The Institute of Informal Education
The Institute of Informal Education (INO) was founded in 2005.
Head of the INO: Dima Zicer, PhD
In our institute we are practicing what we call a creative approach towards education.
In INO we carry out various educational projects, train professionals in the field of art of education, develop curricula and educational materials. It takes place in many countries: Russia, Israel, the USA, Ukraine, the Baltic countries…
Head of the INO: Dima Zicer, PhD
In our institute we are practicing what we call a creative approach towards education.
In INO we carry out various educational projects, train professionals in the field of art of education, develop curricula and educational materials. It takes place in many countries: Russia, Israel, the USA, Ukraine, the Baltic countries…
Who works at the INO?
The team of the INO is truly unique. Why? Well, let’s see. The team is put together specifically for each project. We are proud that the best professionals work with our institute. Among them there are people specialising in family edication and psychodrama, psychologists and artists, men of letters and game experts, sociologists, philosophers, historians, musicians, actors, teachers of different subjects and many more. Thus, we can guarantee the highest level of project planning and implementation.
All our employees practice the same educational approach and posess all the necessary knowledge and skills to apply this approach in practice. Such a unity in such a broad professional field is reached through continuous improvement and collaboration on the existing projects and in special professional trainings.
Thus, our partners can be sure that they won’t have to accept a specialist just because they are an INO employee. On the contrary, the specialists are selected amongst our like-minded associates precisely for implementing specific educational and pedagogical tasks.
All our employees practice the same educational approach and posess all the necessary knowledge and skills to apply this approach in practice. Such a unity in such a broad professional field is reached through continuous improvement and collaboration on the existing projects and in special professional trainings.
Thus, our partners can be sure that they won’t have to accept a specialist just because they are an INO employee. On the contrary, the specialists are selected amongst our like-minded associates precisely for implementing specific educational and pedagogical tasks.
What are IE technologies?
Let's try to highlight the main points:
- personal interest and choice of a participant are the strongest driving forces of any educational process. If we build the process on the basis of these forces, rather than opposing them, we can achieve truly remarkable results. With this approach, any knowledge becomes personal and conscious, the participant clearly understands which way of interaction with information he wants and can choose.
- IE technologies are educational pedagogical technologies of the 21st century. Nowadays, when any information can easily be obtained bypassing the usual learning process (from the Internet, for example!), this approach becomes especially valuable. IE sees studying as an interaction with the material and its subsequent acquisition and (or) acceptance.
- nowadays, it is often necessary for a person to solve the task in a given framework quickly and efficiently. At the same time, it is getting more and more difficult to remain yourself no matter what. And it seems interesting to understand how this task affects, develops and enriches the personality. IE not only provides the necessary tools for organizing such personal interaction with information, with other people, with production tasks, but also makes these processes conscious.
- IE is a practice of the humanistic approach, based on the belief that each person can determine which method of teaching is optimal for them. IE puts the personality at the center of the process, creating favorable conditions – a framework - so that the personality can perfect oneself.
WHERE can the IE technologies be applied?
IE technologies are applicable in almost any field involving personal interaction and the educational process: pedagogy, education, business, family, etc. …
HOW does this work?
Well, it's not so easy to explain... However, we advise you to refer to the book “Practical Pedagogy: The ABC of IE”.
Practical Pedagogy: The ABC of IE
"Practical Pedagogy: the ABC of IE" answers one of the main pedagogical questions: how to teach so that all participants of the educational process not only do not regret the time spent, but also get real pleasure from the process?
Lectures, seminars, workshops
The Institute of Informal Education develops and conducts training programs based on IE-technologies.
First and foremost we have to state: we know that not everyone needs our trainings. Moreover, if you are looking for a specific “team building” type of training, we are unlikely to be able to help you.
The fact is that our trainings are "built" quite differently. Since the basis of IE-technologies is pedagogy and theatre (i.e., in fact, personal interaction), specific participants are very important in our trainings. It is they who are the main “actors” of what is happening. The training simultaneously resembles a seminar dedicated to a person, a personality, and a theatrical performance, which is directed and performed by the participants.
