What is Divergence

Higher knowledge, such as reasoning, emerges through everyday common-sense spontaneous activity, said Vygotsky. Consequently, formal education needs spontaneous learning experiences to be perfect. In this chapter, the authors explore knowledge on spontaneous activity from everyday life experiences of 11 second- and third-year students who studied at a Philippine university. Students told their stories through a focus group discussion. Their stories were triangulated with an interview of their instructor, one-on-one interviews with some of them, and an open-structured essay-type questionnaire. The grounded theory approach in analyzing their learning practices reveals spontaneity that fits students' contexts, needs, and expectations. Spontaneous learning is a process of discovery and reflection when students conduct active learning engagements. Students who preoccupy themselves with their spontaneous learning bring to themselves new self-knowledge. The self-knowing process redefines and empowers the self. The implication is that spontaneous activity could be embedded into formal, non-formal, and informal education to maximize students' learning.