10.2 Life-Long Learning :

10.2 Life-Long Learning :

          The World Bank Group states that ,A lifelong learning framework encompasses learning throughout the life cycle, from birth to grave and in different learning environments, formal, non-formal or informal.  

          Wikipedia defines lifelong learning this way: Lifelong learning is the concept that "It's never too soon or too late for learning“.

*       Lifelong learning is attitudinal; that one can and should be open to new ideas, decisions, skills or behaviors.

*       Lifelong learning sees citizens provided with learning opportunities at all ages and in numerous contexts: at work, at home and through leisure activities, not just through formal channels such as school and higher education.

*       According to the definition, life long learning is “the activity of seeking out new knowledge or developing a skill, and participating in educational activities over the course of a person’s entire life” (Anon March 9, 2004,

*       In other words, life long learning is the process of one educating itself from his/her early childhood till his/her late senior years.

Why Education is a lifelong process?

Learning is education. Learning is a natural  and continuous process of brain, actively or passively. So for the life time, brain keeps on learning, till it is functioning. When brain stops functioning (brain death), the process of learning or education stops.

*       Lifelong education is a form of pedagogy often accomplished through distance learning or e-learning, continuing education, homeschooling or correspondence courses.

*        It also includes postgraduate programs for those who want to improve their qualifications, bring their skills up to date or retrain for a new line of work. Internal corporate training has similar goals, with the concept of lifelong learning used by organizations to promote a more dynamic employee base, better able to react in an agile manner to a rapidly changing climate. In later life, especially in retirement, continued learning takes diverse forms, crossing traditional academic bounds and including recreational activities.

*       Ongoing learning can influence income, job satisfaction, political participation and health and well being.

*       It is the "lifelong, voluntary, and self-motivated" pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons.

*        Easy access to education through standard methods as well as new methods such as e-learning makes it convenient to continue learning throughout the different stages of our lives.

*       Lifelong Learning is absolutely compulsory for everyone and it becomes a guider in leading to success for both family and work life. Related to this, different points of views about lifelong learning have been appeared.

*        For example, lifelong learning is defined as the continuous building of skills and knowledge throughout the life of an individual, and it occurs through experiences that are encountered in the course of a lifetime.

*       These experiences could be (1) Formal learning that is always conducted at schools or arranged places, and these are included: training, counseling, tutoring, mentorship, apprenticeship, or higher education and (2) Informal learning that is related to what we learn from outside class or society, and these are included: experiences or situations.

*       Lifelong learning encompasses learning at all ages and subsumes formal, non-formal and informal learning. Two ground-breaking reports on lifelong learning by UNESCO (Faure Report, 1972; Delors Report, 1996) articulated fundamental principles of lifelong learning.

*       LLL is lifelong, voluntary, and self-motivated in pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons and this does not only enhances social inclusion, active citizenship and personal development, but also competitiveness and employability.

*       According to Jacques Delors, four pillars of education for lifelong learning and its future have been conducted:

*       It is about Learning to know: It is related to mastering learning tools rather than acquisition of structured knowledge.

*       It is about Learning to do: It concerns with equipping people for the types of work needed now and in the future including innovation and adaptation of learning to future work environments.

*       It is about Learning to live together and with others: It is about peacefully resolving conflict, discovering other people and their cultures, fostering community capability, individual competence and capacity, economic resilience, and social inclusion.

*       It is about Learning to be: It is a kind of education contributing to a person’s complete development included mind and body, intelligence, sensitivity, aesthetic appreciation and spirituality.

Lifelong learning is also related to knowledge, and this knowledge consists of five K’s.

*       Knowing about: It means knowing the news, events, basics of a field, or introductory concepts.

*       Knowing to do: It means knowing how to drive a car, solve a math problem, code a program, or conduct research.

*       Knowing to be: It means knowing how to embody knowledge with humanity, to be a doctor or psychologist, to be an ethical person, to be compassionate, to relate, or to feel.

*       Knowing where: It means knowing how to find knowledge when needed, web search, library, database, an organization, or knowing who to approach for assistance.

*       Knowing to transform: It means knowing how to tweak, to adjust, to recombine, to align with reality, or to innovate.

Courses enhancing lifelong learning have  following characteristics:

*       provide systematic framework for viewing field of study

*       offer comparative framework for viewing field of study

*       seek to broaden the student and provide generic skills

*       offer freedom of choice and flexibility in structure

*       provide for incremental development of self-directed learning

Teaching methods have following characteristics:

*       make use of peer-assisted and self-directed learning

*       include experiential and real world learning

*       make use of resource based and problem based teaching

*       encourage development of reflective practice and critical self-awareness

*       make use of open learning and alternative delivery mechanisms

*       Assessment evaluates “what” has been learnt