by Mary Globien Capillan
Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan in partnership with 7 organizations from Europe and Asia yesterday held “InFormal Evolution Conference ” an Erasmus+-funded project which aims to integrate innovative non-formal education methods to the formal education system. The conference is a major component of the 3rd leg of this long term educator’s training program which began in Nachod in the Czech Republic in January and consequently in Weimar, Germany for the 2nd residential trainings.
XU President Fr Mars welcomes the international delegation of the InFormal Evolution Conference
Xavier Ateneo played as host to the conference which gathered 30 participants of the InFormal Evolution Long Term Training Course, from Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea, and the Philippines. Two of the four Filipino delegates are from Xavier Ateneo, Ms Manilee Lorraine Pagapula-an, History Department Chairperson, and Mr Don Antonio Velez, Faculty of Sociology & Executive Assistant to the VP for Higher Education. The morning sessions were also attended by faculty and formators of Xavier Ateneo.
Bogdan Imre shares his presentation to the participants
University President Fr Mars P Tan, SJ expressed his warm welcome to the international delegation as he also presented “Education: The Jesuit Mission”. He affirmed how these innovations on informal learning can be incorporated in the development of the curriculum in line with the new Xavier Ateneo Manresa campus which is envisioned to be a holistic environment.
The sessions featured talks from the trainers who hail from Russia, Romania, France, and Hungary. Eduard Oganyan shared to everyone the “InFormal Long Story Short” which was followed by the presentation of of Natalia Chardymova who discussed educational programs and activities that focus on promoting equality in human dignity. Vera Goriunova also recounted the educator training participants’ actual experience, practice and experimentation of the InFormal Evolution training course. In the last session of the conference, Bogdan Imre showed his presentation on feedback and learner-centeredness and acknowledged how the future new campus of Xavier Ateneo as shared by Fr Mars, could apply the NFE methods they have tried and experienced.
The long-term partnership “InFormal Evolution – integration of non- formal education approach to the formal education system for youth empowerment at the local level” is aimed at using non- formal education as a tool for youth empowerment in order to address issues and to build a stable and productive trans-national co-working platform for educators coming from the formal education and youth field.
Yesterday’s conference in XU also included workshops held in the afternoon with around 70 International Studies students, as part of the participants’ training on how NFE can be integrated in formal education.
The international delegation of the InFormal Evolution Conference
This long term training course hopes to create a network of practitioners, who are able to adjust diverse/creative methodologies for formal schooling and speak “the same language” with schools’ educators.
by Communications and Promotions Office