Concept of Learning
Meaning and Nature:
Learning is a key process in human behaviour.
All living is learning. If we compare the simple, crude ways in which a child
feels and behaves, with the complex modes of adult behaviour, his skills,
habits, thought, sentiments and the like- we will know what difference learning
has made to the individual.
The individual is constantly interacting with
and influenced by the environment. This experience makes him to change or
modify his behaviour in order to deal effectively with it. Therefore, learning
is a change in behaviour, influenced by previous behaviour. As stated above the
skills, knowledge, habits, attitudes, interests and other personality
characteristics are all the result of learning.
Learning is defined as “any relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a result
of practice and experience”. This definition has three important elements.
a. Learning is a
change in behaviour—better or worse.
b. It is a change
that takes place through practice or experience, but changes due to growth or
maturation are not learning.
c. This change in
behaviour must be relatively permanent, and it must last a fairly long time.
All learning
involves activities. These activities involve either physical or mental
activities. They may be simple mental activities or complex, involving various
muscles, bones, etc. So also the mental activities may be very simple involving
one or two activities of mind or complex which involve higher mental
activities.What activities are learned by the individual refer to types of
learning. For example, habits, skills, facts, etc.
Learning is not a
product, it’s a process. It prepares individual for any adjustments and
adaptations in life. Learning is goal oriented or purposeful. Learning is
universal and comprehensive process.
Formal learning:
Formal learning programs
are typically synonymous with full-scale learning management systems (LMS),
with courses and curricula mapped in a very structured way. As a result,
content is generally created by a specified group of instructional designers
and trainers.
Formal learning is
planned learning that derives from activities within a structured learning
setting. Content and learning materials can be delivered via a traditional
class room training model, complete with lectures, required reading and
scheduled testing. Live webinars and screen-sharing technology can also be used
so that remote learners can attend the required sessions.
Learning typically
provided by an education or training institution, structured (in terms of
objectives, learning time or learning support) and leading to certification.
Formal learning is intentional from the learners’ perspective.
Features of formal learning:
·
a prescribed learning
framework
·
an organised learning
event or package
·
the presence of a
designated teacher or trainer
·
the award of a
qualification or credit
·
the external
specification of outcomes
Formal learning
experiences are typically packaged as ‘courses’ or ‘programmes’. These tend to
have a number of features in common:
Objectives that describe, in terms
of knowledge, skills and attitudinal change, what learning is intended to
result from successful completion of the course or programme. Some courses may
adopt a more learner-centred approach, focusing on the goals of the learners
themselves, but it would still be highly unlikely for a formal learning
intervention to have no objectives at all, whether or not these are made
explicit.
An established curriculum or learning plan, which
sets out how the learning objectives are to be achieved in terms of the topics
to be covered and/or the activities to be undertaken.
Content assembled by or with reference to
acknowledged subject experts. At the very least this content is likely to
consist of a simple trainer guide or lecture notes. More commonly, it will
extend to slides, videos and other visual aids, handouts, job aids and
reference books. And where self-study forms an important part of the
intervention, the content could include workbooks, online reference materials,
interactive tutorials and simulations.
A designated teacher, trainer or tutor to
facilitate the learning process. The role of this person or persons will vary
widely depending on the type of intervention and pedagogical approach, from a
formal instructor to a subject expert, a coach, an assessor, a moderator or a
curator. In cases where the intervention consists entirely of unsupported
self-study, there will, of course, be no role at all.
Some form of assessment, to determine whether
the learning objectives have been achieved. Where a qualification is being
awarded, this assessment could be elaborate, requiring an exam, a practical assessment,
or the formal submission of a paper or portfolio. In other cases, the process
of assessment could be much less formal, perhaps a practical exercise or a
quiz.
Non-formal learning:
Learning that is not
provided by an education or training institution and typically does not lead to
certification. It is, however, structured (in terms of learning objectives,
learning time or learning support). Non-formal learning is intentional from the
learner’s perspective.
Non-formal learning is a form of learning that takes
place outside the parameters of the traditional learning structures or
institutions. One could argue that ‘all’ learning that takes place outside
organizations is, in fact, non-formal in character because it is not constrained
by rules, ceremony or conventions. Non-formal learning is relatively systematic
and (but not necessarily) pre-planned with an explicit intention on the part of
both learner and mentor to accomplish a/some specific learning task(s). It is
clear that non-formal learning involves some kind of guidance from a mentor. As
this type of learning is voluntary, it is not like the compulsory education
which is given at school (Morgan, 2000, p. 95).
Non-formal learning occurs when learners opt to acquire further knowledge
or skill by studying voluntarily with a teacher who assists their
self-determined interests, by using an organised curriculum, as is the case in
many adult education courses and workshops.
Non-formal learning takes place outside the school organization or school
system. It focuses on imparting vocational training to the student and is
generally linked to vocational and functional literacy. i.e. each one teach
one.
