Comments on: Defining trouble with definitions http://www.nonformality.org/2010/01/defining-trouble/ Education & Learning Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:58:23 +0200 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Andreas http://www.nonformality.org/2010/01/defining-trouble/#comment-20535 Andreas Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:28:12 +0000 http://www.nonformality.org/?p=1624#comment-20535 <a href="http://www.nonformality.org/2009/11/defining-nonformal-learning/#comment-20455" rel="nofollow">As I said</a> in the discussion about the definition of non-formal education and learning: We facilitate participatory and learner-centred education with the noble aim to empower people, and our educational approach is therefore necessarily rooted in fair power relations between educators and learners. But without a clear definition the power leverage will always be on our side, it will always be in favour of the educator. Being learner-centred should also mean being able to clearly explain why and what we do and how – not after or during an educational experience, but before. Until we have a clear definition, we betray our own principles – we limit the participatory elements of the educational experience we provide. <strong>We do not quite walk the talk, do we?</strong> As I said in the discussion about the definition of non-formal education and learning:

We facilitate participatory and learner-centred education with the noble aim to empower people, and our educational approach is therefore necessarily rooted in fair power relations between educators and learners.

But without a clear definition the power leverage will always be on our side, it will always be in favour of the educator. Being learner-centred should also mean being able to clearly explain why and what we do and how – not after or during an educational experience, but before.

Until we have a clear definition, we betray our own principles – we limit the participatory elements of the educational experience we provide.

We do not quite walk the talk, do we?

]]> By: Bastian http://www.nonformality.org/2010/01/defining-trouble/#comment-20534 Bastian Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:33:25 +0000 http://www.nonformality.org/?p=1624#comment-20534 I think one of the rather important questions we should ask ourselves before we go into the exercise or hacking on words, fine-tuning meanings, sieve thru redundancies, etc. should be: Why?! What purpose has it to define non-formal education and for whom? Is it for within the 'szene', so we can debate with a better vocabulary and sharpen it's meaning to improve our praxis? Is it for 'outside', so we can describe within one minute what we do and what added value it has? Who wants the definition? I think the answer for that will bring us a step further to actually producing one. I think one of the rather important questions we should ask ourselves before we go into the exercise or hacking on words, fine-tuning meanings, sieve thru redundancies, etc. should be: Why?!
What purpose has it to define non-formal education and for whom? Is it for within the ‘szene’, so we can debate with a better vocabulary and sharpen it’s meaning to improve our praxis? Is it for ‘outside’, so we can describe within one minute what we do and what added value it has?

Who wants the definition? I think the answer for that will bring us a step further to actually producing one.

]]>