
http://education.exeter.ac.uk/dll/studyskills/note_taking_skills.htm
Exeter University (U.K.) page on taking good notes. There are other links directly under the main title of the article to related pages. Good stuff here.

Taking and making notes
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/students/academic/Studysupport/Takingandmakingnotes/
Page from St. Andrew’s University (UK). I like this page because it takes a strength-based approach to note-taking.

Taking notes from Textbooks
http://www.athabascau.ca/counselling/whats_in_it_for_me.php
University of Athabasca page on how to take notes from textbook. Very practical advice on how to get the most out of your textbooks.

Note taking at University
http://lss.info.yorku.ca/resources/note-taking-at-university/
This page is a little text-heavy and definitely worth the time. It’s jam-packed full of useful strategies for note taking.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Are you waiting for the good old days?

August 20, 2010

Remember the good old days of funding, back when classes were small, classrooms were well-stocked, teachers were paid well and education was well funded? When was that exactly? If we think back, probably that time, if it ever existed was back in the 1970s or so.

By the mid-1980’s, massive cutbacks to education began across the developed world. In Canada in the U.S. the phrase “cost recovery programs” was introduced, meaning that courses such as those offered by continuing education branches of large public educational institutions and boards. In the UK, education changed dramatically under Margaret Thatcher. Class sizes grew. Morale among teachers dropped. Salaries stayed the same, as wage freezes took effect.

Do you still wish for the days before all the changes? I hate to break it to you, but they’re not coming back. There are fewer and fewer full-time positions available in all job sectors now. Outsourcing to countries where labor costs are much less expensive is taking over the world at a rapid pace. Educational experiences online are budding right through the traditional brick-and-mortar institutions.

The question is, what do we do now? I’d argue that the trick is to think forwards instead of backwards. Look around and assess what you really have in the 21st century. More teachers than every have graduate degrees. Classrooms are more technologically advanced than they have ever been. Children love to learn and play just as much as they ever did. And most of them can’t relate to those “good old days” because what exists today is the norm for them.

If we assess the current situation with a view to valuing what we have today, it shifts our perspective, putting us in a space of possibility and expanding horizons, rather than a black hole that sucks in your energy, your spirit and your love of teaching.

The question is not “How do we get our funding back?” but rather “How do we maximize the tremendous resources we have in terms of wisdom, knowledge, experience and potential to ensure that our students have the best experience we can give them today?”

The greatest gift we can give our children and our students is a future full of possibility, curiosity, creativity and compassion for their fellow humans. To do so, requires forward thinking and a commitment to make it happen for them.

What are you waiting for?

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Formal, Non-formal and Informal Learning in the Sciences

August 18, 2010

A few months ago I shared a research report called Formal, non-formal and informal learning: The case of literacy and language learning in Canada. Following that report, I began working with a geophysicist, Heather L. Ainsworth, who also had interest in learning contexts. We collaborated and together we researched, wrote and published a companion report that took the same concepts of formal, non-formal and informal learning and applied them to science and engineering. The result was this companion report, which we co-authored.

View this document on Scribd

Formal, Non-formal and Informal Learning in the Sciences (July, 2010)

ISBN: 978-0-9733594-5-9

Formal abstract: This research report investigates the links between formal, non-formal and informal learning and the differences between them. In particular, the report aims to link these notions of learning to the field of sciences and engineering in Canada and the United States, including professional development of adults working in these fields. It offers practical, concrete examples as well as a conceptual framework for understanding formal, non-formal and informal learning. It offers examples of how all three types of learning are valued in the fields of science and engineering in both educational and professional contexts. It also discusses science literacy, what it is and how popular media is elevating science literacy in general. This is a companion report to “Formal, Non-formal and Informal Learning: The Case of Language Learning and Literacy in Canada” (February, 2010).

Full-text copies of this report may be downloaded from:

National Library of Canada Online Archives (Note: This link works in Explorer and Firefox.)

Related posts:

Formal, Non-formal and Informal Learning (Infographic) https://wp.me/pNAh3-266

Formal, non-formal and informal learning: The case of literacy and language learning in Canada

Formal, non-formal and informal education: What Are the Differences?

Formal, Non-formal and Informal Learning: A podcast

Breathtaking Impact of Volunteers’ Contribution to Non-formal and Informal Literacy Education in Alberta

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Tweet or Share this article: Formal, Non-formal and Informal Learning in the Sciences http://wp.me/pNAh3-gX

Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on Formal, Non-formal and Informal Learning in the Sciences | education, research, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Language schools and Facebook: Just do it

March 26, 2010

Recently a colleague (someone whom I respect very much) told me that as far as social media goes, she has a “Just say no” policy. She claims it would take up too much of her time if she “did Facebook”. I felt like jumping across the table at the restaurant where we were enjoying lunch and strangling her.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a big fan of social media. But me being a fan of it means nothing and that’s not why anyone should explore it. There is a one good simple reason why language programs should have an online presence, including a Facebook page. It is this: If you’re marketing something, you need to “be” where your prospective students are.

I have a client who runs an adventure language learning school in Europe. I’ve suggested to him that he focus his marketing efforts on finding students who are already into the adventure lifestyle. He’ll probably get more traction at outdoor expos than he will at a traditional language fair. He wants to “be” where his students are. He’s also looking at online marketing, and rightly so.

Why? Because his learners are young people, aged 18-25. And where are those folks? They’re on line. This age group rules the Internet. In particular, they’re on Facebook.

My adventure language learning school owner has it right, folks. If you’re marketing to 18-25 year olds, you don’t just want a website. You want an entire online presence that includes a Facebook page.

This means a Facebook page, at the very least. Don’t know how to get one? It’s easy and it’s free. I’ll give you an example. Here’s my company page: http://www.facebook.com/EatonInternationalConsulting

I’m not offering that up as shameless self-promotion, but rather to make it easy for you. On the bottom left hand side of the page there’s a link that says, “Create a page for my business”. Click on it. Make a page for your school.

See? Wasn’t that simple? 10 minutes of your time increases your online presence.

When you’re done that, send a note out to all your current and past students, asking them to become fans of your page. Yes, ask. It’s not cheesy. It’s how it’s done. Being a “fan” of someone’s FB page is code for “I think these folks are all right and I’m happy to be part of their community and support them”. (By the way, since I believe in practicing what I preach, why don’t you become a fan of my FB page while you’re there?)

Hopefully you already have a Facebook account for yourself and your students are your friends. If not, get yourself an account. Keep it professional. Search for a few student names and start adding friends. The term “friend” on Facebook can be your actual real, live friends and they can also be customers, business contacts and others. I keep my Facebook page fairly neutral and don’t mind if colleagues and former students are friends. It’s a good way to stay in touch.

If you go onto Facebook and do a search for groups using the term “language schools”, the results may surprise you. There are businesses listed who have hundreds of fans. Who are all these fans? Their current and former students, of course! The students use the school’s page as a place to post photos and exchange messages. It creates a hive of online activity, led in a large part by the students themselves. This is pretty much the perfect low-cost, high-impact marketing and promotion I am a big fan of.

When you’ve got your FB page, send me a note or drop me a comment on the blog and I’ll become a fan of your page. Why? Because I am way more of a “Just do it” kind of girl than my colleague in the restaurant. That is to say, when “just do it” is good for you, of course. When it comes to marketing it is definitely good to “do Facebook”.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

4 Comments | education, languages, marketing, youth | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

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