Education and Learning (In and Out of the Workplace)

What is education? Education is a process of teaching, training, and learning, especially in schools or colleges, to improve knowledge, to develop skills and to expand experiences. The education of an individual human begins at birth and continues throughout life. Learning is the goal of education. The process of learning can happen either in or out of the workplace. Formal learning occurs in the workplace while informal learning occurs out of the workplace.

Formal learning is the process of learning that takes place within a teacher-student relationship, such as in a school system. A classroom is the second home to the students and the teachers act as their second parents. Textbooks, workbooks and exercise books are the things often used in formal learning. During the process of teaching and learning, the students pay full attention to listen to the teachers’ explanations and try to understand them. Some students prefer to take notes while listening to the explanations. Asking questions is what they do if they do not understand the teaching. Homework is often assigned to the students after class. At the end of each semester, they are required to sit an examination to test their understanding. Therefore, students need to be hardworking and highly disciplined. Besides the students, teachers need to be efficient in their work and understand a subject well to teach to a new generation of students. Good teachers are able to translate information and experience into knowledge of a subject that is understood and retained by the students.

On the other hand, informal learning is the process of learning that takes place outside of the formal learning system. It occurs through the experience of daily life. For example, a driver would learn to be careful while driving because of the danger of not paying attention to the road. Besides daily life, parents are the important element in a child’s educational development. Parents are the one who spend the most time with their children. Therefore, children are indirectly exposed to parents’ teaching. Parents often educate their children about communication skills, positive attitude and healthy lifestyle. Another example of informal learning is going to the libraries. Libraries provide access to a variety of books and other self-instructional materials. As modern technologies have improved by leaps and bounds, the rise in computer ownership and internet access has given the students greater access to education. Computers are now widely used in developed countries to develop new ways of learning such as online education. This gives students the opportunity to choose what they are interested in learning. Other modern inventions like radios and televisions also provide self-directed learning as they are the source of knowledge.

The bottom line is that education is one of the most important things in the world. If we are not well educated, we will be looked down upon by others and considered as people in the lowly station. As civic-minded people, we must ensure that we are well educated in order to be the role model to the new generation of young children and to contribute to our own country.