1.1.3 The informal–formal spectrum

Even if you spend a lot of time online, it is probably the case that most of your online learning is informal.

Informal learning is the learning that goes on in daily life. We may want to plant the vegetable, for example, and start looking for a place to buy seedlings, reading the articles, searching and joining a group on social media to get the information to plant.

As parents or carers we may show children how to write different words or tie their laces (adapted from Jeffs and Smith, 1997, 2005, 2012 [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] ). Informal learning is therefore a lifelong process through which learners acquire attitudes, values, skills and knowledge from daily experience (adapted from Conner, 1997–2013). This can be seen from the previous section.

Formal learning refers to hierarchically structured school systems; it runs from primary school through to university and organised school-like programs created on the job for technical and professional training (adapted from Conner, 1997–2013). It is therefore learning that other people, such as teachers and lecturers, plan and deliver, which the individual learner has little control over.

In reality, the distinction between informal and formal learning isn’t as strict as it might at first appear. Take the example of this course, which you’re studying right now.

It has been planned by educators and delivered in a fairly formal online environment but you, as the learner, are free to dip in and out of the learning process in a way you couldn’t if this was a formal course.

You can gain recognition for the learning you have done on this course but, again, it is not formal, and you can decide how much effort you want to put in. As a result, formal and informal learning are best seen as part of a continuum.

Think about some of your previous learning experience and consider to what extent it was formal or informal. Does your experience fit neatly into one of these two descriptions described in Figure 2? Or does it fall somewhere in-between?

Figure 2 Get started with online learning

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Figure 2 shows a spectrum of formal and informal learning. On the formal learning end of the spectrum, there are the descriptions: fomal learning provided by an educational establishment, a set curriculum, a set timetable and assessed. On the informal learning end of the spectrum, there are the descriptions provided by individuals or groups, no set curriculum, no set timetable and no assessment.

Figure 2 Get started with online learning

You will probably find that even some of your informal learning experiences come somewhere along this spectrum. You will have the opportunity to explore further what is meant by formal online learning in the next section.