Informal, Nonformal, or Free-Choice Education and Learning? Toward a Common Terminology for Agriscience and Ag-STEM Educators
Education professionals must re-examine the use of labels for education and learning in diverse settings in light of new understandings of how people learn and updated goals for broader interdisciplinary work. The varied use of the terms informal education, nonformal education, and formal education...
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Mississippi State University
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doaj-7b45eae5da6a41d18ac3ff63a394ef302020-11-25T02:14:46ZengMississippi State UniversityJournal of Human Sciences and Extension2325-52262325-52262015-02-0131125134Informal, Nonformal, or Free-Choice Education and Learning? Toward a Common Terminology for Agriscience and Ag-STEM EducatorsKathryn A. Stofer0University of FloridaEducation professionals must re-examine the use of labels for education and learning in diverse settings in light of new understandings of how people learn and updated goals for broader interdisciplinary work. The varied use of the terms informal education, nonformal education, and formal education draw distinctions that serve to divide, not unite, those working to support a wide variety of learners for similar agriscience education goals. What in Extension education is nonformal learning is informal learning in science education. Juxtaposing informal learning or nonformal learning with formal learning also serves, in the eyes of some outside the profession, to devalue the learning that actually predominates human learning, at least in terms of time and opportunity. Education privileges the facilitator, not the learner. One potential new term for consideration is free-choice learning. By breaking down silos, working across disciplinary boundaries, and embracing common terminology that puts the learner at the center, a profession of educators can better leverage resources, increase visibility, and ultimately, support constituents.http://media.wix.com/ugd/c8fe6e_a49625eb9a5440938f8a7f74b2dbc326.pdfinformal educationnonformal educationagriscience educationnonformal learningfree-choice learningscience educationagricultural educationExtension education |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Kathryn A. Stofer |
spellingShingle |
Kathryn A. Stofer Informal, Nonformal, or Free-Choice Education and Learning? Toward a Common Terminology for Agriscience and Ag-STEM Educators Journal of Human Sciences and Extension informal education nonformal education agriscience education nonformal learning free-choice learning science education agricultural education Extension education |
author_facet |
Kathryn A. Stofer |
author_sort |
Kathryn A. Stofer |
title |
Informal, Nonformal, or Free-Choice Education and Learning? Toward a Common Terminology for Agriscience and Ag-STEM Educators |
title_short |
Informal, Nonformal, or Free-Choice Education and Learning? Toward a Common Terminology for Agriscience and Ag-STEM Educators |
title_full |
Informal, Nonformal, or Free-Choice Education and Learning? Toward a Common Terminology for Agriscience and Ag-STEM Educators |
title_fullStr |
Informal, Nonformal, or Free-Choice Education and Learning? Toward a Common Terminology for Agriscience and Ag-STEM Educators |
title_full_unstemmed |
Informal, Nonformal, or Free-Choice Education and Learning? Toward a Common Terminology for Agriscience and Ag-STEM Educators |
title_sort |
informal, nonformal, or free-choice education and learning? toward a common terminology for agriscience and ag-stem educators |
publisher |
Mississippi State University |
series |
Journal of Human Sciences and Extension |
issn |
2325-5226 2325-5226 |
publishDate |
2015-02-01 |
description |
Education professionals must re-examine the use of labels for education and learning in diverse settings in light of new understandings of how people learn and updated goals for broader interdisciplinary work. The varied use of the terms informal education, nonformal education, and formal education draw distinctions that serve to divide, not unite, those working to support a wide variety of learners for similar agriscience education goals. What in Extension education is nonformal learning is informal learning in science education. Juxtaposing informal learning or nonformal learning with formal learning also serves, in the eyes of some outside the profession, to devalue the learning that actually predominates human learning, at least in terms of time and opportunity. Education privileges the facilitator, not the learner. One potential new term for consideration is free-choice learning. By breaking down silos, working across disciplinary boundaries, and embracing common terminology that puts the learner at the center, a profession of educators can better leverage resources, increase visibility, and ultimately, support constituents. |
topic |
informal education nonformal education agriscience education nonformal learning free-choice learning science education agricultural education Extension education |
url |
http://media.wix.com/ugd/c8fe6e_a49625eb9a5440938f8a7f74b2dbc326.pdf |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT kathrynastofer informalnonformalorfreechoiceeducationandlearningtowardacommonterminologyforagriscienceandagstemeducators |
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