Dr. Engr. Md. Sakawat Ali

E-mail: sakawat_ali@yahoo.com

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.

 

Lifelong learning is defined as "all learning activity undertaken throughout life, with the aim of improving knowledge, skills and competences within a personal, civic, social and/or employment-related perspective". It is often considered learning that occurs after the formal education years of childhood (where learning is instructor-driven—pedagogical) and into adulthood (where the learning is individually-driven—andragogical). It is sought out naturally through life experiences as the learner seeks to gain knowledge for professional or personal reasons. Knowledge results from the combination of grasping experience and transforming it' (Kolb 1984: 41). The concept of lifelong learning has become of vital importance with the emergence of new technologies that change how we receive and gather information, collaborate with others, and communicate.

 

Lifelong learning has been described as a process that includes people learning in different contexts. These environments do not only include schools but also homes, workplaces, and even locations where people pursue leisure activities. However, while the learning process can be applied to learners of all ages, there is a focus on adults who are returning to organized learning. There are programs based on its framework that address the different needs of learners, such as the UNESCO's Institute for Lifelong Learning, which caters to the needs of the disadvantaged and marginalized learners.

 

Lifelong learning focuses on holistic education and it has two dimensions, namely, lifelong and broad options for learning. These indicate learning that integrates traditional education proposals and modern learning opportunities. It also entails an emphasis on encouraging people to learn how to learn and to select content, process, and methodologies that pursues self-design and self-perfection. Some authors highlight that lifelong learning is founded on a different conceptualization of knowledge and its acquisition. It is explained not only as the possession of discrete pieces of information or factual knowledge but also as a generalized scheme of making sense of new events, including the use of tactics in order to effectively deal with them.

 

Lifelong learning is distinguished from the concept of continuing education in the sense that it has a broader scope. Unlike the latter, which is oriented towards adult education developed for the needs of schools and industries, this type of learning is concerned with the development of human potential, recognizing each individual's capacity for it.

 

Although the term is widely used in a variety of contexts, its meaning is often unclear.^[13] A learning approach that can be used to define lifelong learning is heutagogy.

There are several established contexts for lifelong learning beyond traditional "brick and mortar" schooling:

1. Home schooling involves learning to learn or the development of informal learning patterns
2. Adult education or the acquisition of formal qualifications or work and leisure skills later in life
3. Continuing education which often describes extension or not-for-credit courses offered by higher education institutions
4. Lifelong learning institutes, which are groups over 50 years of age which meet for noncredit college-level study for intellectual challenge and social enjoyment
5. Knowledge work, which includes professional development and on-the-job training
6. Personal learning environments or self-directed learning using a range of sources and tools including online applications

E-learning is available at most colleges and universities or to individuals learning independently. There are even online courses being offered for free by many institutions.

One new (2008 and beyond) expression of lifelong learning is the massive open online course (a MOOC), in which a teacher or team offers a syllabus and some direction for the participation of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of learners. Most MOOCs do not offer typical "credit" for courses taken, which is why they are interesting and useful examples of lifelong learning.

 

Four Pillars of Lifelong Learning: 

1. Learning to know
2. Learning to do
3. Learning to be
4. Learning to live together

 

The Most Beneficial Lifelong Learning Skills

1. Creativity
2. Problem Solving
3. Critical Thinking
4. Leadership
5. Communication
6. Collaboration
7. Information Management
8. Adaptability

 

Key Words: Lifelong Learning