Side by Side: Learning by Observing and Pitching In

Abstract

This article examines cultural practices that support informal learning as children observe and pitch in with everyday activities that are integrated into family and community life. We discuss the social and cultural grounding of this learning tradition, drawing on research carried out in different parts of the world during more than 60 years. Children learn by watching, listening, and attending, often with great concentration, by taking purposeful initiative, and by contributing and collaborating. We try to correct the frequent misconception that this way of learning is essentially a nonverbal process by showing that speech is commonly used, but judiciously, in support of efficient communication rather than for “lessons.” This learning tradition is not in opposition to school learning; children with schooling experience learn this way when they belong and experience community. [informal learning, cultural practices, socialization, observation, family and community learning]

The Archaeology of Teaching and the Evolution ofHomo docens

“…According to Kline's classification, culture-based definitions of teaching concern activities in classrooms in modern societies, in contrast to informal learning in traditional societies (Lancy 2010;Paradise and Rogoff 2009). From our point of view, classroom teaching is less interesting, since it is a comparatively recent phenomenon and does not give much insight into the evolutionary roots of teaching.…”

Social learning among Congo Basin hunter–gatherers

“…In the cosleeping study, forager parents indicated that their children slept wherever they wanted, whereas the farmer parents said that they told their children where to sleep. Recent studies in social anthropology on informal learning emphasize self-motivation [27], but hunter -gatherer children probably initiate learning and discovery more often than children in other modes of production. Forager children's high motivation to learn occurs early and often.…”

“…The first section of a recent review of children's social learning by social anthropologists Lancy & Grove [25] is titled 'The absence of teaching'. Like many social anthropologists, they indicate that teaching seldom occurs in small-scale cultures and emphasize the importance of observational [26] and informal learning [27]. MacDonald's [24] hunter-gatherer study also concluded that 'teaching is unimportant'.…”

Effects of Handedness and Viewpoint on the Imitation of Origami-Making

“…Imitation also relies on the learners' ability to adopt the visual perspective of others, in order to understand their actions [49][50][51]. Children's learning by imitation in various human societies has a wide range of forms [52] such as helping with daily tasks [53] or third-party observation [40]. The learner's position with respect to the demonstrator(s) will vary in different situations.…”