This article looks at the ways in which people learn informally through artistic expression such as dance, drama, poetry, music, literature, film, and all of the visual arts and how people access this learning through their emotions. The author begins with a look at the limitations of relying primarily on technical-rational learning processes.…

Innovation is crucial to the competitiveness of the economies of Europe, and learning is crucial to innovation. The most important trend shift is not that knowledge is becoming more important but that it is becoming obsolete more rapidly than before, so that firms and employees constantly have to learn and acquire new competencies. This involves…

Research suggests that technology use among adult literacy students has positive effects on learning outcomes, with the majority of these studies focused on traditional classroom environments where technology is used as a supplement to existing instruction. Adult literacy students are affected in many ways by technology use within less structured…

Computer retailers and manufacturers have found providing appropriate instruction to be an essential part of marketing and selling their products. Most computer stores have classrooms in which courses are offered, providing an informal, interactive atmosphere for the instruction. The microcomputer market has split into two major segments: the…

Interviews in four worksites with tiling teachers, educational planners, human resources officers, and off-campus trainers found that learning was strongly influenced by the nature of the work and workplace. However, only some of the learning networks fit the concept of communities of practice; other conceptualizations are needed to reflect the…

Cartoons illustrating scientific concepts were used in the London Underground and informal learning sites to raise adult awareness of science and promote lifelong learning. They are also being used in formal learning situations such as adult-literacy classes. (SK)

Over a decade ago, Oduran (1993) argued that consumer education was an emerging frontier of adult education. While the Adult Performance Level (APL) project in the 1970s sparked some interest in consumer and life skills within adult basic education and English as a second language (Lankshear, 1993; Levine, 1986; Sandlin, 2000), and while this push…

Reviews definitions of and debates over distinctions among formal, informal, and nonformal learning. Outlines questions about four aspects of formality/informality with which to analyze learning situations: process, location/setting, purposes, and content. (SK)

Describes how a survey of 1,500 museums in six European countries and case studies in three countries were used to develop a guide to good practice and a Web site on informal education in museums. (SK)

Interviews with four female pastors showed how they nurtured a climate that enabled parishioners to accept their leadership ability. They fostered learning and change through mentoring, coaching, networking, and dialog with parishioners, and they integrated informal learning into daily life. (SK)

Informal learning probably accounts for most significant and meaningful learning in daily life. It should be considered in policy discussions and initiatives about lifelong learning, community development, and work-based learning. (SK)

People learn in many different ways and in many different places. What is learned informally or experientially is often the same or similar to what may be learned in traditional formal learning environments. There are many reasons why recognizing experiential learning is viable educational option, more so in today's economy than ever before. Prior…

Discusses findings of an investigation of a model of guided workplace learning in a large processing plant. The model is composed of three interdependent planes: (1) everyday participation at work; (2) guided learning for work; and (3) guided learning for transfer. (Contains 18 references.) (JOW)

Observation of eight book groups and participation in one group for six years uncovered four key factors: diverse membership, variety of readings, semiformal ground rules, and informal context. Support for book groups as a way of expanding learning networks in adult education was recommended. (SK)

Outlines components of workplace learning environments: individual/collective skill learning, learning to learn, and higher-order organizational learning. Suggests that studies counting only formal training discount older workers' participation in informal and work-based learning. Related learning environment characteristics to assumptions about…