Informal learning and self-directed learning appear to be two terms that are connected, yet in my opinion have different connotations in much the same way that self-regulated learning and self-directed learning are related, but not. Self-regulated learning is grounded in cognitive learning theory, while self-directed learning originates from adult learning theory. Informal learning seems to be the newer term. Self-directed learning, on the other hand, is somewhat aged and has been around the block a few times. If you follow the term back far enough, you will even find it connected with programmed instruction in the 50s and 60s. The self-directed learning that I am interested in, however, begins in the 70s when it was popularized by Malcolm Knowles. Along with Knowles, there were several others who contributed to this theory including Alan Tough, Roger Hiemstra, and later George M. Piskurich. I think that many of these theorists of the 70s through the 90s were actually writing for the future. Before the late 2000s, many of the technologies and attitudes to properly implement their ideas at an organizational level simply didn’t exist. If we revisit the literature, I think we will find a theory that is very relevant to our connected Web 2.0 world.

For me, there is one big difference between the two terms. Informal learning happens incidentally and serendipitously, without structure or central guidance. It happens when people come together either physically or virtually to communicate their ideas. Self-directed learning on the other hand, is planned and intentional. It is not incidental learning. It begins when the learner identifies a need for knowledge or a skill and then creates a plan to learn that skill (or competency). Zimmerman (1998) describes this process of creating a learning plan as consisting of three phases: forethought, performance or volitional control, and self-reflection.

This learning plan can include informal and social learning methods, but self-directed learning can just as easily include a textbook, an online tutorial, or a video of an event or presentation. The important characteristic is that the learner is in control of his or her own learning path and decides which resources will be most effective in helping them to construct or acquire what knowledge they need, when they need it.

Zimmerman, B.J. (1998). Developing self-fulfilling cycles of academic regulation: An analysis of exemplary instructinal models. In D. H. Schunk, & B.J. Zimmerman (Eds.), Self-regulated learning: From teaching to self-reflective practice. New York: Guilford Press.