Friday, 30 September 2016

Course: 103 Concept of Learning: formal, non-formal and informal learning


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.


Reference

(1)http://www.psychologydiscussion.net/learning/learning-meaning-nature-types-and-theories-of-learning/652
(2)   http://salpro.salpaus.fi/tes/CD-rom/pdf/A1_Salpaus_formal_informal_nonformal_learning.docx.pdf

Course: 103 Concept of Learning: formal, non-formal and informal learning


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.