The role of informal education in academic success by Orlando

The role of informal education in academic success by Orlando - June 2024 Scholarship Essay

Education is often seen through the lens of formal structures: educational institutions, training academies, programs, and assessments such as schools, universities, curriculums, and standardized tests. But this is where informal education—acquisition of knowledge through experience and training services outside the classroom—cannot be overlooked. Informal education has been described by researchers as any experiences learners get from family or friends, observation, self-enrollment, leisure, hobbies, and other activities in which learners are not enrolled in any educational institutions. In this essay, I shall demonstrate how informal education has played a very important role in shaping me for success in my education by receiving essential skills, knowledge and attitudes that separate formal education from presenting.

It should be noted that in my early childhood, informal education has served as one of the rationales for developing curiosity and my overall intellect. I learned in my first classroom about the dynamic of the family interactions. My parents did not go to school to become teachers but made sure I began liking stories by having them read to me time and again from a young age, and this got me interested in Language and ANarration and thus my reading and writing skills are greatly enhanced. These were not just stories, it was a teaching of understanding the consequence of our actions, the difference between right and wrong, and the challenges of social interactions.

In the same way, experiences I enjoyed in hobbies such as learning to play music instruments and playing sports are all ways the help me learn values like respect, punctuality, and perseverance among others. For instance, learning to play the piano involved a concentration and consistent practice that paralleled the effort that students needed to put in their academic assignments. The feeling of satisfaction of having learnt how to play challenging moves in a musical system was equally translated into confidence; a belief that hard work yields positive returns—an asset that is particularly valuable in academic processes.

In my opinion, informal education and experience-based learning, especially problem-solving skills that enable success in the school, provide benefits. Just for instance, I believe constructing models and carrying out simple science projects at home, or even arguing with my family about affairs in the society assisted me in developing skills in critical and analytical thinking.

These activities entailed a development of a study question, an experiment to respond to the question, an observation of the responses, and drawing conclusions, thus conforming to the scientific method of learning rightfully practiced in educational institutions.

In addition, I engaged with several community service and volunteering activities so I was able to experience real-life issues and learn from different people. The practical experience of being involved in community service, for instance, participating in project development like neighborhood cleaning or being a teacher for younger children, was insightful in project management, team work and leadership. These experiences have provided me with valuable training in methodically planning and completing academic projects alongside fellow students, resulting in better academic performance.

Perhaps, the greatest thing that informal education brings when it comes to issue and affect the learners is the creation of passion to learn throughout life. Informal learning may come as a part of work, through practices such as apprenticeship or mentoring; however, it differs from formal learning in that the learning process is not as controlled and may be self-motivated out of interest. It increases the bandwidth of how the ideas can be organized and understood – this kind of autonomy in learning promotes a richer interaction with the materials at hand.

For example, my interest in astronomy after watching a number of movies and documentaries about the stars and the nights’ sky made me read more about them, the universe and the planets, and space travel. In particular, I not only gained much extra knowledge and expertise beyond those being studied at school but also realized how this knowledge is being acquired independently, which is a valuable skill in academic research and academic life in general.

And as such, informal education also acts as a link and help in providing relieves for any gaps formed education systems. Often the information provided in school curriculums does not encompass much of that topic or is too narrow and does not suit the learning style of everyone in the class. This type of education is excellent for the reason that it offers the latitude to study topics that are not typically taught in school. For example, my passion for coding and anything related to technology was fostered years back via online tutorials, coding boot camps, and participation in tech clubs, none of which was offered as a course or extra curriculum activity in my school at that time. These additional nights of coursework were very helpful as they provided me with a substantial amount of knowledge and skills to excel in computer science classes and projects.

As a result, informal education has been a strong pillar in the academic achievement of the goals and objectives in line with endorsing the goals of the learning attained through formal education. As a result of informal education helping in building of the basics; improvement of analytical skills, Love for learning, and Meeting education gaps, I consider it a sound platform for my learning and personal development. These attributes combine with the general knowledge and lessons acquired during informal education to not only boost my academic performance but also enhance the kind of person I have grown into;more curious, disciplined and empathetic person. It is necessary to note that with the development of education, the value and bringing in of informal learning will remain crucial to shape the learner’s knowledge.