Formal vs. Informal Learning

For the past two years I’ve been completing my Bachelor’s of Education in Adult Education through Brock University. Completing this degree was something I had set as a goal for myself and it was part of some unfinished educational business for me. When I graduated from University in the 90’s, my goal was to go to teacher’s college. I unsuccessfully applied and ended up getting a job at Fleming College on a temporary contract. Fast forward many years later… and I decided it was time to pursue that education goal again, but since that temporary contract turned into permanent work in a post-secondary institution, my education focus would be on adults.

That late summer when I decided to go back to school was a time in my worklife where I was feeling very stuck. I wasn’t moving forward, I wasn’t feeling connected and I definately wasn’t feeling relevant. I had just returned from vacation and it was a quiet time at the college so I decided that I was going to dive into the twitter account that I had created months earlier. I had been hearing and reading that twitter could be used for professional learning and I decided that I needed to really give it a chance and see if I could figure out how to make it work for me.

I don’t really remember who I followed first and how things led to what as I was building but early on I had started to follow Alec Corous (@courosa). That August he sent out a tweet inviting learners to register as non-credit students in his EC&I 831 Open Education and Social Media course. I checked out the site, watched the trailer and immediately registered. That fall I was registered in my first online course through Brock, I was a non-credit student in Alec’s course and I was jumping into twitter with both feet. It was seredipitous chaos…

My online Brock course felt very comfortable and familiar although a bit overwhelming at first but it was a structured routine of reading, responding and completing assessments. The EC&I 831 course was a form of online course which was different from anything I had experienced before. The class met syncronously every Tuesday evening using web -conferencing and guest speakers (experts) joined us every week. The format for the course felt like a very focused twitter stream. I was exposed to experts, topics, tools and skills that was truly unbelievably inspiring. I was also building my twitter network and trying to find my voice in a completely new and rapid paced forum.

The three different environments were very different: formal, kinda formal and informal and they were exactly what my tired old brain needed. To say I was completely overwhelmed was a understatement but it was also weirdly energizing. I had been needing to get out of my comfort zone for a long time and I’m not sure why it all came together so quickly and so relevantly (if that’s even a word). All of a sudden I was feeling connected, inspired, inquisitive and relevant. The information that was being shared and the people sharing and helping was incredibly powerful.

Now I won’t take the rest of this blog space to document the last two years but what inspired me to write this all down was because I’ve come to the end of my original goal. I’ve just finished my last assignment for my last course for my education degree. Once the final mark is posted, I’m done. Goal accomplished.

Or is it…

What I’m starting to understand is that formal learning has its place and its space. But, its the informal learning that I experience every day in the space and place that I’ve created that has powerful implications. It has allowed me to contribute, share, learn and collaborate in ways that I didn’t know were possible 2.5 years ago.

Two years ago I knew about having a digital presence and I didn’t have much of one other than what was posted about me from conferences and race results (running). Because of many different projects and collaborations I have a online presence that is evolving and growing…

As I end this chapter of my formal education, I am celebrating the fact that it was the decision to ‘go back to school’ that opened my eyes and my mind to a personalized way of learning that keeps me wondering, stretching, connecting and sharing. I feel closer to my home community, my learning community and many other communities that weren’t available to me until I got myself unstuck and started moving forward…

While I write this for purely selfish reasons, I can’t help but think of the many people I’ve learned with over the past few years … often in very surprising ways… I do want to say thanks but I’m also wondering what’s next??

Anyone got any suggestions??

27 November 2011 ·