The base of the iceberg: Informal learning and its impact on formal and non-formal learning

Abstract

The base of the iceberg: Informal learning and its impact on formal and non-formal learning is a thick and deep theoretical discussion on education by Alan Rogers, a well-known author in the field. This book discusses the relationship between informal learning on the one hand and formal and non-formal learning on the other. Including the introduction (Chapter 1) and the conclusion (Chapter 6) it has six chapters. Designed to be a guide, each one of the four main chapters ends with suggestions for further reading and control exercises. The core of the analysis, supported by an extensive literature review, moves from the definition of concepts and their limits (Chapter 2) to a discussion of the nature and processes of informal learning (Chapter 3) and then to a literature review on the different dimensions of informal learning (Chapter 4). Chapter 5 is devoted to the multifaceted links between informal, non-formal and formal learning. The introductory chapter begins with a discussion aiming to draw a line between education (teacher-centred) and learning (learner-centred) in the context of lifelong learning. The shift from education towards learning resulted in ‘‘the redefinition of teaching as the facilitation of learning and of education as the provision of learning opportunities or learning experiences’’ (Biesta 2009, cited by Rogers, p. 11). This debate between schools of thought brought forth several definitions of learning to the point that Rogers observes a confusion against which he warns the reader: ‘‘This change from ‘education’ to ‘learning’ in our current Discourses may help to make clearer the fact that there is no consensus to be found as yet as to the meaning of the word’’ (p. 13), making the reader wonder how the author defines learning. In Chapter 2, Rogers presents three generally agreed-on definitions of learning emanating from UNESCO – formal learning, non-formal learning and informal learning – before pointing out the key criteria which distinguish them. These are the