News & Events
Keeping informal learning informal
By Sian Halliday Wynes
Quest*
Issue 2, Winter 2009
Should everything in life be formally measured? Sometimes we do things because it is for the situation and the individual rather than for the system. Although the Council of Australian Government’s (COAG) objectives and focus on measurement are relevant for many policy areas, perhaps measurement of informal learning is not always necessary. Could the attempt to measure the impact of informal learning threaten its very appeal to those it benefits most?
Informal learning occurs in the workplace, in the home and during leisure time; it happens outside of the formal education system or structured training, and does not lead to a qualification (Richardson, 2004). Conlon (2003) believes that it tends to be the outcome of incidental learning through everyday experience. It is also, in some cases and at various times in people’s lives, the only learning they are doing.
There is no single definition of informal learning, however, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2005) has made a clear distinction between informal learning and learning that occurs in more prescribed settings, and offers the following definitions:
• formal learning: learning through a program of instruction in an educational institution, adult training centre or in the workplace which is generally recognised in a qualification or a certificate.
• non-formal learning: learning through a program that it is not usually evaluated and does not lead to certification.
• informal learning: learning resulting from daily work-related, family or leisure activities.
The task of categorising informal learning is complicated by the wide-ranging methods of informal learning, which include: reading journals or articles, participating in workplace mentoring schemes, learning through casual conversation, engaging in on-the-job training and learning through trial and error, and a myriad of other everyday activities.
There can be good reasons for people wanting to acquire skills and build on knowledge informally. It could be more efficient – in terms of both time and money -- than enrolling in a formal course. For others, education, training and assessment conjure up negative memories of school. For them, an informal approach may be more productive, precisely because there are no tests or accreditation processes to encounter.
Informal learning can be a hook for re-engaging disengaged learners1 with education and training and lead to building sustainable skills. This is the experience of many successful community education programs. Recent findings by (Harris, Simons and Maher, forthcoming).
Informal learning has also been found to be beneficial to new migrants and refugees in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Miralles et al, (2008) have investigated the informal learning that occurs in multicultural organisations, when informal networks and comfortable learning spaces are created to help people with refugee or non-English speaking backgrounds connect with the wider Australian community. Community-based organisations provide migrants and refugees with the practical tools for modern living. Informal learning has been identified as an important component of cultural integration.
Informal learning can also be used to engage people with learning in the developing world, where it is sometimes the only option for an individual or a community to gain knowledge and skills. King (1982), whose studies looked at countries such as, Yemen and Senegal, has suggested that in the absence of formal training, skills are often acquired through familial relationships and participation in ‘petty production’. For example, someone selling goods in the marketplace becomes numerate by learning from their peer-groups and from experience.
The United National Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) claims that informal and non-formal education is a necessary means to achieve “learning for all” (UNESCO, 2007) and suggests the need to ensure that we understand how informal learning can be harnessed to maximum effect. A research project in Thailand (www.voced.edu.au/td/tnc_86.564 – 18k) undertook this task and uncovered a process of informal learning acquired by active community participation, experience and practice, which had far-reaching and positive effects on the standard of living of a whole village. In the context of equitable development, informal learning is not just a pathway into more formal avenues of learning and work; it can also be a real, positive and reliable learning experience in its own right.
Informal learning is common in many contemporary workplaces. It has been suggested that up to 75% of workplace learning occurs informally (Connor, 2002; Richardson, 2004). It is usually seen as getting on with the job. Often there is no need to recognise everyday processes, which work well as means of developing expertise and judgement. However, there are times when it is important to identify informal learning, for example, if such learning is resulting in bad work practices and needs to be undone, often by instituting formal training. We also have to consider that the regulatory environment might need certification of skills or a worker may want to document their skills in order to seek promotion, higher wages or to move jobs. This requires the individual to articulate what knowledge and abilities they have gained from that experience.
People with little primary education, whose literacy and numeracy may be limited, or whose confidence in their ability to learn in an educational setting has been dented, can find it difficult to articulate the life experience and skills they possess in a way that facilitates a pathway back to training. For them less formal approaches to skills development can be a more effective pathway back to education and training or to building sustainable jobs.
There are instances where it might be useful to measure informal learning such as when learners seek recognition for prior learning (RPL). In Australia and overseas, governments and educators are committed to making RPL a viable option for learners (Hargreaves 2006; Misko, Beddie & Smith 2006). Expansion of RPL places emphasis on flexible teaching and sophisticated, robust assessment practices, where the focus is less on the definitions of types of learning and more on the results of learning (Smith & Blake 2005). For this reason, many OECD countries are exploring how best to recognise informal learning. Governments around the world are tackling the difficult task of measuring the extent to which informal learning is indicative of its role in helping vocational systems, employers and individuals cope with workforce trends: demand for skilled labour, increasing mobility within and across borders, and recognition of the workplace as a learning environment. As a result, governments are working on innovative ways to capture informal learning and simplify the recognition process.
It is important that government policy does not overlook the contribution that informal learning makes to the achievement of individual objectives, and consequently, to the community as a whole. Informal learning should be identified as a valid and positive learning experience.
*The Quarterly Newsletter of Adult Learning Australia Inc (ALA), the peak body for organisations and individuals involved with adult learning in Australia.
1People with minimal school education, poor literacy and numeracy skills and low self esteem and who lack confidence in their ability to learn in formal settings are often disengaged from learning. Disengaged learners may have useful skills, but are unable to articulate them and build on them.
References
Conlon, T 2003, ‘A review of informal learning literature, theory and implications for practice in developing global professional competence’, Journal of European Industrial Training, vol. 28, no.2/3/4, pp. 283-95
Connor, M 2002, ‘Informal learning: Ageless learner, 1997-2007’, viewed 9 May 2008, http://agelesslearner.com/intros/informal.html
Hargreaves, J 2006, Recognition of prior learning: At a glance, NCVER, Adelaide.
Harris, R, Simons M & Maher K (forthcoming), Directions in European VET policy and practice: Lessons for Australia, NCVER, Adelaide.
King K, 1982, Formal, non-formal and informal learning: Some North-South Contrasts, International Review of Education v28, n2, p. 177-87: 1982
Misko J, Beddie F & Smith L 2007, Recognising non-formal and informal learning: Participant insights and perspectives, NCVER, Adelaide.
Moralles-Lombardo, B, Miralles, J, Golding, B 2008, Creating learning spaces for refugees: The role of multicultural organisations in Australia, NCVER, Adelaide.
OECD, 2(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) 2005, The role of the national qualification system in promoting lifelong learning: Report from thematic group 2- Standards and quality assurance in qualification with special reference to the recognition of non-formal and informal learning, p.5, viewed 6 April 2009, http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/57/27/34376318.pdf.
Richardson, S, 2004, Employers’ contribution to training, NCVER, AdelaideSmith, P & Blake, D 2005, Facilitating learning through effective teaching, NCVER, Adelaide.
http://www.voced.edu.au/td/tnc_86.564 – 18k
This article is based on the research summary, ‘At A Glance: Informal leaning’ by Sian Halliday Wynes and Francesca Beddie. For a copy of this publication, visit the National Centre for Vocational Education Research’s website: http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2140.html
