ATD Blog
Quiz: Are You an Informal Learner?
Fri Aug 10 2012
Content
Before training and development professionals can effectively provide and promote informal learning for others, they need an awareness of their own interests in, and preferences for, informal learning. This activity is intended to help sensitize you to your informal learning preferences.
Before training and development professionals can effectively provide and promote informal learning for others, they need an awareness of their own interests in, and preferences for, informal learning. This activity is intended to help sensitize you to your informal learning preferences.
Content
Instructions : Answer these questions. For responses, see the answer key below.
Instructions: Answer these questions. For responses, see the answer key below.
Content
1. One morning when you start your e-mail program, everything looks unfamiliar. You quickly notice a special notice at the top of the screen, “We’ve unveiled a new look. Click here to learn more.” What do you do first .
1. One morning when you start your e-mail program, everything looks unfamiliar. You quickly notice a special notice at the top of the screen, “We’ve unveiled a new look. Click here to learn more.” What do you do first.
Content
a. Click where indicated to learn more about the changes to the program.
a. Click where indicated to learn more about the changes to the program.
Content
b. Ask the person in the office next to yours to explain what’s going on.
b. Ask the person in the office next to yours to explain what’s going on.
Content
c. Ignore the invitation to click here and fumble your way through the interface.
c. Ignore the invitation to click here and fumble your way through the interface.
Content
d. Sign up for a class to learn about the new e-mail interface.
d. Sign up for a class to learn about the new e-mail interface.
Content
2. You’re the new coordinator of vendors for your department, which has never used vendors before but plans to start using them in the future. To prepare for this new role, what do you do first ?
2. You’re the new coordinator of vendors for your department, which has never used vendors before but plans to start using them in the future. To prepare for this new role, what do you do first?
Content
Ask your friend in the Purchasing Department what to do.
Ask your friend in the Purchasing Department what to do.
Content
Find the company policies and procedures on managing vendor relationships on the Intranet.
Find the company policies and procedures on managing vendor relationships on the Intranet.
Content
Sign up for a class on managing vendor relationships.
Sign up for a class on managing vendor relationships.
Content
Start the job and figure things out as you experience them.
Start the job and figure things out as you experience them.
Content
3. Your partner was recently diagnosed with pre-diabetes and the doctor has urged your partner to start eating a healthy diet. Although you thought you knew what healthy eating was, apparently your daily diet of bran muffin breakfasts and meat-potato-and-salad dinners isn’t producing healthy results. To learn about healthy diets, what do you do first ?
3. Your partner was recently diagnosed with pre-diabetes and the doctor has urged your partner to start eating a healthy diet. Although you thought you knew what healthy eating was, apparently your daily diet of bran muffin breakfasts and meat-potato-and-salad dinners isn’t producing healthy results. To learn about healthy diets, what do you do first?
Content
Continue cooking but remove fat and sugars from the diet.
Continue cooking but remove fat and sugars from the diet.
Content
Join a local diabetes support group and ask for help with questions related to diet.
Join a local diabetes support group and ask for help with questions related to diet.
Content
Register for the “Diabetes Diet” class offered at the hospital.
Register for the “Diabetes Diet” class offered at the hospital.
Content
Visit a website or buy a book with dietary recommendations for pre-diabetes patients.
Visit a website or buy a book with dietary recommendations for pre-diabetes patients.
Content
4. In a meeting this morning, the executive makes several comments related to the company’s most recent annual financial report. You’re embarrassed to admit this: you don’t know how to read a financial report. To correct this problem, what do you do first ?
4. In a meeting this morning, the executive makes several comments related to the company’s most recent annual financial report. You’re embarrassed to admit this: you don’t know how to read a financial report. To correct this problem, what do you do first?
Content
Ask your friend in the Finance Department to give you a crash course in reading financial reports.
Ask your friend in the Finance Department to give you a crash course in reading financial reports.
Content
Buy Financial Reports for Dummies at your nearest bookstore—and read it cover to cover.
