What Is Incidental Learning- It can happen while doing a job or activity or because of deliberate learning. “Incidental learning” might mean that we pick up information without realizing it, but unlike implicit learning, there’s no reason to think that this information is mostly hidden from our conscious mind.

However, some papers might need to make this distinction. Instead, they might call implicit learning processes “accidental.” There is also the idea, which is mostly educational, that incidental learning is thinking about information that you actively noted while studying but didn’t think was important or useful at the time.

Incidental Learning. Trends and Issues Alert No. 18.

Accidental learning is when you learn something without meaning or when you’re not expecting to while doing something else. A lot of the time, it happens at work, on computers, or while doing work. Accidental learning can happen in many ways, such as through social interaction, problem-solving, repetition, observation, and understanding the hidden meanings behind rules or expectations at work or in school; seeing or talking to coworkers or subject matter experts about assignments; having to accept or change things as they are. 

People, places, and situations all play a role in accidental learning. The things that make it different are the things that work best in organized learning settings. Learning by accident can lead to better skills, different attitudes, and more self-awareness, confidence, and social skills. But not all learning on the spot is a good thing. It’s hard to measure and use casual learning because learners and others often miss it or mistake it for learning.

Adult learners don’t know the difference between official and incidental learning, or they might prefer incidental learning to formal learning. A lot of research has been done on how teachers can help students understand what happens when they learn something by accident. About three-quarters of this paper is an annotated bibliography with 21 sources from books and the internet. (MN)

Characteristics of incidental learning

What makes casual learning different is that the learner wants to avoid learning. This is what happens when someone learns something without meaning.

Here are some things that can change during accidental learning:

Learner drive is a term for how eager or unwilling students are to learn. In some situations, learners may be driven by curiosity or a desire to understand, but in others, they may learn without any particular reason.

Another aspect of learners’ knowledge is whether or not they are aware of how they are learning. When students learn by accident, they might not even be aware that they are picking up new information or skills.

The term “external awareness” refers to how much other people, like parents or teachers, know about how we learn. For instance, parents might need to learn that their kid is picking up new words by listening to other people talk.

External guidance: This part looks at how other people have led the learning process. Sometimes, outside guidance, like asking questions or offering help, can help with accidental learning.

Difference between incidental and intentional learning

People learn when they do things with the clear (and usually main) goal of learning in mind. This is called intentional learning. For example, reading study papers to learn more about a scientific subject could be an example of intentional learning.

The goal of deliberate learning is to learn, but the goal of incidental learning is not to learn. This is how the two ways of learning are different. Because of this, learning that happens by accident is sometimes called non-intentional learning.

Different learning methods have pros and cons, and some people may find one method more useful than another based on the situation. Neither approach is always better than the other. For example, when a subject matter expert wants to understand a very difficult topic quickly, intentional learning is probably better. However, accidental learning might be better for someone who doesn’t have much drive but wants to learn some life skills slowly.

Lastly, some types of learning might need more meanings, especially when they need to be separated. One study, for instance, said that accidental learning is when someone learns something without meaning or being aware of it. Similarly, a third study said that deliberate learning is different from incidental learning “by the absence of any specific training” and that intentional learning is “learning which occurs as a result of specific training accompanied by instructions to learn.”

How to learn incidentally

Because it’s not planned, incidental learning can’t be done on purpose. On the other hand, accidental learning can be used in real life if you put yourself in scenarios where you can learn without meaning to. If you want to learn a new language but don’t find active learning (like taking a class) interesting, you can use chance learning instead. To do this, you need to use the language naturally while doing fun things like watching TV shows and playing computer games.

There are a number of ways that this will help you become better at learning by chance. You can promise to do that activity ahead of time to ensure you stick with it for a long time, or you can get rid of other things that might distract you to ensure you focus on the activity you want to learn from.

Finally, when choosing how and when to use it, consider using conscious learning alongside or instead of incidental learning.

How to promote incidental learning in others

There are a few things you can do to help other people learn by mistake, like if you are a teacher, mentor, or parent:

People should be taught straight. For instance, if you see someone in a position where they could learn but aren’t, tell them what they need to know.

People should be encouraged to learn by chance. One way to help a child think through a situation where they might learn something new is to ask them helpful questions.

Put people in settings where they can learn without meaning to. For instance, suggest that someone read a good book that will help them learn new words.

Encourage people to learn in unexpected ways. You could help someone learn on their own by telling them about incidental learning, its perks, and how to get involved.

There are a number of ways to help people learn by chance.

For instance, reverse psychology could help you get people to do one thing while also pushing them to do something else. For instance, this can come in handy if you know someone doesn’t know anything but won’t listen to you. That is when you can tell them to look for evidence to disprove what you said and learn more about the subject.

What is incidental learning and examples?

