Page 47 - P&C Handbook

Grow & Be successful
About Growing
As adults, we learn differently than we did as children. Here you'll gain some insight into some adult learning theories, practices and how to put them to work for you
Formal v. Informal Learning
There has been a great deal of research in the past three decades into the role of informal learning and it will come as no surprise to read that most of what we learn as adults comes through informal or incidental learning, sometimes referred to as workflow learning. This is good news. It means that we can grow as we go but the news gets even better.
Adult educators have applied these findings in ways that help to put us, the adult learners, back in the driving seat. We can determine the direction of our 'Growing' by planning to leverage incidental learning opportunities.
Model: 70: 20: 10
The 70:20:10 model allows for this incidental learning, the role that experts, coaches, or elders play in our learning and the role of formal learning.
When asked about their most powerful learning experiences, most people will remember an on- the-job experience – being ‘thrown in at the deep end’ when they first start a job, taking on a project, relieving a one-up manager for a period of time, presenting at meetings, or participating in a community initiative. Research shows that the majority of learning at work (about 70%) happens this way, with people learning from both their successes and their failures.
Contact with other knowledgeable or experienced people and opportunities is where 20% of our learning comes from. This could be through coaching (either through a coach or a people leader formally or through peers and colleagues informally), mentoring (both formally and informally), networking, observing role models at work, going to upper-level management meetings, sharing best practice, or participating in a community of practice.
Education is what people most associate with learning – those formal academic, classroom- based or online programs which take you out of your workplace for a specified period of time while you conduct a specific learning activity. This type of learning is valuable because it provides theory and concepts to apply on-the-job. This type of learning is characterised by structure, textbooks, webinars and presentations may also be considered in this category
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PAGE 46 | GROW & BE SUCCESSFUL