Characteristics of non-formal learning
It is an open-ended
process of learning with lots of discussions, sharing, exploring, analysing,
judging, etc.
1) It is well planned.There
may or may not be a definite course or curriculum.
2) Time to complete might be
flexible.Curriculum also might be flexible.
3) Agencies such as the
government, management, etc. are involved.
4) There is mental strain on
teacher and taught but not to the extent found in formal learning.
5) There is no age limit or
barrier to undergo non-formal learning.
6) Exams may or may not be
conducted at the end.Certificates, awards, may or may not be awarded at the end
of the learning.
7) It is a voluntary mode of
learning. The student has the choice to take up what interests him.
8) It is more practical and
useful for day to day life than the theory based formal education.
9) Teacher and taught share
a relationship of same level.
10) Emphasis is on
self-learning.
11) Professional improvement
is specific to that skill or vocation being taught.
Informal Learning
Informal learning is
never organised, has no set objective in terms of learning outcomes and is
never intentional from the learner’s standpoint. Often it is referred to as
learning by experience or just as experience. The idea is that the simple fact
of existing constantly exposes the individual to learning situations, at work,
at home or during leisure time for instance. This definition, with a few
exceptions (see Werquin, 2007) also meets with a fair degree of consensus.
Characteristics of Informal Learning
Before you ever go to
school or take part in a Mom-and-tot program, informal learning starts the day
you are born and continues on until the day you die. Here are the
characteristics of informal learning:
1. Informal learning
is never organized.
There are no set
formulas or guidelines. Examples of informal learning include activities such
as teaching your child the alphabet, or how to brush his or her teeth. There is
no prescriptive program of study for this.
2. Informal learners
are often highly motivated to learn.
Unlike the formal
learning environment of school, informal learners are often eager and
attentive. A teenager showing a friend how to find an “Easter egg” in a video
game is an example of informal learning. The gamer really wants to find out how
to achieve his goal, so he embarks on a journey to figure out how. His friend
becomes his teacher.
3. Informal learning
is often spontaneous.
Learning happens
anywhere, any time. The learner is inspired to learn because of an immediate
desire to know how to do something or understand a topic. Or an informal
“teacher” sees an opportunity to share their knowledge or wisdom with someone
else. For example, we were recently standing in line at the airport waiting to
go through security. There was a family in front of us. The father, who was
holding the hand of his young son, who was about seven or eight, used the
posters on the wall of the security area to teach the boy to read new words.
The boy sounded out the words and they talked about the content of the poster.
This not only helped to pass the time during a long wait, it was a great
example of spontaneous informal learning.
4. There is no formal
curriculum.
There is no program
of study or prescriptive methods. Whatever methods used are the one that the person
teaching knows how to teach… often based on their own experience.
5. The “teacher” is
someone who cares – and who has more experience than the learner.
Even the word
“teacher” here is a bit of a misnomer because professional teachers all have
credentials, certificates or a teaching license. In the informal learning
context, those leading the learning are likely to be emotionally close to the
person who is learning, such as a mother, father, grandparent or other
caregiver. An adult child teaching an older parent how to use new technology is
an example.
6. The world is your
classroom
It is a myth that
learning happens in a school or in a classroom. With informal learning, there
is no classroom. Your home, the neighbourhood park, the community and the world
are the classroom.
7. Informal learning
is difficult to quantify.
There are no exams
and informal learning is difficult to quantify.
8. Often dismissed by
academics and skeptics as being worthless.
Informal learning is
often overlooked and not regarded as particularly valid learning. Some
researchers and academics (though not all of us!) have the opinion that
informal learning is less valuable than formal, prescriptive learning (due, in
part, to the fact that it is difficult to quantify… and they believe that if it
can not be quantified, it has no value).
9. Essential to a
child’s early development.
Learning your mother
tongue is an excellent example of informal learning. Imagine if a child were
not exposed to any language for the first 5 years. How difficult would that
child’s development become? It is an experiment that, as far as I know, has
never been done. It would be considered too risky and unethical. Everything a
young child learns at home is informal learning, from how to brush their teeth
to how to say the alphabet to good manners. Without informal learning, we would
never be able to cope in a formal learning environment.
10. Essential to an
adult’s lifelong learning.
Informal learning is
a lifelong process. It does not end when a child enters school and the formal
system “takes over”. On the contrary, children continue to learn at home. As we
get older, we learn from our friends. As we enter the workforce, we learn from
our co-workers. Into retirement, we still learn from friends and also from
those younger than us. An adult learning to read and write from a volunteer
literacy tutor is one example. A retired office worker learning from her
grandson how to use an iPad is another example.
Informal learning is
what keeps us vibrant, mentally active and interested in the world around us,
as well as our own development. Just because informal learning can not be
quantified easily does not mean that it is not worthwhile – or even essential
to our development and growth as human beings.
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