Informal learning - less than a dollar a hit

For some months now I've been carrying Jay Cross's new book Informal Learning around in my bag to read on train journeys. I must have been making lots of very short journeys because I never seem to have spent more than ten minutes or so on any one of the topics - a sort of lucky dip reading experience. Perhaps this is because I was already sold on the central idea - that informal learning was an important and often neglected element of learning at work - and so was really just looking for those little extras that a first rate thinker and communicator like Jay Cross is likely to have gathered together in such a publication.

So, what do I think? I like it. Jay's friendly, unassuming and approachable personality shines through the book. I get the impression he's writing for me. In terms of content, I measure books on the number of sections that I've underlined or annotated and I've just counted 50 - I make that less than a dollar a hit.

There are just two issues I'd like to take up. The first relates to blended learning, which Jay dismisses as a 'useless concept'. He also says he cannot imagine 'unblended learning'. In the context of corporate training, of the formal variety, I maintain that blending an important and, relatively novel concept. Now I don't mean blending methods (discussion, games, reading, instruction, group activities, etc.) which you will find a mix of in any classroom session or reasonable e-learning programme. I mean blending modalities (self-study, one-to-one, group) or media (face-to-face, online, telephone, etc.). The blending of modalities and/or media is not normal in a corporate training programme, but does - when the blending is designed with skill and care - offer the potential for more effective and more efficient interventions. What's more, I believe that blended, formal programmes can provide an important bridge to informal learning. By applying realtively informal methods - blogs, wikis, communities of practice, coaching, webquests, etc. to a formal programme you help to embed the learning in real practice (as well as model techniques which learners can continue to use for themselves).

My other issue is with the 'Just do it' chapter, which looks at how you help to encourage informal learning organisations. I got the impression (perhaps mistakenly) that Jay believes you're wasting your time if you don't approach this as a major strategic, top-down exercise ('a superlative training department is not enough', 'put an enterprise learning strategy in place'). This could be a bit of a let down for readers who don't run the whole learning and development function, or even if they do, they don't run the whole organisation. I'm sure there are enlightened executives that could buy into this idea, but in their absence I'd go for guerilla warfare, a bottom-up approach, rather than nothing. After all, the World Wide Web, social networking, open source and other initiatives have emerged that way with huge success.

But as Jay points out on line one 'You bought the beta edition of this book. Things date so fast that all books are dated by the time they are published'. I bet Jay's thinking has moved on and will continue to do so. Along the way, this book is an important stimulus for thought and, even betterm action in the learning and development community. I'd give it a read while it's still only a few months away from being current.