Naturally, such trainings are created and organized only once - for a specific case. Comparison of the training and the performance is no coincidence: this is a real premiere, which is performed for you and with your participation.
Our trainings are developed individually - "for the customer", INO is not a "supermarket of trainings". We are rather a "training tailor shop" where "suits and dresses" are sawn individually - for each customer according to their wishes, features and taste. This means that even if we are asked to conduct, for example, a "regular" team training - it is always prepared for a particular team.
This principle is observed even more if we are talking about trainings "for the task" - which is what we prefer to do. The latter type is trainings designed to solve a specific task set by the customer, whether it is a motivational seminar, working on the atmosphere, building the structure and interaction of the team, "reboot" or just "ordinary" diagnostics. All our trainings are preceded by the analysis of the situation, processes in the team, etc. Thus, the final product is built in a 100% bond with the customer.
First and foremost we have to state: we know that not everyone needs our trainings. Moreover, if you are looking for a specific “team building” type of training, we are unlikely to be able to help you.
The fact is that our trainings are "built" quite differently. Since the basis of IE-technologies is pedagogy and theatre (i.e., in fact, personal interaction), specific participants are very important in our trainings. It is they who are the main “actors” of what is happening. The training simultaneously resembles a seminar dedicated to a person, a personality, and a theatrical performance, which is directed and performed by the participants.
Naturally, such trainings are created and organized only once - for a specific case. Comparison of the training and the performance is no coincidence: this is a real premiere, which is performed for you and with your participation.
Our trainings are developed individually - "for the customer", INO is not a "supermarket of trainings". We are rather a "training tailor shop" where "suits and dresses" are sawn individually - for each customer according to their wishes, features and taste. This means that even if we are asked to conduct, for example, a "regular" team training - it is always prepared for a particular team.
This principle is observed even more if we are talking about trainings "for the task" - which is what we prefer to do. The latter type is trainings designed to solve a specific task set by the customer, whether it is a motivational seminar, working on the atmosphere, building the structure and interaction of the team, "reboot" or just "ordinary" diagnostics. All our trainings are preceded by the analysis of the situation, processes in the team, etc. Thus, the final product is built in a 100% bond with the customer.
Now a few words about methods
We can guarantee that our methods are used only by us, i.e. they are practically unique. Our technologies lie at the intersection of several disciplines. It's psychology, and plastic arts, and literature, and anthropology, and music. But the main ones are theatre and pedagogy. The theater presented us with tools: the foundations of the trainings are theatrical techniques and situational modeling.
The pedagogical approach, among other things, is expressed in the fact that we are engaged not so much in teaching the participants "the proper way", but in joint research of various options and ourselves "in the proposed circumstances". Thus, employees make the work situation their own, personal. And this, in turn, leads to the fact that they not only learn new tools and technologies, but also mentally "appropriate" the working situation. The effectiveness of this approach has been repeatedly proven in a wide range of programs.
The pedagogical approach, among other things, is expressed in the fact that we are engaged not so much in teaching the participants "the proper way", but in joint research of various options and ourselves "in the proposed circumstances". Thus, employees make the work situation their own, personal. And this, in turn, leads to the fact that they not only learn new tools and technologies, but also mentally "appropriate" the working situation. The effectiveness of this approach has been repeatedly proven in a wide range of programs.
Children's Programs
INO is engaged in a variety of programs for children: we create and conduct seminars and camps, advise schools and kindergartens, help with organizing study groups and clubs.
For example, here is one of our favorite projects:
For example, here is one of our favorite projects:
School of Modern Art of Education
We invite teachers and "sympathizers" to take part in the annual two-day seminar dedicated to humanistic pedagogy and Informal Education. The program includes the theory and practice of IE, the approach and methods of work in modern education. The host is Dima Zicer.
Seminars are held at the IE school "Apelsin".
St. Petersburg, embankment of the river Karpovka, 5, lit. С
(Aptekarsky Prospect, 4)
(Aptekarsky Prospect, 4)
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