Informal Learning
I’ve been running into some references to informal learning lately and thought I’d start to maintain some of these resources:
What is informal learning? - by Jay Cross
Since most of my experience in education is at the secondary level, I ask these questions:
How does this translate to K-12? Developmentally? Can we have K-5 participating in this sort of learning? What does it look like?
- The bus vs. bike analogy: institutional control vs. learner control. Schools are like a ride on the bus - all learning is scripted and the same for everyone. No bike rides where you can decide to take a detour from the rest of the group.
- “Training is something that’s pushed on you; learning is something you choose.”
- “Google is the world’s largest learning provider, answering thousands of inquires every second.” Could this be the epitome of informal learning?
- “Formal learning takes place in classrooms; informal learning happens in learnscapes. A learnscape is a learning ecology: learning without borders. Learnscaping involves removing obstacles, seeding communities, increasing bandwidth, encouraging conversation, and growing networks. It’s a natural way to learn and grow.”
Posted by Randy on 07/04 at 12:04 AM
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