Informal Learning

This topic of what 'learning' actually is will probably be up for debate throughout our studies. A someone who deals with a non educational form of learning, which is structured none the less, I particular found the paper by Livingstone interesting.

Livingstone's paper discusses some research done in character, and also notes in conclusion that identifying informal learning is difficult, as people's perception of it changes. However he highlights that learning can take many forms, from the "dominant teacher control, through other forms that involve teachers/trainers/mentors, to dominant learner control." (Livingstone 2001)

Here are the definitions he outlines:

Education -"..characterised by the presence of a teacher, someone presumed to have greater knowledge, and a learner or learners presumed to have lesser knowledge and expected to be instructed or led by said teacher." (Livingstone 2001)

Non - Formal Education/ Further Education - " When learners opt to acquire further knowledge or skill by studying voluntarily with a teacher who assists their self-determined interests by using an organized curriculum, as is the case in many adult education courses and workshops, the form of learning is non-formal." (Livingstone 2001)

Informal education/Informal Training - "When teachers or mentors take responsibility for instructing others without sustained reference to  an intentionally-organised body of knowledge in more incidental and spontaneous learning situations, such as guiding them in acquiring job skills or in community development activities, the form of learning is informal education or informal training."  (Livingstone 2001)

Informal Learning - "Informal learning is any activity involving the pursuit of understanding, knowledge or skill which occurs without the presence of externally imposed curricular criteria." (Livingstone 2001)

There is some interesting discourse here, and eslewhere about where informal learning starts, and that many elements of formal learning often contain informal elements.

A good discussion and further comments can be found on Infed. Here there is discussion about the history and classification of informal learning and other's viewpoints of it. The paper talks about informal learning often being defined by what it is not, carrying assumptions based on when and why the theory is developed.

It will be interesting to come back to this after further discussion, as I believe that everyone sees education and learning is very different ways depending on their experience and status at the time.

Livingstone, D.W. (2001) ‘Adults’ Informal Learning: Definitions, findings, gaps and future research’ [online], NALL Working Paper #21-2001, Research Centre on New Approaches to Lifelong Learning, University of Toronto, https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/ bitstream/ 1807/ 2735/ 2/ 21adultsinformallearning.pdf (last accessed 6th February 2012).