Explicit, Informal, and Formal Learning

I was mostly interested in the Bransford article. Recently I have been reading a lot about informal and formal learning in relation to Facebook. However, I was less familiar with implicit learning. One form of implicit learning is mimicking others behavior. The article pointed out that we are the most mimicking animals on earth. Children at a very young age begin to mimic peers at daycare. Children also start to mimic television characters. I have seen this behavior in my niece. At about 18 months she began to really like a music video called “How do You Know.” My niece soon began to mimic the main character Gisel dance moves. A recent YouTube video you can see a baby exhibiting similar behavior while watch a Beyonce music video. This form of mimicking behavior can also be seen in the implicit learning in things such as language syntax and cadence or stereotypes of gender and race.



Informal learning normally takes place outside of class. Informal learning is most directed by interest and motivation. Unlike formal learning that happens is setting such as school informal learning lacks set learning objectives. An example that they use in the article is a child who becomes interested in trains and begins reading about them and going to train exhibits.

Adaptive Expertise
The article defines adaptive expertise as expert knowledge that supports continual learning, improvisation, and expansion. In L. Tom Peary conference talk he spoke about Norwegian ship builders who were give the task to build the roof for the Manti Temple. They had never built a roof before and struggled to find a solution to there problem. They soon realized that a roof and ship used the same principles and they simply designed a ship and then turned it upside down. These ship builders certainly continued their learning though improvisation and expansion. An adaptive expert can be high in innovation and efficiency where as a routine expert is simply efficient.