INFORMAL LEARNING CONTEXT

IN TEACHING SCIENCE
- ILLUSTRATIVE NARRATION

GREESHMA.S.P

INFORMAL LEARNING

Any learning that is not formal or non-formal.

Organized differently.
No set objective in terms of learning outcomes.
Learning by experience.

In short,

most people, most of the time, learn

most of what they know outside the
class

 Places where motivation is internal

Helps students gaining cognitive emotional and
psychomotor behaviors.
Engage teachers in professional enhancement
that integrate professionalism, content and
pedagogy.
Students can improve their social skills.
Opportunity to use their sense organ.

NEED
Everyone picturizes a formal educational environment
for learning science.
Actually learn science continuously
museums, parks,
aquaria,
technology centers
play ground ,homes
etc..

Informal
education

CHARACTERISTICS
Never organized.
Highly motivated to learn.
Spontaneous.
No formal curriculum.
Difficult to quantify.

INFORMAL LEARNING
CONTEXTS

PARKS AND SCIENCE

MUSEUM
Park is an area of natural, semi
natural, or planted space that
set for
recreation or for
protection of wildlife and
natural habitat.
It contains monuments play
ground etc..
Museum is an institution that cares for the collection of
artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance and make
them available for public viewing.

 Foster both entertaining and educational outcomes.

These informal learning settings invite students to engage
in exhibits and activities.
Main objective is to help learners in understanding
concepts of science through play way method.

VIKRAM SARABHAI COMMUNITY

SCIENCE CENTRE(VSCSC)
Established in Ahmedabad in 1963 by
eminent scientist Dr. Vikram A Sarabai.
Chairman-Sam pitroda

Innovative strategies for teaching science

Scenario analysis based teaching.

Activities based in science principle.

Brain storming session.

Vision
Take students out of the rigid framework of textbook.
Encourage them to think ,explore and create.
Improving quality of science education in informal system
of education.
Provides variety of school activities in science for
teachers students and community.
Conducts innovative and research programs for
improving education.
By organizing seminars, film video shows ,exhibitions,
sky gazing through telescope.

SCIENCE CLUB
Learning by doing
Learn science without much effort.
Provide better comprehension of knowledge, crystalline their
cognition
Pursue science as a hobby.
Provide scientific attitude in students and enables them to
apply their knowledge in life situation.
Paper presentation, debates excursion etc. can improve their
scientific attitude.

SCIENCE FAIR AND

EXHIBITION
Conducts at least once in a year.
Talks by experts, film shows on scientific topics, debates,
magic shows, scientific plays can be organized.
Students take part in these activities learn informally.
It should develop intellectually, socially, psychologically
and educationally.

PLANETARIUM
It is a theater build primarily for education and
entertaining.
Shows about astronomy and night sky or training for
celestial navigation.
Feature- large projection screen on to which scenes of
stars ,planets and other celestial object made to appear
and move realistically.

Planetarium software's:
software that renders a three dimensional image of the
sky on to a two-dimensional computer screen.

MUSIC ROOM
Best method of informal learning
They choose themselves .
Which they already know and understand, like and enjoy
it.
District from formal educational settings.
Main idea is introduced to learners through music which
is selected by teacher.
By promoting traditional music education the aim is to
foster an appreciation to learning and thus build selfesteem.

PLAYGROUND
From play ground student can achieve exploring, risk
taking, absorption of vast amount of basic knowledge.
Child learned in a variety of ways.
Interesting and more effective.
Not only learn basic knowledge ,they are most likely to
learned because it was concrete and personally
meaningful

HISTORIC MONUMENTS
Wonderful model to teach.
Allows students to develop their thinking skills, reasoning
skills, historic thinking skills and interpretation.
These places can bring history alive in a very specific and
unique context.
Life long learning about human past.
These monuments represent past investment of physical
natural and intellectual resource, where archeological and
historic features already exists.

AGENCY FOR NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY

AND RURAL TECHNOLOGY (ANERT)
Autonomous organization established in 1986.
Under societies Act by Gov. of Kerala.
Now under power department.
Headquarters - Thiruvananthapuram.

Objective
Together and disseminate useful knowledge in various
fields in non-conventional energy.
Energy conservation &Rural technology

 Conducts studies.
Demonstrate implement and support implementation of
schemes and project in these fields.
Deals with the problem of rapid depletion of conventional
energy sources.
Update technologies in rural areas
Introduce new technology with an aim to reduce drudgery,
increase production and improve quality of life

 Agency is synonym for renewable source of energy and

energy conservation of the state.
Executive committee to provide guidelines for ANERTs
activities in various energy related areas.
Headed by director appointed by Gov.

AN ILLUSTRATIVE NARRATION
A child swing in a playground goes through a variety of
questions;
! How can I swing?
! how high I can swing?
! why the structure of swing is like this?.......
Here the child learn many facts in oscillation without the help
of any formal learning
Discovers these relationship with the natural world only by
experiencing it

 Develop thinking skills, activity behavior, inspiration and

creativity attitudes.
The cognitive learning they need to know how things worked,
be able to think through ideas, be able to handle, manipulate
and closely examine.
Remember social aspects through experiencing and
supporting.
Learn things through experiencing

CONCLUSION
Informal learning is more effective and fun.
Students become more enthusiastic to discover more things.

Role of teacher
Value these places as a source of rich learning
experiencing.
Motivates by connecting it with classroom curriculum

&social

Provides a general learning experience, exposure to new

learning experience.

QUESTIONS..?
? How informal learning helps in teaching science?
? Explain the role of any of the informal learning contexts?

REFERENCES...
Teaching science - Dr.Mariamma Mathew
Teaching of science R.C.Sharma