Learning outside of school

Book section

Learning can take place everywhere: in the home, the community, or at work. Learning outside school is often invisible because it is taken for granted, as common sense or cultural knowledge. It happens in the course of activities not designed for learning, so it can be described as thinking in action. The representational tools (number systems, graphs) and objects (crates, coins, bills) used outside school become part of our thinking as we act and think with them. A major process in learning outside school is guided participation, where learners take responsibility for accomplishing tasks guided by a more experienced person. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Authors: Nunes, T

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Host title: International Encyclopedia of Education
• Pages: 457-463
• Publication date: 2010-01-01
• DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-08-044894-7.00525-X
• ISBN: 9780080448947
• Keywords: Thinking in action; Street mathematics; Informal mathematics; Situated learning; Oral arithmetic; Informal learning; Nonformal learning; Learning outside school; Guided participation; Work-based learning