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Informal learning
Informal learning is one of three forms of learning defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Informal learning occurs in a variety of places, such as at home, work, and through daily interactions and shared relationships among members of society. Informal learning often takes place outside educational establishments, and does not follow a specified curriculum and may originate accidentally, or sporadically, in association with certain occasions, although that is not always the case. Informal learning can be found to occur indirectly within educational settings, and can also be directly incorporated into formal learning situations. Barbara Rogoff presents the parameters of an informal learning situation as having an available reference, such as a peer or someone with the particular skill, to guide the learner. If the learners have a personal interest in what they are informally being taught, then this interest grows from the personal choice and turns into motivation for the learning experience. The learners build their existing knowledge and build new ideas about the topic being learned.

Informal Learning Opportunities Within the Classroom

Direct informal learning within a formal educational setting: Direct: While informal learning has roots towards children learning outside of educational settings, educators still have chances to direct students to both learn formally and informally. For example, a field trip to a museum is traditionally considered an informal learning environment, as they can be free choice, include a diverse and potentially non-standardized range of topics, and can contain flexible structures, socially rich interaction, and no externally imposed assessments (Crowley). However, field trips to museums are often planned in advance by teachers, so that their visits can correlate with the school curriculum. Teachers taking time out of their classroom settings to formally educate students on what they will be learning in the classroom. Some teachers do not consider the idea that students consider field trips as moments of “free time,” and as such, utilize their informal learning while at the museum. Field trips that let students play games, role-play, or experiment can also allow them to pull from their informal learning tools. Field trips can also allow students to informally learn how to best use their smartphone devices, social media, and Internet-based technologies in ways that informally benefit their connection with the learning. These examples are all based in a formal setting, yet students are both utilizing their formal and informal learning skills. Educators can structure their lessons to directly utilize their students informal learning skills within the education setting.

Indirect informal learning within in a formal educational setting Indirect: Informal learning can also occur indirectly within educational settings. This occurrence can be categorized as a “hidden curriculum” within the educational setting. Examples of this “hidden curriculum” can be seen when students are learning how to handle being treated as a part of a crowd, or spending long periods of time in boredom. (Rogoff 336) As students follow their teacher's formal learning script, they can include informal information asserting unacknowledged references to their own cultural experiences and linguistics which are neither recognized or included in the teachers plan. This is known as “the invisible culture” which can occur through the interactions and participation of students within their classroom. Although teachers usually do not plan for these specific learning strategies, they can end up occurring with a classroom setting.

Education Through Recreation

The concept of 'education through recreation' was applied to childhood development in the 19th century. In the early 20th century, the concept was broadened to include young adults but the emphasis was on physical activities. L.P. Jacks, also an early proponent of lifelong learning, described education through recreation: "A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play, his labour and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always seems to be doing both. Enough for him that he does it well." Education through recreation is the opportunity to learn in a seamless fashion through all of life's activities. The concept has been revived by the University of Western Ontario to teach anatomy to medical students.

Self-directed learning
Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) is a contemplative, absorbing process, of "learning on your own" or "by yourself", or as a self-teacher. Some autodidacts spend a great deal of time reviewing the resources of libraries and educational websites. One may become an autodidact at nearly any point in one's life. Notable autodidacts include Abraham Lincoln (U.S. president), Srinivasa Ramanujan (mathematician), Michael Faraday (chemist and physicist), Charles Darwin (naturalist), Thomas Alva Edison (inventor), Tadao Ando (architect), George Bernard Shaw (playwright), Frank Zappa (composer, recording engineer, film director), and Leonardo da Vinci (engineer, scientist, mathematician).