Non-school learning was a term that John Dewey used for “informal experiences” that he felt helped learners acquire attitudes, values, and knowledge from daily experiences. Many students come to science class from a cultural world-view that makes learning science much like the crossing of a cultural border. As I discussed in the last post, science teachers and researchers have explored the concept of border crossings in science education, and have suggested that there is a need to develop curriculum and instruction with the idea of border crossings in mind.

According to Dewey, learning environments that tend to be more informal in nature than formal use elements of non-school learning that in the end bring the students closer to the [science] curriculum, perhaps making border crossings less hazardous. In this context, learning is tied to “use, to drama of doubt, need and discovery” (see Fishman & McCarthy: John Dewey and the Challenge of Classroom Practice). In formal learning settings, scientific ideas & concepts are presented as if they were bricks, and we are tempted to try and pass out ideas, because like bricks, they are separable. Concepts are taught without a context, without connections, & without relevance to the students. Yes, there are some students who will learn science very well in formal environments. But as I pointed out in last post, there are more students who will not benefit from such formality. They would benefit more from an informal learning environment. Working on topics of their own choice, collaborating in cooperative groups, or discussing the relevance of the content—each of these ideas will contribute to the informality of the classroom.

The National Academies Press has just released a new book, Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits. You can read the book for free on online. The book lends credence to the value and importance of non-school learning, but more importantly offers many theoretical and practical suggestions that could be applied to the formality of schools.

Resources that you might want to explore:

InformalScience.org: an online community for informal learning in science.

The Center for Informal Learning and Schools: An NSF project at the Exploratorium in San Francisco

Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education: Informal science education supports people of all ages and walks of life in exploring science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.