Trends such as technological innovation, downsizing, self-managed teams, and continuous learning imply that in continuing education technical content must be considered in the context in which skills are used. Knowledge of learning processes and workplace socialization suggests that formal training and informal learning must be integrated to…

One hundred and twenty citations of books, periodicals, and government documents dating from 1913 to 1969 are included in this annotated bibliography of selected anthropological materials related to the influence of culture on the learning process. The bibliography is designed to assist those venturing into the area of "non-formal" education to…

The pleasures and advantages of informal learning are highlighted in a story about childhood visits to a fabric shop. Contrasts the unhurried, flexible, self-directed nature of informal learning situations with the more structured and controlled environment of the classroom. Discusses skills and lessons learned in informal settings and suggests…

Non-formal environmental education involves all educational processes conducted outside of school. It is directed to all age groups, especially mature people who have finished their studies. This paper presents the goals and forms of non-formal education in Poland. Studies on the effects of non-formal education are also presented: this form of…

There are a number of ways that government policy might increase the educational benefits that preschool children receive from television. These include (1) direct government funding of educationally oriented broadcasts; (2) strengthened Federal Communication Commission rules mandating more educationally oriented television; (3) a national center…

Examines how the aquarium has attempted to move from a transfer view of knowledge to a constructivist approach in its most popular general public program--the killer whale presentation. The process of change that staff underwent is similar to conceptual change processes among learners of science. Describes constructivist strategies of conceptual…

The focus of this article is the role of drawings in the journeys of young children towards literacy. The argument is that young children learn from home contexts a wide range of approaches towards literacy. At school their flexibility in using these approaches is reshaped into narrow versions of literacy based on learning to read, write and…

The aim of the research reported in this dissertation is to describe how experienced secondary school teachers learn at work in an informal environment. The study is part of a larger research project aimed at providing a conceptual framework of teacher learning in the workplace as it takes place both in informal and formal learning environments.…

Informal learning's roots emerged from educational philosophers John Dewey, Kurt Lewin and Mary Parker Follett to theorists Malcolm Knowles and other successive researchers. This paper explores the background and definitions of informal learning and applications to the global workplace. Informal learning's challenges are applied to developing…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine factors influencing the engagement of public school teachers in informal learning activities. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a survey research design. Findings: Analysis of the data found that teachers rely to a greater degree on interactive than on independent informal learning…

The phenomenon of adult functional illiteracy in the United States is examined, and strategies are considered for addressing the problem. Reasons for the failure of existing programs (schools, adult education, and volunteer tutoring) to close the literacy gap are explored; among these factors are the relative growth of underserved populations,…

The impact of informal learning on young children in the course of their play activities is discussed. A major objective is to emphasize that informal learning can help lay the base for multiculturalism in elementary education. It enables children from different cultural backgrounds to relate to and understand each other through play activities…

A key concept underlying Equipped for the Future (EFF) relates to its contextualized approach to curriculum and instruction. While drawing on the body of cognitive research, research on the transfer of learning is of key importance for this principle. Effective learning requires not only acquisition but also active application of knowledge,…

Czech novels and short stories dealing with life in the 19th century were reviewed for information about how adults in rural areas of Czechoslovakia learned and the topics that interested them. The literature review confirmed that adults living in rural areas of Czechoslovakia in the 19th century generally had a great desire for education,…

This article takes a detailed look at how a group of 10-year-old boys mutually construct an evolving multilinear scenario whilst playing a storytelling game in class, borrowing from a number of genres and forms of engagement in ICT-mediated popular culture to perform for each other in patterns which defy linear description or analysis. Their…