Based on a study of self-reporting workers, (which resonates with me in that I constantly find that information that I find myself imparting to the children is stuff which I learnt out of school):
"Most of what we learn, we learn from other people -- parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, playmates, cousins, Little Leaguers, Scouts, school chums, roommates, teammates, classmates, study groups, coaches, bosses, mentors, colleagues, gossips, co-workers, neighbors, and, eventually, our children. Sometimes we even learn from teachers.
At work we learn more in the break room than in the classroom. We discover how to do our jobs through informal learning -- observing others, asking the person in the next cubicle, calling the help desk, trial-and-error, and simply working with people in the know. Formal learning - classes and workshops and online events - is the source of only 10% to 20% of what we learn at work."
This from Jay Cross, who looks to be a natural ally of home educators and all personalised learners.
Jay Cross:
"...served as CEO of eLearning Forum for its first five years, was the first to use the term eLearning on the web, and has keynoted such conferences as Online Educa (Berlin), I-KNOW (Austria), Research Innovations in Learning (U.S.), Emerging eLearning (Abu Dhabi), Training (U.S.),Quality in eLearning (Bogotá), and Learning Technology (London).
He is the author of Informal Learning: Rediscovering the Natural Pathways that Inspire Innovation and Performance, coauthor of Implementing eLearning, contributor to The Blended Learning Handbook, and author of many magazine articles. Every day, thousands of people read his two blogs, Internet Time and Informal Learning Blog.
Jay is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School. He and his wife Uta live with two miniature longhaired dachshunds in the hills of Berkeley, California."
That was considered proven in the adult ed courses I took 5 years ago. I still scratch my head that almost no one gives a thought to the concept that it would apply to children as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure as a child/teen my friends and I ,talking amongst ourselves, would state that we learnt so much more from relatives/experiences etc
ReplyDeletee.g we often thought that in terms of history that our elder relatives could teach us so much more than a book. It's hardly rocket science..it's what we all know deep down. It's great to see studies verify it but why is it not obvious to the world?
I get so confused with people. On one hand I watch people with amazing brains working out amazing theories etc and then they turn round and say "what about socialisation?" like parrots. :|