Learning experience paper - Essay Example

Informal Learning Informal Learning Informal learning is a form of learning that is not proper and does not require a professional teacher. It is a form of learning that an individual acquires through experience. There are several traits individuals possess as a result of informal learning including the fears we have. Examples of informal learning include a child learning a language from his/her parents, how an individual acquires a certain phobia and how certain items and ideas illicit certain feelings in an individual.

It is vital to note that most of the time the learner is present in actual time either in person or via a communication portal like the internet (Davies, 2008). A perfect example of informal learning is how we socialize with individuals around us. Ever since we were children we have learnt through experience on how to socialize with various people in society. As a child, my parents instilled in me the virtue that I must respect my elders. When talking to my elders you must be respectful and follow the instructions given to you by the elders.

This is because people older than you tend to possess more knowledge about the world than you. They therefore pass on knowledge and advice about the world and how to have a better life. I also learnt how to socialize with people of the opposite sex. Women are normally gentle and tender creatures. As a man, I therefore learnt that when socializing with women an individual needs to use kind words and be gentle with women. This is because I have learnt that women’s feelings are easily hurt, and in order to remain close with them we must be kind to them.

I also learnt how to socialize with my peers through informal learning. People with the same hobbies and ideas normally get along really well, and most friends have a lot in common. Most individuals learn to socialize with their peers through experience since they learn about what they like and dislike. This makes it easier for these individuals to socialize since one knows what to say and what not to say. Classical conditioning refers to a type of learning that happens when an unconditioned stimulus is linked to a conditioned stimulus.

We learn to socialize with our elders through classical conditioning. The unconditioned stimulus is the presence of an elderly person. Unconditioned stimuli refer to a form of stimuli that an individual responds to without training. The unconditioned response is to respectfully listen to what the elderly person has to say and if he has a task for you to perform to do so immediately. On the other hand, conditioned stimulus refers to a type of stimuli that an individual responds to only after learning about them.

For example, whenever I did not heed the words of my elders I normally failed in my pursuits. This is the conditioned stimulus. I would then respond by apologizing to the elder and heeding the words spoken to me. This is the conditioned response because failing in my endeavors is associated with being disrespectful to ones elders (Davies, 2008). Operant conditioning is a form of learning whereby a person’s actions are altered by its consequences. There is a connection between the behavior and the consequence for that behavior.

This form of learning entails an alteration in behavior due to punishment or reinforcement. This form of learning aims at strengthening or weakening certain voluntary behaviors hence the response is either considered positive or negative. Reinforcement results in a behavior happening more often, while punishment results in behavior happening less often. Social cognitive learning is a form of learning whereby an individual gains knowledge by observing other people in their environment. This means that people do not only gain knowledge through their personal experience, but also by duplicating the actions of others.

For example, individuals can learn how to socialize with other women by observing how their fathers treat their mother. There are some similarities and differences between classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social cognitive learning. Classical conditioning encompasses making a connection between an involuntary response and stimulus. On the other hand, operant conditioning encompasses a relationship between a voluntary trait and consequence. In operant conditioning, the learner is presented with rewards upon learning a positive behavior, while there are no such rewards in classical conditioning.

In operant learning there is punishment for not learning a behavior appropriately, while there is no punishment for learning a behavior wrongly in classical and social cognitive learning. In classical conditioning the learner is inactive, while in operant conditioning the learner needs to actively participate so as to be rewarded or punished, and in social cognitive learning the learner is merely an observer of the behavior (Davies, 2008). References Davies, L. (2008). Informal learning: A new model for making sense of experience.

Aldershot, England: Gower.