Diving into informal learning. A future-proof strategy

As humans, we learn a lot in informal ways. In fact, it is a significant way we learned as children.

If you had to take a moment and reflect on your pre-school years, it’s unlikely that you will remember any sort of structured learning - and yet, you learned - effectively. Let’s take social skills as an example. While some, including etiquette, are explicitly taught, most children will learn through observation. Another example would be language proficiency. Now it's fair to assume that most of your parents didn’t sign you up for a language course at the age of 2. Instead, you learned through mimicry and observation. The same could be said for empathy, body language, social awareness and self-responsibility.?

“If we experienced life through the eyes of a child, everything would be magical and extraordinary. Let our curiosity, adventure and wonder of life never end.”

— Akiane Kramarik

There’s a trap that many adults fall into - almost subconsciously. And that is that they somehow lose their sense of wonder - their innate curiosity. That said, we aren’t always aware of just how much we learn every day - instead, we come to think of learning as a chore, or something that can only happen in a classroom setting, with deadlines and assessments. But what about all the informal learning that we do??Who is going to validate that? Have you ever stopped to think about how many additional certifications you’d have if your informal learning path was validated from the beginning??

Now, that’s not to say that formal learning is wrong, or redundant. In fact - a combination of formal and informal learning might just be the way to a sustainable future.?

What is informal learning?

Learning that takes place outside of a structured, formal classroom setting is referred to as informal learning. Informal learning can take many different forms, such as watching videos, studying independently, reading articles, engaging in forums and chat rooms, receiving performance guidance, receiving coaching, and playing games. Another term that you may have heard of is asynchronous learning. In an informal learning environment, the student establishes his or her own goals and objectives.

In a sense, it's fair to say that where informal learning is present - the student is in control.?

A look at informal learning in the workplace.

Meeting organizational and personal needs while creating a culture that promotes learning as a continuum.

In any organization, learning and employee development are major priorities. As a business owner or entrepreneur, you should provide all the tools necessary for your staff to be successful in their roles. But formal education is not your only option. At least, it shouldn’t be. Employees who engage in informal learning are better able to develop their abilities and keep learning outside of the typical workshop or classroom environment.

Informal learning strategies provide a host of benefits and opportunities to both individuals and organizations.

Here’s why you should be making it a priority!?

• It drives collaboration and synchronicity?
• It encourages innovation and development?
• It instills a sense of accountability and self-responsibility?
• It allows you to learn what you want when you want it?
• Informal learning tends to ‘stick better’ than formal learning?
• Informal learning typically doesn’t require formal learning and development (L&D) team direction, design, or development.

Now that you know why you should be encouraging informal learning - it’s time to learn how to pay attention to when you’re doing it.?

While informal learning can be achieved through day-to-day conversations, brainstorms, or book clubs - we are in a digital age and it's time that we use that to our advantage.?

Anyone with a smartphone, laptop, or tablet quite literally has the world at their fingertips. They possess the ability to learn something new every day. The only downside to taking this type of approach is that we often succumb to something along the lines of “infobesity”. Simply put - there is so much available, that we simply have no way of comprehending, organizing - or consuming what we truly need.

Think of the last time you were researching something. Chances are that you found 5 or 10 articles, all of a similar nature - essentially telling you the same thing, just using different words. Yes - you learned, and you can probably recall the key points that you read - but did you really find what you were looking for??

Informal learning doesn’t need to be overwhelming - or time-consuming. In fact, it can be quite simple. It’s as easy as signing up for our waitlist!

This is the reason we started Aline.?The Aline Better App is an intelligent learning system that has been purposely designed to guide you through your informal learning journey in a customized, and easy-to-consume way. As a learner-centric platform, it provides you with a unified platform to access reputable and relevant information - according to what you want to learn.

Informal learning is an art. It’s sublime. It’s simply how the world operates - and yet, it’s often done on a subconscious level. In fact - just by reading this, you’re participating in your very own informal learning process. Fostering a healthy level of curiosity is crucial to effective learning - informal or otherwise. It’s only once we as individuals and organizations truly believe in the power of shared knowledge that we prove its value.?

As a future-forward strategy, informal learning is a means to an end. It’s accessible, it’s simple, and it creeps into our minds - finding a way to ingrain itself into our core values. Sure, you might not receive a certificate of achievement for every fact, strategy or method that you master - but you do improve yourself, build your character - and open the door to a world of opportunities.