Informal Learning

Question 1

formal learning

Answer 1

the institution of school
-programs and structures regulated by governments in which the institutional environment consequently is a strong influence

Question 2

third places

Answer 2

places where people congregate other than school or home

ex: gym, coffee shops, community spaces

Question 3

informal learning spaces

Answer 3

learning in places outside of the institutions of school

• it can be unstructured and often unintentional
• characteristics: self-directed, voluntary, inquiry driven, open-ended

Question 4

self guided vs programming

Answer 4

self guided: completely unstructured, variable trajectory (ex: walking around art museum, playing at playground)

programming: pre-set outcomes (learning and otherwise), typically “fixed” time
ex: tours, workshops, scavenger hunts

Question 5

why study informal learning?

Answer 5

• only a small portion of one’s lifespan is spent in the classroom (-2%)
• sleep is 30%
• other is 68%

Question 6

History of museums

Answer 6

• started in peoples home in of collections of things
• overtime became places of research and scholarship
• now places of learning
• used to only be accessible for an elite group

Question 7

informal learning sites

Answer 7

• museums

- makerspaces: go and just make things

Question 8

characteristics that help people learn in these spaces

Answer 8

• collaboration and group work
• student response forms with open ended questions
• • all about balance

sometimes helps:

• bank of answers
• knowledge prompts
• directions of how to collaborate and generate consensus

Question 9

things to avoid to ensure learning

Answer 9

• worksheets
• answer banks
• directions
• problem of overformalization

Question 10

overformalization

Answer 10

• encourage deep thinking but change behaviors for the worse

- don’t explore as much

Question 11

Challenges for designing learning/ questions to address

Answer 11

• design- for whom and for what
• one vs all problem
• specific vs open-ended objectives
• who is the audience
• assessment: how do we know learning has occurred

Question 12

how to assess learning in informal spaces

Answer 12

• looking for change but need some pre and post measure or some type of control group
• timing and tracking
• visitor’s talks and gestures
• log data from technology-based exhibits
• audio/video record interactions
• surveys and interviews

(no traditional tests have to be creative)

Question 13

what makes it different about designing and assessing learning in informal rather than formal learning

Answer 13

• perspective and awareness
• motivations and interest
• social connections
• exploration and play