Informal Learning Experience
Abstract
In this essay, we investigated classical, operant and social-cognitive conditioning in personal experience of learning a foreign language. A single participant has been interviewed about informal language learning. We have analyzed the responses basing on social-cognitive conditioning theory and clarified the cases where learning a foreign language could occur through classical and operant conditioning. The participant’s results have shown that learning through social-cognitive conditioning can be successful providing the existence of the four factors. Informal learning through classical and operant conditioning is effective as well and is widely used in the modern educational system. However, it is advisable to combine it with formal learning. All the three models have their own distinguishing features and influence a person’s behavior differently. Using all the three theories while learning a foreign language is the most productive.
Keywords: informal learning, conditioning, learning theories
Informal Learning Experience
We spend all our life learning, constantly acquiring new knowledge or skills, changing our behavior and habits. We may gain these not only through training and workshops but also through personal experience. The knowing of how to use informal learning tools is vital, as it may help us not only regulate our own behavior but as well assist others, upgrade both our professionalism and personality. This paper is going to focus on a personal learning experience and analyze the case from the point of the three learning theories, which are classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and cognitive-social conditioning. The case under analysis illustrates the usage of different methods of learning a foreign language using informal learning theories. Such methods prove to be efficient and bring good results. The person experiencing informal learning in our case is an acquaintance of mine named Juliya.
Juliya’s mother language is Russian, however, she learned English at school on a regular basis. Her family traveled a lot and moved from one place to another very often. This is why Juliya was used to adapting to environment changes, new experience, and new people. At the age of 14 Juliya’s father had to go to work to Vietnam and the family moved to Ho Chi Minh City. Juliya couldn’t speak Vietnamese at all, that is why she couldn’t attend a regular school there. Her English wasn’t perfect at all yet but the only choice her parents had at this time is to send the girl to British International School, which offered secondary education under the English national curriculum. The teachers were mostly British and all the subjects were held in the English language. The school program was very unfamiliar to Juliya and it was hard to catch up with the program at first. However, having immersed herself in the atmosphere of English, in a couple of months she could not only speak the foreign language but also fulfill homework and participate in events and activities (e.g. singing, acting, sport games, team building activities, cultural visits etc.). She spent a year at this school at the atmosphere of the English language and moved back home. Right now she has connected her life with English, exchange programs for students and professionals, and developing the educational system in her home country, basing on her personal informal experience.
Among the skills and knowledge Juliya learnt having found herself in a foreign atmosphere we should first of all mention the foreign language learnt almost from scratch, educational methods not common for East European countries but proving to be effective due to their informal content.
The case described above clearly depicts the idea of cognitive-social learning, based on copying and modeling the behavior of the people around us. According to Albert Bandura (1971), in order to make the cognitive learning work, a learner should point out the behavior, keep in mind the way to repeat it, be capable of modeling the behavior from both physical and intellectual standpoint, and be motivated enough. In our case Juliya has to pay attention the behavior of the group and surroundings otherwise she will not be a part of it, she memorizes the way to repeat it as she sees it every day, she is a healthy smart child capable of fast learning. Her motivation is good grades and taking part in the activities and events. In this situation, learning through social conditioning is successful.
The informal learning is widely used in the practice of studying foreign languages. However, it is combined with formal learning more often.
Learning of the English language by Juliya could have occurred through classical and operant conditioning as well. Considering the fact that any language has certain rules grammatical structure, vocabulary use, etc., we may say that informal learning of a foreign language is more productive when combined with formal learning.
Speaking of classical conditioning, the case may look as follows: a child’s parents want to teach a child to speak a foreign language. That is why they organize a little family event several times a week, where their kid learns language through various fun games, competitions, creativity, e.g. drawing, singing, and dancing; the child needs to learn a couple of phrases, a poem, a song, certain vocabulary that is later implemented into the game. The unconditioned stimulus is the desire to experience joy and have fun. The unconditioned response is to take part in such an event to be a part of this joy. Learning a foreign language is the conditioned stimulus. The unconditioned response in the situation is the desire to learn English to have fun and enjoy oneself.
Operant conditioning might be combined with classic conditioning. If we want to consider operant conditioning separately, the case will look as follows: a child gets a star, a gift or a praise after fulfilling a certain task successfully. It is most effective to award a child when he/she gets down to studying a foreign language by himself/herself. This method is effective with the learners who constantly need encouragement and confidence to go on studying. The reinforcement schedule will depend on a learner personally and his/her capability and speed of learning. The children for whom learning a foreign language is a difficult activity need continuous reinforcement. It is better not to use the same type of approval all the time but alternate it with other types. Fixed ratio reinforcement should be used with those students who are capable and stable but are not very initiative. The children who are very capable and gifted for languages might need variable interval reinforcement depending on the progress made.
It is advised to combine all the three learning theories if you have such a chance because despite their similarity they have a number of differences. Social learning is more natural but needs a model good enough to be respected by a learner and the learner capable of reproducing the model’s actions. Classical conditioning is based on reinforcement occurring together with conditioned stimulus while operant conditioning happens when a done action or behavior is strengthened by an affirmation. The usage of at least one learning theory correctly may make learning a foreign language not only helpful but also very pleasant.
References
Bandura, A. (n.d.). Social Learning Theory. Retrieved from
http://www.jku.at/org/content/e54521/e54528/e54529/e178059/Bandura_SocialLearningTheory_ger.pdf
