In this paper the focus is on professional development through informal learning. People learn a lot while performing tasks and doing their jobs, but they are not always aware of these processes. Encouraging the awareness for informal learning is a first step towards acknowledgement of informal learning activities as forms of professional development by teacher educators and their managers. In this paper, we describe a procedure to encourage awareness of informal learning. The procedure consists of keeping a logbook on learning experiences during three weeks. At the end of the period the participants discussed their experiences in a meeting and analysed their own logbooks using an analysis tool. Both keeping a logbook and analysing this logbook led to a raise in the awareness of informal learning, at least, during and shortly after the intervention. The participants got to know their own learning processes, found the logbook-keeping an interesting thing to do and sometimes were surprised by the ways they learned.
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professional development through informal learning In planning professional development for teachers or teacher educators, very often a formal course or training is offered. There is a lack of attention for the fact that a lot of professional development takes place at work through so-called workplace-learning (Eraut, 2004;Tynjälä & Heikkinen, 2011, Tynjälä, 2008). Raising the awareness of one's professional development through workplace learning might help to intertwine professional development with the performance of tasks. Professional development than becomes part of the job instead of an extra -workload increasing- task outside the job. In our research group, we are studying ways to raise awareness for informal learning. In this workshop we focus on a method that we designed, consisting of a learning report and an analysis tool. The workshop consist of three parts. We start the session with a short presentation of our study and the findings (15 minutes). After that, the participants of the workshop will work with the tools we have developed in our study to raise the awareness for informal learning (20 minutes). The results will then be discussed according to two questions: (1) what is your opinion on the analysis-tool; (2) what is your opinion on the use of this tool for raising awareness for informal learning on a personal and institutional level (20 minutes).
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Professional development of teacher educators is an important issue. In order to be able to teach the teachers of the future, teacher educators have to keep their own knowledge and skills 'future proof'. When it comes to professional development, very often people think of 'attending courses'. But attending courses to keep up knowledge and/or skills, is only a small aspect of the broad range of possible activities to fill in ones professional development. A lot of professional development takes place at work, the so-called workplace-learning or informal learning. In this study we look at the professional development of teacher educators through informal learning. Often forms of informal learning are not recognized by the learner, because they are so integrated with work. In this study the goal is to stimulate awareness of informal learning processes by teacher educators. Teacher educators use a logbook and report daily, weekly or once in three weeks what they have learned. After a three-week period they analyse their logbooks by looking at 'what is learned, 'how is learned', with or from who is learned'. This study has two types of outcomes: (1) awareness of the informal learning processes of the participating teacher educators themselves and (2) insights into the processes of stimulating awareness of informal learning processes. The study is in progress (march 2012) and we will present our findings at the conference in Antwerp.
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Informal learning spaces create opportunities for children and youth to develop their talents and to experience new social roles. In recent years, several public libraries in the Netherlands have established makerspaces to empower youth by facilitating the development of their digital skills in conjunction with their creativity. The Amsterdam Public Library created a network of makerspaces (Maakplaats021) and provided training for the makerspace-coaches. These coaches – former librarians or other professionals – have a central role in the makerspace and fulfill several functions. This contribution describes informal learning of children in these makerspaces and distills critical features that enforce learning through the lens of children aged 8–12 and their makerspace-coaches.
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The pilot project that will be described in this report was all about the animateur.What are his skills and attitudes? What are the pedagogical interventions that he uses in a workshop or an event? What are the main issues that arise when we try to include such a naturally non-formal and informal practice into a formal setting like the conservatoire? The pilot project has led to a number of conclusions for the lectorate that have direct implications for setting up a module to train animateurs, and regarding project set-up and content.
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De ontwikkelingen en veranderingen in de gezondheidszorg maken het noodzakelijk dat verpleegkundigen door middel van bij- en nascholing hun deskundigheid op peil houden. Deskundigheid is de basis waarop herregistratie in het BIG-register zal gaan plaatsvinden. Per 1 januari 2009 moeten zorgverleners na vijf jaar hun deskundigheid aantonen door te voldoen aan de werkervaringseis en, als ze daar niet aan voldoen, de scholingseis1. Deskundigheidsbevordering en Lifelong Learning - levenslang leren - gaan hand in hand. Lifelong Learning is het principe dat mensen gedurende hun hele leven in staat en gemotiveerd zijn om te leren en dat de omgeving daartoe mogelijkheden biedt2, 3. E-learning wordt geassocieerd met leeractiviteiten die plaatsvinden op een zelfgekozen moment waarbij een met een computernetwerk verbonden computer interactief gebruikt wordt. ‘Any place, any time’ is een wezenlijk aspect van e-learning. E-learning is belangrijk voor het levenslang leren van verpleegkundigen.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore how experienced teachers learn informally, and more specifically, how they learn through the activities they undertake when teaching classes. Regarding these activities we studied four aspects: behaviour, cognition, motivation and emotion. During one year, data were collected through observations of and interviews with four experienced teachers. For the analysis we used Eraut’s distinction into three types of learning which differ in the degree of consciousness that is involved. We found several activities that represented each of these types of learning. The findings demonstrate how cognitive, affective, motivational and behavioural aspects are interrelated in classroom teaching and that learning from classroom teaching occurs at several levels of awareness. Hence, we argue that a theory of teacher learning should account for activities involved in the alignment of behaviour to plan and for the role of motivation and emotion. The findings suggest that fruitful development of the quality of teaching requires more attention for the relation between teachers’ cognition, emotion, motivation and behaviour, and for promoting teachers’ awareness of their implicit beliefs and behavioural tendencies.
