Summary
Receiving an educational experience in non-traditional settings is a beneficial activity since it provides people with new perspectives and encourages them to strive for a better understanding of culture, science, art, and literature. In order to engage in education in a non-formal setting, I decided to visit the Vancouver Art Gallery website. One of the exhibitions presented on the gallery website that caught my attention was Art At Home. This recently launched project consists of several distinct activities designed to inspire family members to be creative at home. In my opinion, this exhibition is especially relevant during the pandemic when individuals spend a lot of time with their closest relatives.
By engaging in different art-making activities, such as hearts in windows and self-portraits, presented on by the Vancouver Art Gallery, my relatives and I could communicate and educate ourselves. While continually developing our skills in design and art creation, we had a chance to work as a team and enhance our relationships. Therefore, if this educational experience was formally assessed, we would not receive this amount of satisfaction from the process. We would focus on attaining the best individual result rather than cooperating, enjoying an activity, and understanding how art influences our daily life.
I would be happy to continue receiving this kind of educational experience in the future. This claim is based on the fact that gaining new knowledge in an informal setting helped me to receive satisfaction from learning and made me interested in art more than ever before. I had an opportunity to research the topic of art creation without feeling pressure from my educational institution and being afraid of getting a low grade. In addition, these activities contributed to the development of my relationships with relatives and advanced my leadership and communication skills. In case I had to do this activity again, I would definitely attract more of my friends because Art At Home is an excellent opportunity for intellectual and psychological development.
Short Paper
Even though everyone receives education in formal environments, such as schools, colleges, and universities, millions of people had an opportunity to gain the necessary knowledge in casual settings. These experiences include participating in volunteer programs, engaging in sports and arts, organizing various cultural events and other extracurricular activities. Personally, I have always wanted to receive more experience and enhance my leadership skills because having a college diploma is not enough for a successful life. Since early childhood, I have been practicing sports, took part in different competitions, and watched educational videos on YouTube and other platforms. In other words, I was continually involved in non-formal educational experiences that helped me to become a knowledgeable and skillful individual. Therefore, in the following paper, I would like to highlight the experience of communicating with people from foreign countries and how it contributed to my education.
In the contemporary world, different social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, give individuals the possibility to establish international relationships and learn about various cultures and traditions. As mentioned by Hua (2018), recent technological advancements connect people from different parts of the world and create opportunities for collaboration and learning. In addition, intercultural communication helps to break barriers and diminishes the tension between various societal groups (Hua, 2018). Thus, I always had a feeling that establishing international friendships can be advantageous for my education, awareness, and personal development.
For a few years already, I have been engaging with international people on my social media platforms. While I started following actors, media personalities, activists, and athletes, I also connected with ordinary people whose profiles seemed informative and interesting. By paying significant attention to the topics they cover in their posts and the issues that they talk about, I became aware of different processes happening in the world and critical societal issues. Furthermore, I initiated conversations with some people and showed my interest in learning more about them and their countries’ histories and traditions. It is essential for me to be educated about the differences and similarities we have and spread knowledge about them to my friends and peers. Besides, by sharing my perspectives on different controversial topics, I feel like I also have something to bring to the table. I provide my personal perspectives on the same issues and, as a result, educate my international friends about my culture and views.
While comparing this learning environment with the formal educational setting, it can be stated that the difference is enormous. One of the advantages of communicating with people on social media platforms is that you can learn about their experiences firsthand and, therefore, understand their culture better. Moreover, as mentioned earlier, there is no pressure from an instructor or an educational institution to complete a task and receive a good grade. Hence, it is easier to get satisfaction and enjoy the process of learning.
Overall, there are many ways of gaining knowledge in an informal way. Even though it is believed that schools and universities provide the best quality education, a non-formal environment can be extremely advantageous for one’s personal development. For instance, engaging in sports, arts, and volunteering activities helps people to develop valuable communication and leadership skills. The presented paper discussed one of my informal educational experiences — communication with international people and presented how it impacted my personal development.
References
Hua, Z. (2018). Exploring intercultural communication: Language in action. Routledge.