This report constitutes an exploratory study of the submerged mass of learning which takes place informally and implicitly. It considers the importance of informal lerning in the formation of knowledge and skills and policies to widen participation.

Most learning on the job is informal. This book offers advice on how to support, nurture, and leverage informal learning and helps trainers to go beyond their typical classes and programs in order to widen and deepen heir reach. The author reminds us that we live in a new, radically different, constantly changing, and often distracting workplace. He guides us through the plethora of digital learning tools that workers are now accessing through their computers, PDAs, and cell phones.

Informal Learning Basics provides training and development professionals with guidance and practical lessons on harnessing the vast potential of informal learning in their organizations. While formal training has been the focus of many corporate training programs for the past century or more, much of the actual knowledge and many of the skills workers use in performing their jobs are nonetheless developed informally. Informal Learning Basics will assist you in recognizing and utilizing the informal learning possibilities in your company, and will show you how to create a framework of highly cost-effective training opportunities and a culture in which your employees are able to learn and grow in an efficient and unobtrusive way. In addition to providing an in-depth study of the concepts of informal learning, Informal Learning Basics also offers: -an analysis of how workers develop much of the knowledge for their jobs informally -real-world case examples of informal learners -an examination of the nine principles which govern informal learning in the workplace -suggestions on how to blend formal and informal learning in your organization -descriptions of specific activities for both group and individual informal learning opportunities - a discussion of the importance of support personnel in creating and maintaining effective informal learning programs - an exploration of the significant role played by technology in informal learning - information on the importance of providing a codified framework for informal learning in your organization - a consideration of the fact that traditional approaches to evaluating training are often ineffective when evaluating informal learning, and suggestions on how to best evaluate informal learning programs. In an era where organizations of all shapes and sizes are increasingly focused on cutting budgets and maximizing the return on their training investment, incorporating informal learning opportunities into your training programs will result in competent and knowledgeable employees, and great ROI for your company. With its wealth of insight and information on capturing the potential of informal learning and using it to your organization’s advantage, Informal Learning Basics is essential reading for every training and development professional.

This handbook provides an overview of workplace learning from a global perspective.

Informal Learning at Work reflects the growing interest in changing the way the workplace encourages and enhances learning and professional development. Due to societal, economic, and technological developments, organisations face the pressure of growing knowledge-intensity and the need for innovations. As a result, employees are expected to adapt to new situations and constantly update their skillsets within an increasingly challenging environment. This book brings together cross-disciplinary perspectives from leading international researchers, drawing on a range of theoretical and empirical studies. Extensively researched and expertly edited, this new addition to the EARLI New Perspectives on Learning and Instruction series outlines the starting points for future research, and highlights the benefits and implications for those aiming to foster informal learning at work, covering areas such as: professional judgement improving the structure of work tasks facilitating innovative work behaviour the place of informal learning within teaching Informal Learning at Work presents original quantitative and qualitative studies as well as integrative analyses of worldwide research and is an invaluable introduction to this highly topical subject.

This book has two purposes: To open up the debate on the role of informal education in schooling systems and to suggest the kind of school organizational environment that can best facilitate the recognition of informal learning. Successive chapters explore what is often seen as a duality between informal and formal learning. This duality is particularly so because education systems expend so much time and effort in certifying formal knowledge often expressed in school subjects reflecting academic disciplines.Recognizing the contribution informal learning can make to young people’s understanding and development does not negate the importance of valued social knowledge: That complements it. Students come to school with knowledge learnt from their families, peers, the community and both traditional and social media. They should not have to "unlearn" this in order to enter the world of formal learning. Rather, students’ different learning "worlds" should be integrated so that each informs the other. In a knowledge-based society, all learning needs to be valued. Some contributors to this book reflect on how new educational systems could be created in a move away from top-down authoritarian and bureaucratic management. Such open systems are seen to be more welcoming in acknowledging the importance of informal learning. Others provide practical examples of how informal learning is currently recognized. Some attention is also paid to the evaluation of informal learning. A key objective of the work presented here is to stimulate debate about the role of informal learning in knowledge-based societies and to stimulate thinking about the kind of reforms needed to create more open and more democratic school learning environments.