Informal learning is one of three forms of learning defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The other two are formal and non-formal learning. Informal learning occurs in a variety of places, such as at home, work, and through daily interactions and shared relationships among members of society. For many learners this includes language acquisition, cultural norms and manners. Informal learning for young people is an ongoing process that also occurs in a variety of places, such as out of school time, in youth programs at community centers and media labs.
In the context of corporate training and education, the term informal learning is widely used to describe the many forms of learning that takes place independently from instructor-led programs: books, self-study programs, performance support materials and systems, coaching, communities of practice, and expert directories. Informal learning for American indigenous children can takes place in the community, where individuals have opportunities to observe and participate in ongoing community activities .
Read more about Informal Learning: Characterizations, History, Other Perspectives On Informal Learning, Formal and Nonformal Education, Research and Data, Informal Learning Experiences and Examples, Business Perspective, Summary
Famous quotes containing the words informal and/or learning:
“We are now a nation of people in daily contact with strangers. Thanks to mass transportation, school administrators and teachers often live many miles from the neighborhood schoolhouse. They are no longer in daily informal contact with parents, ministers, and other institution leaders . . . [and are] no longer a natural extension of parental authority.”
—James P. Comer (20th century)
“You may judge a man’s learning by the marks in his books.”
—Chinese proverb.