ERIC ED521841: Nonformal Education Manual. Information Collection and Exchange Publication No. M0042

2004·6 MB·English

by  ERIC

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Peace
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ICE
Number
M0042
Information Collection and Exchange
Publication No. M0042
Information Collection and Exchange
The Peace Corps Information Collection and Exchange (ICE), a unit of the Office of
Overseas Programming and Training Support (OPATS), makes available the strategies
and technologies developed by Peace Corps Volunteers, their co-workers, and their
counterparts to development organizations and workers who might find them useful.
ICE works with Peace Corps technical and training specialists to identify and develop
information of all kinds to support Volunteers and overseas staff. ICE also collects
and disseminates training guides, curricula, lesson plans, project reports, manuals,
and other Peace Corps-generated materials developed in the field. Some materials are
reprinted “as is”; others provide a source of field-based information for the production
of manuals or for research in particular program areas. Materials that you submit to
ICE become part of the Peace Corps’ larger contribution to development.
This publication was produced by Peace Corps OPATS. It is distributed through the
ICE unit. For further information about ICE materials (periodicals, books, videos, etc.)
and information services, or for additional copies of this manual, please contact ICE
and refer to the ICE catalog number that appears on the publication.
Peace Corps
Office of Overseas Programming and Training Support
Information Collection and Exchange
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Washington, DC 20526
Tel: [phone]
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Abridged Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) Number: 374
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Add your experience to the ICE Resource Center. Send your materials to us so we can
share them with other development workers. Your technical insights serve as the basis for
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available to you and your fellow development workers.
NoNformal
EducatioN
(NfE)
maNual
PEacE corPs
2004
information collection and Exchange
Publication No. m0042
reprinted _______________
i
Nonformal Education
ii
Peace corps
coNtENts
ackNowlEdgmENts ........................................................................................................iv
iNtroductioN ......................................................................................................................v
chaPtEr oNE
What is Nonformal Education? ................................................................................................1
chaPtEr two
Assessing the Situation and Defining your NFE Approach ...................................................20
chaPtEr thrEE
Learning Activities: From Assessment to Evaluation ............................................................42
chaPtEr four
Creating an Effective Learning Environment ........................................................................65
chaPtEr fivE
Matching Learning Methods to Learning Objectives and Audience .....................................84
chaPtEr six
Creating or Adapting Materials from Local Resources .......................................................122
chaPtEr sEvEN
Bringing It All Together .......................................................................................................144
aPPENdicEs .......................................................................................................................157
iii
Nonformal Education
ackNowlEdgmENts
The content of Nonformal Education is grounded in the theory and practice of some of the great
educational thinkers of our time including Paolo Freire, Howard Gardner, David Kolb, Malcolm
Knowles and Bernice McCarthy. This new manual includes information from the previous Peace
Corps publications, The Nonformal Education Manual (ICE No. M0042) and The Nonformal
Education Training Module (ICE No. T0064) as well as current research from the field of educa-
tion. In addition to presenting the most current research and thinking in the field of education, the
manual also includes field-tested ideas, activities and tips drawn from the experiences of Peace
Corps Volunteers and staff around the world.
The Peace Corps recognizes and appreciates the work from the field, contractor, and education
specialist and other headquarters staff that made this new publication possible. Gratitude is also
expressed to the various writers and publishers who gave permission to reprint and adapt their
materials.
iv
Peace corps
INtroductIoN
Why a MaNual oN
NoNforMal EducatIoN?
Whether or not you have heard the term nonformal education (NFE) prior
to joining Peace Corps, as a Volunteer you will engage in NFE in some
way throughout your service. In fact, teachers, extension agents, small
business experts, health workers, agricultural specialists—indeed, most people
who are involved in “development” in any way—are involved in the sharing
of skills and knowledge or changing attitudes, and as such, are engaged in
some degree of nonformal education. At the root of NFE is a participatory,
grassroots approach to helping people to clarify and address their own
needs. In many ways, NFE goes to the heart of what it means to be a
Peace Corps Volunteer—a respect for local knowledge, a faith in the wis-
dom of the people, and a humble awareness of one’s own strengths, gifts,
and challenges.
This manual is intended to provide both practical skills for engaging in
nonformal education and some underlying theory to help you define and
develop your own approach to NFE. Based on two previously published
Peace Corps resources, Nonformal Education Manual (ICE No. M0042)
and Nonformal Education Training Module (ICE No. T0064), this resource
represents a combination and elaboration of those manuals to bring together