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Introduction and theoretical background Professional development of teacher educators is an important issue because in order to be able to teach the teachers of the future, teacher educators have to keep their own knowledge and skills 'future proof' (Kools, 2011a). A lot of professional development takes place at work (workplace-learning) (Eraut, 2004;Tynjälä & Heikkinen, 2011). In an attempt to typecast this type of learning, Eraut introduces a continuum of formal and informal learning. At the informal end of the continuum we find 'implicit, unintended, opportunistic and unstructured learning and the absence of a teacher' (Eraut, 2004, p250). At the formal end, opposite types of learning can be found. In between the two ends of the continuum, all kinds of fusions of formal and informal learning exist. Research goals In our study, we intend to take a closer look at informal forms of learning as a means of professional development. The purpose of our study is to recognize the possibilities and to appreciate the value of informal forms of learning with regard to teacher educators' professional development, both by teacher educators themselves as well as by their managers. In a quick-scan at our Teacher College (Kools, 2011b) teacher educators were asked to mention which activities they had undertaken in the past two years to develop themselves professionally. In this quickscan, informal forms of learning were often ticked off. These findings might indicate that informal forms of learning do take place and can be recognized retrospectively. In our study we focus on the recognition of informal learning processes by teacher educators. We are investigating ways to stimulate teacher educators' awareness of informal learning processes. The question for this part is: 'in what ways do writing logbooks and the analysis of these logbooks help teacher educators to become aware of their own informal learning processes?' Proposed design of the study In our study we would like to invite teacher educators to participate and study their own informal learning processes. We would like them to describe their learning experiences and learning outcomes in a logbook. Logbook entries are made on the basis of regular time intervals such a daily entries, weekly entries or entries every six weeks. After 6 weeks we ask them to look at their own logbooks and analyse how and what they have learned and what they experienced in the process writing log entries. We will ask them to express this in a learner-report. For this task, we provide them with an analysis-tool, consisting of a checklist with critical questions. These learner reports form the input for an overall analysis in which we would like to answer the research question. The design of the study leads to two types of outcomes: (1) awareness of their informal learning processes of the participating teacher educators and (2) insights into the processes of stimulating awareness of informal learning processes. At the conference In Coimbra we hope to present our first experiences and some results of this approach. References Eraut, M. (2004). Informal learning in the workplace. Studies in Continuing Education, Vol 26, N0, July 2004, 247-273 Kools, Quinta H. (2011). Future proof! Professionaliteit van leraren en lerarenopleiders. Lectorale rede, Fontys Hogescholen. Kools, Q.H., J. Dengerink, K. Melief and M. Lunenberg (2011). Professional development activities of teacher educators. Paper presented at the annual ATEE conference Riga, August 2011 Tynjälä, Päivi, and Hannu L.T. Heikkinen (2011). Beginning teacher's transition from pre-service education to working life. Theoretical perspectives and best practices. Published online: 29.03.2011, © VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften 2011
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Various learning contexts (conservatoire, workplace and self initiated learning) which are relevant for the training of professional musicians as lifelong learners are explored.
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Het plan van aanpak gepresenteerd in deze handreiking is bedoeld als leidraad voor het ontwerpen, ontwikkelen, implementeren en evalueren van verschillende Learning Communities binnen het RAAK-5 project Het Nieuwe Telen: gas erop! Het is bedoeld om zowel inzichten als instrumenten te bieden aan coördinatoren en facilitatoren voor de implementatie van de lokale Learning Communities gedurende het project. Deze handreiking is een noodzakelijke aanvulling op het project vanwege de prominente rol van Learning Communities binnen het project, maar ook omdat er geen wetenschappelijk gebaseerde ontwerpprincipes voor LC’s te vinden zijn. Er zijn veel projecten die Learning Communities uitvoeren, maar een grondige zoektocht naar literatuur en internetbronnen resulteerde niet in ontwerpprincipes.
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