NF Learning: Recent Episodes
Imre Töviskes
I discuss with people about their connection to the non-formal part of education, the background they are come from and the project they are involved. This is not a professional, theoretical, scientific show but a friendly time for those who are interested in non-formal learning.
Dorota Bazuń, she came form the University of Zielona Góra what belongs to the elite group of 18 classical Polish universities. She is socilologist in the Department of Pedagogy, Psychology and Sociology
.The universities are well organised structures but not easy to involve new methods. But they have to change because the routine what they use is boring. All the other tools and communication channels used by students are interesting and colorfull, so the higher educítion should involve something what is different. The question is if we entertane in the classes is enough?
"Come to Dundee through a fertile country" as Robert Burns, Gery Roberts discovered Dundee alike - Lecturer at Dundee University - Youth work and Community Development. He is also a member of the CLD Standards Council Approval Committee. As you can find he is currently the BACLD Programme Director and has an integral role in making sure the programme runs smoothly and in accordance with the university's quality assurance. Gary's past employment and training has led him to become involved in community Learning and Development in particular adult learning and family learning. He have a lot of experiences, practice how the theory helps the practice. Do we have to be radical when we prepare youth/community workers not just to their profession but their career too? How do the non-formal methods are connected to the reality and how are they capable to prepare students to the reality? He have good answers, but be careful because if you know more you have more questions.
Halil Öz is a freelance international trainer & consultant. He have a lot of experiences in manager in local and international NGOs and he is understand the cultural differences with his ability to work in intercultural environments as excellent communication skills, empathy. His specialties are game development, project management, networking - public institutions and non-profit organisations. But now he is talking as the Head of Istanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Sosyal Kuluçka Merkezi - https://goo.gl/fVGYjP (Turkis) - Center for Civil Society Studies. It has been working with civil society stakeholders since 2003 under Istanbul Bilgi University. Its focus has been on right based issues and grass roots NGOs. Its expertise lies in capacity building and networking. You can find more in the brief summary of their activities between 2003 – 2016 - https://goo.gl/BV7RYd (Englis). We had a short discussion what a building, an office, a place for meetings means as a non-formal educational tool.
Elżbieta Kielak is from Polish Pool of trainers of Erasmus + and she is the coordinator of the Among Others project in Poland. This project started at 2010 in the Polish – German youth cooperation with experts, who are involved education of youth and use non formal methods. Now it is working with the Erasmus + program more wild framework. Several countries are involved as Poland, Check Republic, Hungary, United Kingdom, Ireland, Turkey and the newest is Latvia. The aim of the AO is applying non-formal methods as a way to develop intercultural competence in higher education. The program’s important part is to address the effects of multicultural processes on young people’s vision of the future. Our aim is a better understanding of challenges and potentials of national and international mobility. At 17-20. April 2018. Turkey gave the place to the 4th evaluation seminar in this international cooperation of non-formal education involved into higher education.
Interview with Ing. Lukáš Válek, PhD. from University of Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. He is Research Management Clerk, Dean's Office of the Faculty of Arts. We are talking about his experiences connected the non-formal methods in the education of economists. There is life out of the capitals! Why does an economist involve himself to volunteer activities and later on go back to the ivory tower? What is the best solution if you do not want to let your students to sleep on a project management class in the University? Why do the students need time to wake up from the shock when they meet the first questions they need to answer? Principles of management, managerial methods and a lot of topics are perfect to involve non-formal learning methods as a teaching tool. Sometimes the definitions are too dry to remember, but when the peers collect those ones together is easier to remember. Could you do a good training if you are not the biggest fun to be a participant’s one?
Pauline Grace as Masters Program Leader came from Newman University, Birmingham. Youth work has a really long history especially at United Kingdom. If you teach the students to the youth work it is almost impossible to do it without non-formal methods. Teaching the skill and the theory of youth work is based on the tools of none and informal learning. We have to move the students from a passive state to act and be active. Not easy to do it, because generally the students have told what to think, what to reaped and what to answer to the questions. The magic is how to relate the theory with the practice, when the light balls on. Is it the life an informal learning process? What the non-formal education could help through games and discussions to students to wilder their experiences and get to know themselves in an University?