Non-formal education in the preparation of seniors to foreign mobility
Eva Olteanu, manager of international projects at the Zamolxes Foundation in Campina Romania
Non-formal education activities are complementary to the formal education system, have a participative and learner-centred approach, are carried out on a voluntary basis and are therefore connected to the seniors’ needs, aspirations and interests. In non-formal education, the process of learning is a communicative and cooperative activity where students, together with others, acquire knowledge. Communicative activities is what students need in order to gain self-trust and become successful. Learning cannot be limited exclusively to formal processes tasking place in schools and universities. Learning goes on in these institutions as well as in daily life and also comprises, besides the formal ones, non-formal processes. Learning lasts a lifetime and is not tied only to formal institutions. One thing is certain: none of the forms of education cannot be neglected; both are contributing to the formation and development of the students’ personality.
It is also worth paying attention to the social and civic development of Seniors, encourage them to „leave home” (from their comfort zone) and participate in the life of their local community.
Teaching seniors is very different from teaching young learners. Therefore, our job must be to provoke their engagement with material which is relevant and involving for them. We need to design activities according to the seniors’ interests, we need to find topics they can react to and are most likely to natural reactions and lively discussions. We should encourage our seniors to have their own opinions and to think critically about what they are learning.
The education of children and youth also differs from adult education (formal and non-formal) in that during the adult education process we can refer to their (seniors’) life, professional and social experience.
We need to encourage them to take responsibility for their own decisions and their learning. Communicative activities are meant to get seniors to use the vocabulary they are learning to interact in realistic and meaningful ways, exchanging information or opinion.
For the non-formal courses we will implement 3 meetings with the seniors to prepare them with the basic English knowledge they will need for the cultural exchange. The courses will be structured as following:
- The first course will be an introduction to the topic of the exchange, to the partner organisation and to each other. Participants will learn greeting formulas and how to introduce themselves in English.
- The second course will be focused on the polish culture and the seniors will get acquainted with most used words when talking about a new culture.
- For the third meeting, participants will learn more about presenting their own culture in front of a public, in English.
All the courses will be based on non formal workshops. We will integrate working methods that will appeal to their interests. For that we will keep it simple, we will use visual aids (Pictures and other visual aids are extremely helpful because non-native speakers do not have the same reference points as native speakers), we will avoid long lectures and we will give them enough time to practice in smaller groups or with each other.
The joint singing of the participants will also be an important element – it aims at integration and artistic expression, stimulates openness and emotions, and even gives spiritual experiences. It is also important incorporate elements of dance for similar reasons as singing – plus movement is health. Taking care of health is important at any age, especially in the elderly.