Learning Naturally Without Structure?

I am asking myself what, if any, structure can be applied to the processes of "natural" learning?

This is an interesting excerpt from the article "Human Behavior In The Context of Training: An Overview Of The Role of Learning Theories as Applied to Training and Development" Journal of Knowledge Management Practice, Vol. 7, No. 2, June 2006.

"Constructivsts believe that all humans have the ability to construct knowledge in their own minds through a process of discovery and problem solving. The extent to which this process can take place naturally without structure and teaching is the defining factors amongst those who advocate this learning theory. Jean Piaget (1970), a Swiss psychologist, observed human development as a progressive stage of cognitive development. His four stages, which commence at infancy and progress into adulthood, characterize the cognitive abilities necessary at each stage to construct meaning of ones environment. In this sense, Piaget’s theory is similar to other constructivists’ perspectives of learning (e.g., Vygotsky). Fundamentally, Constructivism is a cognitive learning theory because of its focus on the mental processes that construct meaning. Other important learning theories equated with cognitive psychology are Scaffolding theory of Lev Vygotsky, and J. Bruner's Construtivist theory. Lev Vygotsky’s theoretical framework is that the culture we live in influences our social and cognitive development. Vygotsky (1978) writes: "Every function in the child's cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (p, 57) (intrapsychological). He further adds that the potential for cognitive development is limited to a certain time span, which he calls the "zone of proximal development" (ZPD). The implication of his theory for training purposes is that the job of an educator has to identify this zone and to find out where the child was situated in this zone and build upon their specific level through a "scaffolding process". Building from what the learner knows is in essence anchoring the learning on past experience. A major theme in theoretical framework of J Bruner is that learning is an active process in which the learner constructs new ideas or concepts based upon their inherent /past knowledge. Much of the theory is linked to child development research (especially Piaget). In his most recent work, Bruner (1986, 1990) has expanded his theoretical framework to encompass the social and cultural aspects of learning. Under the theory of constructivism, trainers can focus on making connections between facts and fostering new understanding in trainees. Trainers can tailor their strategies to the trainee’s responses and encourage trainees to analyze, interpret, and predict information."