LIfelong Learning Cartoon

Lifelong learning is the “’ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge’ for either personal or professional reasons” regardless of age, which may involve either formal or informal learning experiences[1]. It is often characterized by its expansiveness. Lifelong learning is not confined to school-age learners. It is not confined to formal learning experience offered by educational institutions. It is not limited to professional training. Lifelong learning recognizes that human beings are learning beings who engage in knowledge acquisition and meaning making across time and in a variety of spaces.

Lifelong learning is often associated with the “learning economy” or “learning society.” While lifelong learning is a characteristic of an individual, the learning economy or learning society is a characteristic of a social collective. The concept of the learning society adopted as a philosophical framework by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This framework posits a link between knowledge work and economic development, where the ability to learn becomes the chief process needed to advance both national and individual economic activity.[2] The learning economy or learning society arose in response to rapid technological changes that necessitate people continually acquire new knowledge and skills to stay abreast of these social changes.[3]

An example of lifelong learning that involves continuing education in a formal setting is the network of Lifelong Learning Institutes established by the Bernard Osher Foundation. This philanthropic organization, established in 2000, funds programs targeted at enrolling older adults who want to take courses for no credit and not engage in summative assessments like tests and grades.[4] The goal is to involve older adults in their own ongoing enjoyment of learning.

[1] Wikipedia Entry for “Lifelong Learning” at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning (June 4, 2017)

[2] Wikipedia Entry for “Learning Society” at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_society (June 4, 2017)

[3] Economist, Lifelong Learning is Becoming an Economic Imperative at http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21714169-technological-change-demands-stronger-and-more-continuous-connections-between-education

[4] Bernard Osher Foundation site http://www.osherfoundation.org/index.php