Informal Learning: A New Model for Making Sense of Experience

In much of the developed world, learning is synonymous with the formal, structured processes that involve teachers, lecturers or trainers. And yet it is experience that is by far the most influential teacher that any of us will have, from the very first moment we are born. Lloyd Davies puts forward a new way of looking at experiential learning; a model that identifies the elements and points to some of the dynamics. The book highlights the characteristics that are common to the learning process. Experiential learning is: bull; active; it involves the learner in something more than remembering what someone else has said; bull; personal; experiences have different impacts on different people and the learning is commensurately different; bull; time bound; experiences may be short and instantaneous or extend over months or even years; bull; complex; some experiences are straightforward and carry immediate and direct lessons, others are multi-dimensional and offer lessons that are hard to discern. Informal Learning explains how we learn from experience and why each of us sees our experiences in different ways and, consequently, learns different lessons. It provides advice and guidance on how each of the various elements of the process (as described by the author) can be used for greater effect, both for individual and group learning, as well as in mentoring and counselling. If individuals and the organizations within which they work, as students or as employees, understand the basis on which they learn and can turn the process from a passive to an active one, the implications for their development are profound. Lloyd Davies' model for Informal Learning provides a relevant, flexible and significant tool that can offer a sea-change in the way we all learn. About the Author: Prior to his retirement, Lloyd Davies was Head of HR at Yorkshire Water, now Kelda PLC, and was extensively involved in recruitment and development of directors and senior managers. He has worked as a Visiting Professor at Lancaster Business School, working primarily with CEOs and MDs of SMEs, engaged on workplace projects.