Convergence between formal and informal learning practices: state of the art and historical heritage

For a long time, Informal learning suffered a mechanical and simplified defi- nition, as a category opposed to formal learning: it was in fact intended at a space-time level, as a complex of outdoor activities, carried out outside school walls, and outside a certifiable path. If in the field of vocational training validation systems have been arranged at European level by CEDEFOP (2017) to test and to certificate skills and abilities acquired through individual experience, however, many third sector initiatives, volunteering, personal interests and creative activities usually are more prob- lematic in being identified and formally attested, and require a substantial change of didactics and educational perspectives. In any case a step change is in progress at the moment: recognizing the informal learning formative basis means, in fact, becoming aware of the profound changes technologies have introduced in the educational world, to the point of blurring the borders between informal and non-formal (the structured but not certified) learning paths, and more generally between formal and informal ones.