Self-Organized Learning, Informal Learning Online, Further Reading

Thoughts about self-organized learning in SL/ELLI:
Learners must manage their own organization. We can create an environment conducive to self-organization. Self-organized learning falls into the scope of informal learning, wherein students take actions and responsibility to learn.

"Informal learning should no longer be regarded as an inferior form of learning whose main purpose is to act as the precursor of formal learning; it needs to be seen as fundamental, necessary and valuable in its own right, at times directly relevant to employment and at other times not relevant at all." (Coffield 2000:8)
The Necessity of informal learning by Frank Coffield, The Policy Press, 2000.
Coffield, F. (2000) The Necessity of Informal Learning, Bristol: The Policy Press. 80 + iv pages. Useful collection of material arising out of ESRC Learning Society Programme. Includes Coffield on the significance of informal learning; an excellent piece by Michael Eraut on non-formal learning – implicit learning and tacit knowledge in professional work; Field and Spence on informal learning and social capital; Barron et al on implicit knowledge, phenomenology and learning difficulties; Davies on the impact of accreditation; and Fevre etal on necessary and unnecessary learning.

"Too much schooling kills off a desire to learn...Schools and universities should become more like hubs of learning, within the community, capable of extending into the community..."
"More learning needs to be done at home, in offices and kitches, in the contexts where knowledge is deployed to solve problems and add value to people's lives". (Leadbeater 2000:111-112)
Leadbeater, C. (2000) Living on Thin Air. The new economy, London: Penguin.

Much learning takes place beyond the school walls, and the notion of informal learning can be replaced by the notion of lifelong learning. Learning is ultimately the important piece, but education is a societal process that has value and involves commitment and intention to learn specific topics. Education is an important function of society toward furthering the well-being of its citizenry. Reform in this process of education should judge on those merits.

The fundamental processes of understanding tacit knowledge, unpacking it to determine its origins, and repacking the expertise into tacit knowledge, looking at situated learning, all have relevance in our understanding and development of informal learning and education. Self-education, as a part of the informal process, requires people to be both learners and teachers, and thus constructors of knowledge. Self-educators often self-organize into communities sparked by dialogue and debate about their chosen topics. As educators, we should look at building relationships and interactions that encourage community participation and taking responsibility for our actions in the world.

Dreyfus, H. L. and Dreyfus, S. E. (1986) Mind Over Machine. The power of human intuition and expertise in the era of the computer, Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

Other Resources to read on self-organized learning:
Designing a Self-Organized Conversational Learning Environment.
Authors: Coombs, Steven J.; Smith, Ian D.
Descriptors: Constructivism (Learning); Criteria; Educational Environment; Educational Theories; Instructional Design; Models
Source: Educational Technology, v38 n3 p17-28 May-Jun 1998
ERIC Ed Record Details - EJ567618 ISSN-0013-1962
Introduces concepts underlying the conversational science model of self-organized learning, and explains how it can influence the systems-thinking design of tools and educational procedures. Outlines person-based learning and comparative-learning models and discusses the context of person-based learning theory, the conversational learning model, constructivist tools for conversational learning environments, and conversational design criteria. (PEN)
http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ567618&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ567618

Learning To Change. A Resource for Trainers, Managers and Learners Based on Self-Organised Learning.
Authors: Harri-Augstein, Sheila; Webb, Ian M.
Descriptors: Adult Education; Adult Learning; Change Strategies; Educational Psychology; Foreign Countries; Independent Study; Learning Processes; Learning Strategies; Organizational Change; Organizational Development; Performance Contracts; Program Development; Program Evaluation; Staff Development
ERIC Record Details - ED410430
This publication shows step-by-step how trainers may use self-organized learning (SOL) to achieve real and lasting change within an organization at all levels. Each of the eight chapters begins with an "agenda board" outlining the contents and ends with a section featuring suggested activities for developing the skills. An introduction explores how SOL relates to training. Chapter 1 defines SOL and covers benefits to individuals, teams, and organizations. Chapter 2 challenges personal and professional myths about learning. Suggested activities help increase understanding of how personal myths can affect learning. Chapter 3 uses the repertory grid as a tool to model the learning process. Chapter 4 introduces a process-based language for developing learning conversations and describes its overall form. Chapter 5 introduces the personal learning contract (PLC) as a major learning tool. Chapter 6 illustrates PLCs by presenting examples of "real life" applications. Chapter 7 introduces a "conversational evaluation model" to assess the effectiveness of learning and suggests a framework for measuring progress in SOL called the personal learning biography. Chapter 8 elaborates on the development of a learning system involving a learning manager and learning coaches and the setting up of learning networks among staff. Appendixes include an example feedback-for-learning package, examples of PLC and grid forms, and an index. Contains 47 references. (YLB)

Dewey, J. (1933) How We Think 2e, New York: D. C. Heath. Classic and highly influential discussion of reflective enquiry, with Dewey's famous five elements: suggestion, problem, hypothesis, reasoning, testing. For a discussion that focuses on learning communities see, J. Dewey (1915) The School and Society, 2e., Chicago: University of Chicago Press.