Buy Financial Reports for Dummies at your nearest bookstore—and read it cover to cover.
Content
Read the report line-for-line and try to figure out what it’s saying.
Read the report line-for-line and try to figure out what it’s saying.
Content
Take the e-learning course, How to Read a Financial Report, available through the library of e-learning courses in your company.
Take the e-learning course, How to Read a Financial Report, available through the library of e-learning courses in your company.
Content
5. You have accepted the invitation to serve as webmaster for your neighborhood association for the next year. OK, so you have no experience with webmastering. To prepare for this new role, what do you do first ?
5. You have accepted the invitation to serve as webmaster for your neighborhood association for the next year. OK, so you have no experience with webmastering. To prepare for this new role, what do you do first?
Content
Ask the outgoing webmaster to provide step-by-step instructions.
Ask the outgoing webmaster to provide step-by-step instructions.
Content
Start your job and figure things out as they arise.
Start your job and figure things out as they arise.
Content
Take an introductory course for webmasters through your local continuing education department.
Take an introductory course for webmasters through your local continuing education department.
Content
Watch a series of videos on YouTube about how to be a webmaster.
Watch a series of videos on YouTube about how to be a webmaster.
Content
Now compute your points for each question using Table 1, and add your points together. Determine what your score means using Table 2.
Now compute your points for each question using Table 1, and add your points together. Determine what your score means using Table 2.
Content
Table 1: Scoring the Exercise
Table 1: Scoring the Exercise
Content | Content |
Content Question Question | Content Answers/Points Answers/Points |
Content Question 1 Question 1 Content Question 2 Question 2 Content Question 3 Question 3 Content Question 4 Question 4 Content Question 5 Question 5 | Content a = 4, b = 3, c = 2, d = 1 a = 4, b = 3, c = 2, d = 1 Content a = 2, b = 4, c = 1, d = 3 a = 2, b = 4, c = 1, d = 3 Content a = 3, b = 2, c = 1, d = 4 a = 3, b = 2, c = 1, d = 4 Content a = 2, b = 4, c = 3, d = 1 a = 2, b = 4, c = 3, d = 1 Content a = 2, b = 3, c = 1, d = 4 a = 2, b = 3, c = 1, d = 4 |
Content
Table 2: Interpreting Your Score
Table 2: Interpreting Your Score
Content | Content | Content |
Content If You Scored: If You Scored: | Content You Are a: You Are a: | Content Which Means that: Which Means that: |
Content 5 or below: 5 or below: | Content A formal learner A formal learner | Content You generally prefer formal situations for your learning. You generally prefer formal situations for your learning. |
Content 6 to 9: 6 to 9: | Content A social learner A social learner | Content Although you're able to learn on your own, you often prefer to learn in groups or from other people. Although you're able to learn on your own, you often prefer to learn in groups or from other people. |
Content 11 to 14: 11 to 14: | Content A go-with-the-flow learner A go-with-the-flow learner | Content You use a variety of means to learn new skills, sometimes just trying things out to see how well you can perform. You use a variety of means to learn new skills, sometimes just trying things out to see how well you can perform. |
Content 15-20: 15-20: | Content A self-directed informal learner A self-directed informal learner | Content You develop new skills on your own, but to make sure that you correctly understand them, you frequently refer to outside sources to do so. You develop new skills on your own, but to make sure that you correctly understand them, you frequently refer to outside sources to do so. |
Content
With this awareness of your own preferences, you can begin to appreciate the different preferences of other informal learners. You can use that awareness to better identify which activities might work with which learners—and which ones won’t—so you can use informal learning to achieve given goals.
With this awareness of your own preferences, you can begin to appreciate the different preferences of other informal learners. You can use that awareness to better identify which activities might work with which learners—and which ones won’t—so you can use informal learning to achieve given goals.
Content
This quiz was excerpted from the ASTD Press book Informal Learning Basics , by Saul Carliner.
This quiz was excerpted from the ASTD Press book Informal Learning Basics, by Saul Carliner.