Hi Jenny and All,
Jumping in again (juggling meetings etc.) but really want to engage in the conversation. Forgive me if I repeat (hard to read all of the posts in a timely fashion. I clearly need more practice at managing my "emergent" learning : )
I love your questions on "assessing emergent learning" as they are provocative and thus are assisting me to consider the possibilities, my own bias and assumptions and experiences (in prescribed and emergent scenarios). I am leaning towards "no", it is not really possible to assess emergent learning but what might be possible is to assist individuals to develop their skills of self-awareness, reflection and paying attention to whatever is "emerging" on the periphery or perhaps centrally (even in the context of highly prescribed instruction).
In the context of health sciences and medical/nursing education (my initial background), there are legal requirements for licensing and thus prescribed content-heavy curricula but to practice "safely" one has to be learning in situ (with real patients - in my day and now it's often simulations). We also were taught to "pay attention", be alert for stuff that might not be obvious but that would influence practice. This was practiced in scaffolded situations until such time as one could operate "safely" without the clinical expert being there. As I recall (this is historic for me now after all of these years) is that I learned about myself and my own capabilities (strengths and weaknesses) to think, practice safely, be empathic etc. I also learned what I liked and didn't like about this work. These two are examples of what I might consider "emergent" learnings and while there was no way of assessing these I was assessed on my ability to be "reflective" and in practicing reflection, I became aware of what I was really learning about myself in this context.
it's only one example and I might be off base.
all for now,
Barb