La tercera vía

En una comunicación de la Comisión Europea sobre aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida (Life-Long Learning), se hablaba de aprendizaje formal, informal y también “aprendizaje no formal”. ¿Sera esta la tercera vía, entre lo que parece ser una organización anacrónica de las instituciones educativas, y el sindiós que proponen los más fieles creyentes de la secta dospuntocero? En el documento de marras, se puede leer:

Formal learning: learning typically provided by an education or training institution, structured (in terms of learning objectives, learning time or learning support) and leading to certification. Formal learning is intentional from the learner’s perspective.

Non-formal learning: learning that is not provided by an education or training institution and typically does not lead to certification. It is, however, structured (in terms of learning objectives, learning time or learning support). Non-formal learning is intentional from the learner’s perspective.

Informal learning: learning resulting from daily life activities related to work, family or leisure. It is not structured (in terms of learning objectives, learning time or learning support) and typically does not lead to certification. Informal learning may be intentional but in most cases it is non-intentional (or “incidental”/ random) (p32-33).

A la vista de la dicotomía clásica entre los aprendizajes formal e informal, que se puede identificar con los “tipos ideales” que apuntan en este otro documento,

Formal vs. Informal

Teacher as authority – No teacher involved

Educational premises – Non-educational premises

Teacher control – Learner control

Planned and structured – Organic and evolving

Summative assessment/accreditation – No assessment

Externally determined objectives/outcomes – Internally determined objectives

Interests of powerful and dominant groups – Interests of oppressed groups

Open to all groups, according to published criteria – Preserves inequality and sponsorship

Propositional knowledge – Practical and process knowledge

High status – Low status

Education – Not education

Measured outcomes – Outcomes imprecise/unmeasurable

Learning predominantly individual – Learning predominantly communal

Learning to preserve statu quo – Learning for resistance & empowerment

Pedagogy of transmission & control – Learner-centred, negotiated pedagogy

Learning mediated through agents of authority – Learning mediated through learner democracy

Fixed and limited time-frame – Open-ended engagement

Learning is the main explicit purpose – Learning is either of secondary significance or is implicit

Learning is applicable in a range of contexts – Learning is context-specific

¿Podríamos pensar en otra posibilidad intermedia, un marco conceptual en el que encuadrar la experiencia a la que nos hemos lanzado? ¿Hay que buscar esa “tercera vía” o se perfilará como un fenómeno emergente dentro del NET?