Does Informal Learning Trump Formal Learning in Worker Training?

Reviews the book, Informal learning: Rediscovering the natural pathways that inspire innovation and performance by Jay Cross (see record 2006-21084-000). A modern typology of kinds of learning would have to include much more than classical and operant conditioning and observational learning. It would also list collaborative learning, incidental learning, implicit learning, procedural learning, and perceptual learning. Jay Cross adds informal learning to the list. The term informal learning is not new (see Bransford et al., 2006). For Jay Cross, what is new is the recognition of informal learning's importance in the expensive and extensive effort of getting employees to learn new things in their workplaces. Cross believes that in the workplace informal learning ultimately is more important than formal training. I do not argue with Cross's observations about much of our informal learning settings and techniques. However, I worry that what Cross is describing is not so much "informal" learning as it is "good enough" learning, learning that just gets the learner by. Should you buy Informal learning's version of formal learning? Instead of ending each chapter with a summary, Cross has placed all the summaries in an appendix. I think it would be perfectly consistent with the author's philosophy for you to informally learn the contents of this book by going to your local bookstore, picking up a copy from the shelf, taking it over to the coffee bar, and reading the appendix for free. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)