ASSIGNMENT TOPIC : INFORMAL LEARNING CONTEXTS

By,

AHULYA.D.K

PHYSICAL SCIENCE

ROLL:NO: 3

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K U C T E, KULAKKADA

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INDEX INTRODUCTION HISTORY CHARACTERIZATIONS OPPERTUNITIES PROVIDED BY INFORMAL LEARNING

SETTINGS INFORMAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND EXAMPLES PARK MUSEUM HISTORICAL MONUMENTS PLAY GROUND PLANETARIUM ANERT CONCLUSION REFERENCES

INTRODUCTION3

Science learning in informal contexts differs from learning in formal contexts, such as classrooms or laboratories, in many respects . Squire and Patterson compared some of the key differences related to the use of games for learning in the two different contexts . The authors caution that comparing these differences along particular dimensions (such as how time is structured) is not intended to put informal contexts “in response” to formal contexts; informal contexts may be as important as formal settings in people’s attitudes toward and experience of science . They also note that formal educational contexts may vary considerably. Nevertheless, in general, informal science educators have more freedom than formal science educators in the science learning goals they pursue, how they pursue them, and the extent to which they need to appeal to audiences that can choose how to spend their time.

Informal contexts for science learning with simulations and games are diverse, varying along a number of dimensions, including the physical setting

HISTORY

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In international discussions, the concept of informal learning, already used by John Dewey at an early stage and later on by Malcolm Knowles, experienced a renaissance, especially in the context of development policy. At first, informal learning was only delimited from formal school learning and nonformal learning in courses (Coombs/Achmed 1974). Marsick and Watkins take up this approach and go one step further in their definition. They, too, begin with the organizational form of learning and call those learning processes informal which are non-formal or not formally organized and are not financed by institutions (Watkins/Marsick.). 12 An example for a wider approach is Livingstone's definition which is oriented towards autodidactic and self-directed learning and places special emphasis on the self-definition of the learning process by the learner

CHARACTERIZATIONS

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Informal learning can be characterized as follows:

It usually takes place outside educational

establishments;

It does not follow a specified curriculum and is not

often professionally organized but rather originates

accidentally, sporadically, in association with certain

occasions, from changing practical requirements;

It is not necessarily planned pedagogically,

systematically according to fixed subjects, test and

qualification-oriented but rather, either unconsciously

incidental or consciously intended intuition, holistically

problem-related, and related to actual situations and

fitness for life;

It is experienced directly in its "natural" function of

everyday life.

It is often spontaneous and creative

OPPERTUNITIES PROVIDED BY

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INFORMAL LEARNING

Squire and Patterson (2009) observe that informal science educators are largely free to pursue a variety of science learning goals, from increasing ethnic diversity among scientists, to increasing interest in science careers, to increasing the scientific literacy of the general population. This diversity in goals, together with the diversity of informal learning contexts, presents both an opportunity and a challenge. The opportunity is that educational game designers are free to create experiences that appeal to individual students’ interests or span home, school, and after-school contexts. At the same time, however, this diversity of goals, contexts, and methods for reaching those goals makes for a fragmented field.

INFORMAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND

EXAMPLESInformal knowledge is information that has not been externalized or captured and the primary locus of the knowledge may be inside someone's head. For example, in the cause of language acquisition, a mother may teach a child basic concepts of grammar and language at home, prior to the child entering a formal education system. In such a case, the mother has a tacit understanding of language structures, syntax and morphology, but she may not be explicitly aware of what these are Other examples of informal knowledge transfer include instant messaging, a

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spontaneous meeting on the Internet, a phone call to someone who has information you need, a live one-time-only sales meeting introducing a new product, a chat-room in real time, a chance meeting by the water cooler, a scheduled Web-based meeting with a real-time agenda, a tech walking you through a repair process, or a meeting with your assigned mentor or manager.

PARK

A park is an area of open space provided for recreational use. It can be in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and is set aside for human enjoyment or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas, but may also contain buildings and other artifacts such as play grounds. Many natural parks are protected by law.

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MUSEUM

. A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic,cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities throughout the world and more local ones exist in smaller cities, towns and even the countryside. Museums have varying aims, ranging from serving researchers and specialists to serving the general public. The continuing acceleration in the digitization of information, combined with the increasing capacity of digital information storage, is causing the traditional model of museums to expand to include virtual exhibits and high-resolution images of their collections for perusal, study, and exploration from any place with Internet.The city with the largest number of museums is Mexico City with over 128 museums.

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According to The World Museum Community, there are more than 55,000 museums in 202 countries

HISTORICAL MONUMENT

A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event, or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or as an example of historic architecture. The term 'monument' is often applied to buildings or structures that are considered examples of important architectural and/or cultural heritage.

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EIFFEL TOWER PYRAMID

PLAY GROUND

A playground, playpark, or play area is a place with a specific design to allow children to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some playgrounds are designed for other age groups Modern playgrounds often have recreational equipment such as the seesaw, merry-go-round, swingset, slide, junglegym, chin-up bars,sandbox, spring rider, monkey bars, overhead ladder, trapeze rings, playhouses, and mazes, many of which help children develop physical coordination, strength, and flexibility, as well as providing recreation and enjoyment

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PLNETARIUM

A planetarium  is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows aboutastronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. A dominant feature of most planetaria is the large dome-shaped projection screen onto which scenes of stars, planets and other celestial objects can be made to appear and move realistically to simulate the complex 'motions of the heavens'. The celestial scenes can be created using a wide variety of technologies, for example precision-engineered 'star balls' that combine optical and electro-mechanical technology, slide projector, video and fulldome projector systems, and lasers. Whatever technologies are used, the objective is normally to link them together to provide an accurate relative motion of the sky

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ANERTAgency for Non-conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT) is an organisation working under Government of Kerala, in Kerala, India, for gathering and disseminating knowledge about non-conventional energy, energy conservation and rural technology. The organisation was established in 1985 with headquarters atThiruvananthapuram.

CONCLUSIONInformal learning is, by default, any learning that is not formal learning or non-formal learning. Informal learning is organized differently than formal and non-formal learning because it has no set objective in terms of learning outcomes and is never intentional from the learner’s standpoint. Often it is referred to as learning by experience or just as experience. For all learners this includes heuristic language building, socialization, inculturation, and play

REFERENCES WWW.Informal learning contexts.com Wikipedia. Informal learning contexts Education in emerging Indian society

-Dr.Sivarajan14

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