Summary and conclusions

Examples of incidental learning include someone who learns new words while reading a book for fun, someone who learns social skills while playing with others, and someone who learns historical facts while watching a TV show for entertainment.

With a glance, you can see and understand everything in the room. Seeing who is in the room, what they are doing, if there is a window, and what the weather is like outside. Kids take in a lot of information almost right away, quickly, or by accident. As they watch how other kids and adults deal with their surroundings, they try to act like those people. When we learn something from watching the people and things around us every day, it’s called “accidental learning.”

If your baby has trouble seeing, they will want more answers, details, and chances to do things over and over again. This helps them learn things that other kids would only learn by watching and copying others. You don’t need to be your child’s teacher all day, every day, seven days a week. But remember that your child won’t learn anything from things they can’t touch. You should give your baby more time to explore things they can touch. You could explain what they are so other people can understand.

What is the theory of incidental learning?

Definition. Incidental learning refers to any learning that is unplanned or unintended. It develops while engaging in a task or activity and may also arise as a by-product of planned learning.

Before you can fully understand informal learning, you need to know what “formal” and “informal” mean. Formal learning happens when someone other than the original owner or expert writes down and shares information. Information that is written down, recorded on video, or spoken aloud can all be kept as long as it can be accessed at any time and from anywhere without the owner being there. 

Formal knowledge transfer can happen in a lot of different ways, such as through live virtual classrooms with pre-made slides, self-paced online cognitive behavioral therapy courses, books, audio and video recordings, digital libraries and repositories, team rooms with document storage, online seminars, electronic performance support tools, programs that you access while working on a project, outlined instructor-led courses, repeatable lecture labs, recorded Web meetings, or even emails.

There are prerequisites, evaluations before and after the course, tests, grades, and even certification as part of the official learning process. Results and attendance are kept track of, and a teacher often gives the material.

What is the definition of incidental teaching?

Incidental teaching is a strategy that uses the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) to provide structured learning opportunities in the natural environment by using the child’s interests and natural motivation. Incidental teaching is an especially useful approach with young children.

Meet Charlie and his parents, Mike and Lisa. Charlie is a young boy who loves cars. They teach everyday things like these:

While taking a walk, they see a bright red sports car. Lisa talked about its color and shape, and Charlie was very excited as he talked about it.

While they play with toy cars at home, they ask about color and size. People really like what Charlie has to say, which helps him improve his speaking skills.

Grocery Challenge: Lisa makes Charlie’s grocery shopping fun by telling him to look for apples of a certain color. He joins in and has Fun while learning.

Story for bedtime: To build educational bonds, Mike tells a story about something that happened in his car and then stops to answer questions.

Having Fun at a Car Show: Charlie likes looking at the different models while his parents talk about cars. This is a fun and useful family activity.

What is incidental learning in child development?

Much of what children learn is acquired almost automatically and instantaneously—that is, incidentally. As they watch other children and adults interact with the environment and imitate their actions. Incidental learning is learning gained by observing people and activities around us, day by day.

You can quickly scan and figure out what is going on in a room by looking at who is there, what they are doing, and, if there are windows, the weather outside. A lot of what kids learn happens by chance, almost automatically, and right away. They copy the ways that other kids and adults in their environment deal with their surroundings. We can learn from the people and things that happen around us every day.

Getting your baby involved in housework from a young age has benefits. You could, for example, let your child help you put a bottle in the microwave by explaining what you’re doing and letting them feel the cold air from the fridge, take the bottle (with your help), and hear the microwave. When the bottle is ready, let your child open the microwave door and press the button on the hot bottle while you watch. This hands-on method teaches kids the process instead of just giving them a warm bottle and expecting them to understand.

What is an example of incidental teaching?

Another example of a mealtime incidental teaching moment would be encouraging your child to use utensils on their own. Additionally, you can give your child a napkin and prompt them, when necessary, to clean their hands or face.

Using “incidents” or things that happen naturally, teachers can use accidental teaching to give their students chances to learn. A teacher might use figures from a student’s favorite book or video game to make the lesson more relevant to their life.

The idea behind incidental teaching is that students, even those with autism spectrum disorders, will be more open to learning if the lessons are geared toward their hobbies. Initially, this way of teaching was meant to assist people on the autism spectrum. However, incorporating students’ interests and daily lives into the classroom can assist all students.

Learning that happens by accident while doing things that the learner doesn’t mean to learn is called incidental learning.

It’s possible to learn a new language while reading a book for Fun, improve your social skills while interacting with other people, and learn about history while watching a good TV show.

There are times when purposeful learning works better than other ways in one or more areas, but this depends a lot on the person and the situation. Learning by accident can be more useful, faster, and more Fun than learning on purpose.

Place yourself in situations where you can learn without consciously trying to. To make the most of accidental learning, change things around you that will help you learn faster, like turning off distractions in the background.