Aprendizaje Invisible // News
Invisible Learning: the role of informal learning ineducation (marketdynamo)




It´s quite some time that I follow the work of John Moravec and Cristobal Cobo from Oxford University. Two months ago, I got the invitation to download their latest book, the title was “Invisible Learning”, and send my feedback to them. In this book, they develop all their research around informal, non-formal and formal learning, mainly with a focus on the informal processes that take place. 
Their research is based on the thesis that more than 70% of all learning is done through informal processes, and just a fraction through the well-known and mostly used formal processes (classroom classes, for instance). Having this in mind, the evolution of new technologies in education have a superlative role in making this trend even bigger, and this is also discussed in different chapters. 
I liked the book a lot, and I found it a must-read if you have any relationship with education. I understand this is a work-in-progress, as many of the discussions are yet on their way to be solved. It is an invitation to keep on building the concepts and practices that enable and leverage the creation and transmission of knowledge through technology.
Nonetheless, I found that the book did not dig deep enough about the socializing role of education, particularly formal education. There is a critic in the book around this vision of education as an enabler of some kind of integration of people in society. My vision is that this role exists, and that there is an impact by infomal learning processes in it, not only by traditional formal learning. I found that this topic is not sufficiently developed in the book. 
Also, I would have expected to find more about the connection between formal and informal learning, and the way they leverage each other. So far, informal learning has been underestimated, but as we strive to have a better understanding of the learning process, having in mind the role of the three components of learning (informal, non-formal and formal) is critical, not just one of them.   One example of this, would be someone using for the first time a new Ipad. It is likely that just by playing around, he will be able to use it initially, but if he wants to be more of an expert, and exploit all the functions that an Ipad offers, he will most probably turn to check some kind of formal learning (course, manual, etc). This kind of interaction between forman and informal is no sufficiently explored. 
As of today, there is not an english version of the book, but it is expected to be released in the next months. You can find more information about the book at its website: http://www.invisiblelearning.com/en/