What is it?
I often hear people claim to be lifelong learners. It’s a cliché that is frequently seen on resumés, LinkedIn profiles and e-portfolios (such as this one). In today’s rapidly changing world, demanding up-to-date skills, knowledge and technical expertise, it is a quality that employers seek out. But what does it really mean?
Wikipedia defines lifelong learning as:
Lifelong learning is the “ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated” pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons. Therefore, it not only enhances social inclusion, active citizenship, and personal development, but also self-sustainability, as well as competitiveness and employability.
So beyond just keeping up with the changing world for employability or learning for the sake of personal interests, lifelong learning is social, empowering and is about responsibility. The concept of active citizenship, is an “active notion of citizenship places more emphasis on citizens’ responsibilities rather than rights” (Birdwell, Scott & Horley, 2013, p.185).
Educators are still exploring ways to increase active citizenship. Some educators see possibilities for citizenship education through sports education (O’Donovan, MacPhail, & Kirk, 2010). However, active citizenship is not emphasized in traditional classroom learning (Birdwell, Scott & Horley, 2013, p.186) and is, therefore, quite challenging to instill in student learning.
Education researchers have proposed service-learning, an approach combining learning objectives with community service in order to provide progressive learning experiences while addressing social needs, and a “renewed focus on voluntarism can both promote social cohesion between different ethnic and cultural groups while also fostering among the population a greater understanding of and commitment to civic culture” (Birdwell, Scott & Horley, 2013, p.185). In practise, educators need to look beyond traditional approaches and bring “real world” experiences and diversity into learning over the span of a life-time, from pre-school to elder education .
What Does it Look Like?
While some individuals are naturally more inclined towards lifelong learning, others pursue education out of necessity. For example, there may be a need for some individuals to upgrade skills in order to improve job opportunities, or they may need to update skills in order to function in their current positions. Retired people may see continued learning as a way to increase social connections and pursue their interests. Social connections combined with newly acquired knowledge and/or skills can encourage community involvement.
The video below is about a Nepali 68-year-old man, who despite obstacles and challenges in his life, is pursuing an education to fulfill his dreams and to overcome loneliness.
References
Birdwell, J., Scott, R., & Horley, E. (2013). Active citizenship, education and service learning. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 8(2), 185-199.
Lifelong Learning (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning
O’Donovan, T. M., MacPhail, A., & Kirk, D. (2010). Active citizenship through sport education. Education 3-13, 38(2), 203-215. doi:10.1080/03004270903153947
Service-Learning (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service-learning