the best thinking from the past with the most current approaches in the
field of NFE.
Who Is thIs rEsourcE for?
The most obvious audiences for this manual are education Volunteers and those agriculture, business
development, environment, health, youth development, and other Volunteers who are called upon to facili-
tate learning activities in their work, whether for in-school or out-of-school youth, colleagues or other
adults. This manual includes ideas for those Volunteers who require theory and practical skills to conduct
training workshops and learning activities in their communities and schools. However, NFE is more than
an approach to training and session design; and as such, the reach of this manual extends far beyond those
leading NFE sessions. NFE provides a powerful philosophy and an effective approach for identifying and
creating learning opportunities and facilitating change in a community; therefore, it is an important tool
for any Volunteer.
v
Nonformal Education
In addition to Volunteers, many other groups will find this manual useful in their work:
● Host country national (HCN) counterparts, including
teachers, health workers, agriculture extension agents,
business advisors, community leaders, and anyone wishing
to work on individual or community development, using
respectful, participatory approaches.
● Peace Corps training staff who wish to train Volunteers in
nonformal education techniques and approaches, or who
want to enhance the NFE aspects of their own facilitation
styles.
● Associate Peace Corps Directors (APCDs) who may wish
to model NFE approaches for Volunteers and trainees in
their projects.
orgaNIzatIoN of Each chaPtEr
Each chapter builds on the theories and activities of the others, so there is some benefit to reading the text
from start to finish. But each chapter may also be read as a stand-alone module. Whether you choose
to read the book from cover to cover or decide to skim through it for topics that are of particular interest
to you, we hope that you will find theories, activities, techniques, suggestions, and lessons learned from
other Volunteers, to guide you in developing your own unique approach to NFE.
PrE-rEadINg stratEgy
assess your Knowledge, skills, and attitudes
Each chapter begins with a table that outlines the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that you
should have to be effective in the capacity described in that chapter. Beneath each KSA, there
is a space for you to evaluate your current knowledge, skills, and attitudes, along with an
opportunity to create a learning plan to address any gaps in your KSAs.
rEadINg
This section of each chapter provides important concepts and theories along with vignettes and
“lessons learned” about the experiences of Volunteers and HCN counterparts.
IdEas aNd aPPlIcatIoNs
Each chapter contains activities to help you practice NFE in training, in your community, or
at work. Use the ideas in each of these sections to explore NFE approaches and to develop
your own particular style. This section closes with a list of reflective questions to help you
process the information.
KEy rEsourcEs
A number of ICE publications, books, and online resources are listed at the end of each chapter
to guide your further study of any of the concepts provided in the text. These resources can
help you if you find that you still need to work on any of the KSAs after you have read
the chapter.
vi
Peace corps
chaptEr 
What is NoNformal EducatioN?
iN this chaptEr
prE-rEadiNg stratEgy ................................................................................................2
Assess your Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes ....................................................................2
rEadiNg ...................................................................................................................................3
NFE in Action: Peace Corps’ Application of Nonformal Education ................................3
Formal, Nonformal, and Informal Education .......................................................................4
Basic Concepts of Adult Learning Theory ..........................................................................9
Working with Youth ..............................................................................................................11
NFE and CCBI in the Formal Education System .............................................................11
Asset-Based and Problem-Based Approaches ....................................................................12
Facilitation Basics ................................................................................................................14
idEas aNd applicatioNs .........................................................................................15
What Type of Education Is It? ...........................................................................................15
Reflect on Your Own Experiences with Nonformal Education .......................................16
Practice Nonformal Education in Your New Culture .......................................................17
KEy rEsourcEs ................................................................................................................18

Nonformal Education
prE-rEadiNg
stratEgy
assess your Knowledge, skills, and attitude
The chart below provides you with an overview of the content of this chapter, a chance to reflect on
what you already know, and a place to identify those concepts, skills, and attitudes that you want to
learn, enhance, or improve.
Before reading the chapter, spend a few minutes with this chart.
. Review the knowledge, skills, and attitudes listed.
. Note those you already feel confident about in the row entitled “Your strengths.”
3. Note those you wish to study more in the “Your plans to learn more” row. Then use the materials
and activities in the chapter to learn in ways that are stimulating and meaningful to you.

Your strengths
Your plans to
learn more


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