Describes the creation of an arts playground at Queen's University, Ontario (Canada), containing "tools" for children and adults to direct their own explorations in the arts. Discusses how a classroom might function like such a playground, and considers the issues of structure, communication, and evaluation of students' progress. (SV)

Most people think of the teaching and learning of music as taking place in formal, institutional contexts like schools and universities. This study looks at the transmission of music teaching and learning that takes place in a more informal, musical environment, namely at a "popular music festival." In particular, it discusses the OM…

One of the organizations central to the temperance movement was the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). The educational work of one Canadian WCTU organization is examined to ascertain the effectiveness of using both the public school system and informal education arrangements to accomplish group goals. (RM)

Observations and interviews of 20 parishioners in Catholic rural parishes led by female lay pastors in the absence of priests elicited themes about informal and incidental learning: learning content included understanding the Eucharist, the Church, and pastoral leadership; and barriers to learning included priest intervention, history of parish…

Presents environmental education as a sharing of contested stories about the relationship between humans and nature. Suggests that the best storytelling occurs in nonformal and informal educational settings. Employs ethnographic research methods. Contains 19 references. (DDR)

In this article we describe an instance of free-choice learning in the context of an eelgrass mapping and stewardship project (the "Project") that covers over 500 kilometers of coastline in British Columbia, Canada, and involves 20 volunteer groups. In this ethnographic case study we sought to (a) explicate the relationship between…

Interest in prior learning recognition among Canadian adults is estimated on the basis of a large-scale national survey and illustrated by an account of the development of a prior learning assessment centre and the individual experiences of participants. Both the common principles and the distinctive activities that characterise the prior learning…

Analyzes the results of the first countrywide survey of the informal learning practices of adults in Canada, conducted in 1998. The survey found respondents to be devoting unprecedented amounts of time to learning activities, including an average of 15 hours per week in informal learning projects. Implications for policy and program initiatives…

The Learning and Technology Policy framework provides direction and coordination of the use of technology in Alberta's learning system. This Framework will inform decisions by establishing a context for assessing trends, issues, best practices, and new initiatives; for ensuring the investment in technology is consistent with the learning system's…

This report summarizes priorities that Ontario teachers assigned to different professional learning activities and the extent to which they had participated in professional learning. Information came from a mailed survey of 599 teachers, randomly selected across the province, in 1999. Teachers read a list of 13 learning activities and rated them…

In 1998, as part of a larger national study examining informal learning practices across the general population, Canadian elementary and secondary teachers were surveyed regarding their practices and attitudes related to their own ongoing learning. The 753 respondents described any informal learning experiences in the past year within their…

Interviews with directors at five Ontario summer camps found that three camps exposed children to stereotypes of Indigenous peoples and to cultural appropriation. This is inconsistent with goals of educating campers about and showing respect for Indigenous cultures. Given the current issues of land-claims and Aboriginal rights, non-Indigenous…

The primary objective of this research was to increase understanding of how women in the Maritime Provinces of Canada learn about the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This research utilised a qualitative approach with specific methods including interviews, joint interviews and focus groups. Overall 44 women participated in this research. The data was analysed…

The research reported in this paper attempts to document the actual learning practices of working-class people in the context of the much heralded "knowledge-based economy." Our primary thesis is that working-class peoples' indigenous learning capacities have been denied, suppressed, degraded or diverted within most capitalist schooling,…

In January 1980, TVOntario, a television network operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, introduced a new concept in adult learning, the TVOntario Academy. It consists of a combination of high broadcast-quality television programming, a computer-managed learning (CML) system, and especially designed courseware aimed at…