Interviews with 20 women in governmental and nongovernmental organizations in Rio de Janeiro revealed the following: (1) formal education programs lacked courses on gender issues; (2) nonformal education was a potential source of gender awareness; and (3) informal education was the main source of gender awareness. (SK)

A survey of 16 Australian clinical nurse consultants showed they spent substantial time in informal teaching, but only 3% of it is recorded as limited educational activity for accountability purposes. However, a survey of 58 nurses taught by the consultants demonstrates the gains derived from informal education. (SK)

Interviews with 24 people depicted the formation of meaningful learning relationships in their lives and an interpretation of mentoring as a learning alliance. Most mentoring took place outside formal settings and was characterized by equality and emotional ties. Mentoring should be considered as valuable as formal teaching for the promotion of…

Dominant discourse about participation in adult education assumes that (1) participation is good; (2) participation equates with formal learning; (3) learners are individuals, abstracted from their social context; and (4) there are barriers to participation, not resistance. These assumptions obscure issues about informal learning, collective…

Describes an informal teaching approach for elementary school students at zoos. (YDS)

Draws parallels between the processes outlined in a British government green paper and the processes of experiential learning and community development in a preparation program for community and youth workers. The value of using experience as a basis for learning and the importance of reflection to turn experience into learning were highlighted.…

In a Canadian survey of informal learning (n=1,562) and a follow-up (n=328), unpaid work, informal learning, and job-related learning were extensive. Despite considerable underemployment, respondents still pursued learning that prepared them for work. (Contains 29 references.) (SK)

Today's educational environment forms the stage for a host of debates, many of which centre on the use of standardized assessment in the classroom. With this push towards standardization, less time is being devoted to incorporating 'experiential' knowledge, or that knowledge which comes from hands-on, travel, natural and other worldly experiences,…

Artists have a long portfolio tradition. Some start to put together their portfolios before they have had any formal training or even before they have any notion of becoming an artist. They simply begin to collect and organize their work, sharing it from time to time with family and friends, perhaps as an occasional exhibition. Later, in the…

This paper introduces the significant body of research on everyday literacies that has developed over the last 20 years and links it with the concerns of those working in the field of lifelong learning. It starts by briefly introducing debates about adult informal learning. It goes on to discuss ethnographic and interview studies of everyday…

Informal education can augment science classroom instruction and draw students to careers in science. The science and engineering expo, created by the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), is a high-impact, inquiry-based, informal-education experience that can be replicated. It engages a broad range of students in…

The current paper outlines a unique marketing perspective that prevails in some informal education institutions in Israel parallel with "traditional modes of marketing", such as promotion, public relations and the like. Based on a case study research in five community centres, a service development based on active participation of the…

Located on the U.S./México border, The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) offers academic programs in K-12 school teacher preparation. Many of the courses integrate parents and families into teacher preparation courses. One example of effective adult/community learning is the "Parent Power Night" (PPN) component. This model builds a…

This article argues that whilst there have been substantial advancements in the ways in which learning is conceptualised, theoretical understandings of assessment, and practices that contribute to meaningful statements of learners' achievements, have not mirrored these changes in certain learning contexts. The authors challenge contemporary…

This paper takes a descriptive look at Community Science Workshops (CSWs). This paper discusses what CSW is, how it arose and spread, how local CSWs are structured and led, and what programs and experiences they offer to youth. (Contains 2 footnotes.)