Am I Learning?

I really enjoyed the paper by Daniel Schugurensky - The Forms of Informal Learning - and the discussion in class on this topic. This has been a special passion of mine for some time now, as I believe this type of learning is too often over-looked in the workplace (and in everyday life too for that matter!). At first glance, the description of self-directed learning focused my thoughts on the e-learning, web-based courses, that we provide to staff in the bank where I work. This type of staff development first caught my attention when I was working on the Canadian side of our operation - helping to efficiently and cost-effectively deliver training to large groups of geographically-dispersed people. Then I began working on the international side of the company and - WOW! Now here's a great use of electronic channels - access to self-directed material, with a consistent message across 55 countries...without stepping into an airport! Budget saving! Time saving! But.....not a "silver bullet". (I've learned over time that there is no silver bullet in learning). The often over-used term, "blended learning", is truly important. Following through self-directed, through the description of incidental learning, and finally to socialization, each is more effective when accompanied by other supporting mechanisms - most notably, the follow up or "debriefing" by another individual. With our web-based courses, we found that their effectiveness was significantly improved with the addition of a coach's guide - questions and discussion points to guide the learner and confirm understanding. And of course, this becomes even more important with incidental and socialization where the learner may not even be aware of the learning that has occurred.
The topic of informal learning also brought back memories for me of a great book - Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_Lolita_in_Tehran#cite_note-2). Schugurensky made reference in his paper to "a clandestine study group", in describing self-directed learning and I was immediately transported back to Nafisi's story. It tells the tale of a group of women in Iran who gather on a regular basis to read Western books that have been banned in their country. I originally picked up the book with an interest in the bravery and determination of this group of people - with such a desire to learn about others that they would take such a risk. Then, as I talked (and talked and talked) to friends about the book, I realized I was learning a great deal about the history of Iran, the meaning and impact of the Islamic Revolution there and the people who lived though it - incidental learning right there biting me on the nose! And, perhaps even a bit of socialized learning, as my friends smiled and nodded politely, while I talked and talked and talked about this great book I was reading.
So, am I learning? Sure! I've learned the value and accessibility of making educational material available electronically to staff around the world. And I've learned that this can be made even more valuable when it's combined with some good, focused dialogue to reinforce the key messages....the value of conversation.
Keep talking people! It's amazing what you'll learn.