Final answer:
Explicit instruction is a teaching method featuring well-defined goals and active learner engagement, often achieved through lectures and demonstrations, and is a key component of formal education.
Step-by-step explanation:
The systematic approach to teaching, which encompasses specific goals, engaging learners actively, and leveraging positive reinforcement to enhance student performance is synonymous with explicit instruction. This approach often involves the explicit teaching of skill sets through methods such as lectures and material demonstrations. Crucially, it involves a planned instructional process and is a part of formal education, which can be contrasted with informal education that encompasses more than just what happens in the classroom, including peer-to-peer teaching, the absorption of cultural norms, and learning that occurs through everyday practical living activities.
Formal education involves a curriculum and often includes a variety of assessments to confirm understanding and promote deeper engagement with the material. On the other hand, informal education can include the hidden curriculum taught in schools, which consists of the societal expectations reinforced through school and classroom rituals. It's important to note that teaching strategies can vary widely, with some focusing heavily on preparing students for standardized tests, while others advocate a more student-centered approach that fosters problem-solving abilities and learning skills.