Lifelong Learning

Learning, the way I see it, is by default lifelong and always has been that way since the beginning of time. Learning has no end. I don't think there was ever a time period where one could have said -'OK, now I learnt what I need to know in school. It's time for me to apply what I've learnt at my workplace and not learn anything new in the process!' Whether information age or not, this was never the case. So what's new now, in this knowledge society? Well, it's not the fact that we need to keep learning but pace at which learning needs to happen. The rate at which technology is changing is so rapid that we constantly have to learn and relearn new things. We need to prepare students for jobs that do not exist yet and prepare them to be proficient in their work in a short period of time. According to Toffler (2001), "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn."



In his article, Lifelong learning-More than training (1999), Fischer talks about the need to teach using a life-long learning approach rather than training approach, which focuses teaching content, or transferring content based skills. Learning, he argues, is an ongoing process which should continue naturally from educational institutions to workplace. In other words, we need to bridge the gap between learning that happens in schools and universities and the learning that takes place in working environment. We need to make learning real and in-context. Learning should be open-ended where students work on real scenarios and engage in real activities to solve real problems. Furthermore, students need to take control of their learning as this is what will be expected of them in their professional and private lives. As educators, we need to modify our teaching approaches to inculcate the habit of self-learning, learning-on demand, connecting things, and creating new knowledge.


In the new knowledge society, the importance of knowing-what (i.e, knowledge of content) is diminishing since information is readily available our finger tips. However, what is becoming more and more important is to have the essential skills to research and find information as needed, to be able to construct new knowledge by connecting information, to make connections with people, find experts, and collaborate with others to solve problems. In other words, it’s the knowing-how, knowing-who and knowing-where that is gaining more and more importance.


Have we been successful in implementing this vision which was conceived over a decade ago? Definitely there is more progress as the awareness of the skills needed in this knowledge society increases and is accepted by institutions worldwide. However, I think the progress has been different in different parts of the world. In order for this change to happen, not only do educators need to re-think, or reinvent their teaching methods, but more importantly educational institutions need to change. One of the main challenges is that educational systems are rigid. When I visited India last December, I enquired about the teaching methods in schools and universities. It looked like several, if not all, institutions still follow traditional teaching practices, lecture style, instructionist approach based on knowledge absorption. However, in this case I think Organizations that hire graduates that come out of such institutions should bear the burden to provide a platform that supports their employees in lifelong learning.


In HCT for example there is a constant emphasis on the importance of lifelong learning. We are always encouraged to modify our teaching practices toi teach skills that are relevant. We are encouraged to use a student centered teaching approach by acting as mentors and facilitators and avoid using the instructional approach in teaching. We are encouraged to try new things and share best practices with others. We are encouraged to engage our students in the learning process. While we can change our teaching methods and teaching approaches, we are still bound by curriculum design in which we didn't play a major role, and assessment strategies which we have to adhere to. So all in all, definitely we have moved ahead but we still have a long way to go.