The Purposes of Lifelong Learning - Essay Example

The Purposes of Lifelong Learning and Its Relationship to Vocational Education Name of Student: Student No: Course Title: Date: The Purposes of Lifelong Learning and Its Relationship to Vocational Education Introduction The concept of Lifelong Learning has been in trend since the mid-1990s but the idea is an old one. As early as 1920, a British adult educator was writing about ‘education as a life long process’ (Yeaxlee in Field, 2000:5). Even though there has been a enduring acknowledgment of learning as a process that goes on even after formal schooling is done, it did not excite much interest until the early 1970s and this interest became marked in the late 1990s. This rise in interest has been determined by policy debate rather than intellectual interest especially because of international policy forums. These significantly include the Faure report from UNESCO (Faure, 1972) which precipitated governments to institute national measures in succession especially in Europe, Canada, Australasia and Japan. The late 1990s escalation of interest was distinguished by a surfeit of key documents on policy such as the White Paper on competitiveness and employment from the European Union (CEC, 1994) and other publications including CEC(2000), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD, 1996) and the Group of Eight (G8, 1999). These international policy forums led to a variety of national policy documents focussed upon lifelong learning. In spite of the diversity of the policy papers, there were certain commonalities to be found within them. The most prominent was the shift in paradigm in education and training policies from teaching and training to promotion of learning. This concept shift is remarkable in itself because it acknowledges the scope that learning encompasses not limiting it to simply education. The scope is in fact so broad that it could possibly threaten its definition and measurement by policy makers. Furthermore, it represents a key shift of focus from the teacher’s actions toward the situation of the learner. Other commonalities are the reason for the second wave of policy papers, which were a response to common problems. In the West in particular, a crisis of competitiveness was taking place due to globalisation. This resulted in fluid availability of industrial and financial capacities which meant that the previous advantages held by western economies was removed. Growth rates since the 1950s had been surpassed by those of the tiger economies located at the Pacific Rim. The development and use of knowledge is a big factor in economic activity for economies in a post-industrial world and these attributes are perceived especially in the West as the sole competitive edge that is sustainable. The use of information technology is creating further transformation in the character and location of economic activity as well as making possible innovative products and services and augmenting the speeding up of change socially, technically, culturally and economically. The third commonality in the debate was the lack of unrealistic expectations which differs significantly from the primary wave of policy papers. This first wave regarded lifelong learning as a definite positive which contributed simultaneously to economic health and social equity. The second wave is more uncertain with a more balanced view that perceives both negative and positive outcomes for the emergent learning cohort. The stand out issue is the influence that lifelong learning has on social cohesion and solidity. There is likely to be a schism between those who possess this knowledge and those who do not. Policy makers however recommend that lifelong learning should be aimed at the entire population and not just a select few. In order to achieve these goals, it has to be acknowledged that attitudes and values are significant motivators of learning, a fact that is well known to adult educators who by the very nature of their occupations work with students learning out of a desire to do so. Thesis Statement This paper seeks to define, describe and expand upon the relationship between Lifelong Learning and Vocation. It will aim to give a better understanding of the terms and what they mean to the average citizen and how they can be used to improve the quality of life of the average world citizen. Lifelong learning should aim to build on the inherent interests and skills of the individual in order to improve their quality of life. This essay will attempt to address this issue so that an understanding can be reached as to how this can be achieved. Conceptions of Lifelong Learning As seen earlier, lifelong learning has a wide scope which encompasses both formal and informal education. It includes the personal reasons for learning such as for fulfillment or adaptability including ability to fit in to the social environment, civic education in order to obtain citizenship or employment related reasons. The European Commission(2000) wrote a Memorandum on Lifelong Learning which describes it as an important policy for the advancement of the population, social cohesion and employment. The primary definition of concept is as an activity which takes place from kindergarten right up to after retirement. The document however, mainly focused on how it enhances employability in a bid to live up to the demands of the labour market, through creation of a robust human resource and lead to development and facilitation of workforce skills. This would lead to better employment and competitiveness internationally. The European Commission (2001) gave a different definition of lifelong learning, terming it as ‘all learning activities that are embarked upon all through life, endeavoring to develop understanding, proficiency and competency in individual, public, collective and work related ways.’ This lends a new facet to lifelong learning actions that take place in formal, non-formal and informal learning environments. In addition focus is on social cohesion and inclusion, personal fulfillment and the needs of the individual, active civil participation and malleability in the face of a dynamic working and learning environment. There are eight important competencies that are designated in the ‘Key Competencies for Lifelong Learning – A European Reference Framework’ are: i. Communication in native language. ii. Communication in foreign tongues. iii. Competency in mathematics and basic competences in science and technology. iv. Digital competence v. Learning to learn. vi. Interpersonal, intercultural and social competencies and civic competence. vii. Entrepreneurship. viii. Cultural Expression. Validity of non-formal and informal education is of a greater application than just increased qualification in the labour market or economic application. The result is that it is a challenge to recognise whatever kind of learning result and create qualifications that are all-inclusive. Vocations and Working Lives The wide understanding of vocation is as a wide ranging notion that affects every type of person. it assists in the definition of roles for different people in society and a comprehension of vocation has an impact on perspective on citizenship by assisting people with knowledge on how they can contribute to the community they live in. Vocation is usually perceived in narrow term to refer to religious calling or some of the more ancient professions such as law or medicine (Brown, Wall & Buerk, 2010). The root of the word vocation is the Latin word ‘vocare’ meaning ‘to call’. It was generally believed that it was God who was calling and sometimes he was said to ‘call’ an entire nation such as the Israelites and individuals as well (Schuurman, 2004). The present day comprehension of vocation on the contrary is almost completely centred on personal vocation with the conviction of having been called to do a certain job. Since the perception is that God calls, then vocation has come to be associated with religious orders, with the priesthood, charity works, missionary work, etc (Alphonso, 2001). This, however, is not the only understanding of vocation even though it is the most common one. It can be used to refer to professions such as medicine or counseling (Loxterkamp, 1991-3). The commonalities of these professions is service to others and the idea of service is what binds these different perceptions of vocation. In the past few decades the meaning of vocation has expanded. One significant development is the concept of devotion to an especially beloved recreation. This recreation could include a hobby, employment or other pursuit outside of this realm. Furthermore, vocations are no longer regarded as a calling from God (Kincaid, 1971). Who does the calling is now not attributed to any particular person or thing. This helps in broadening the scope of vocation to a more inclusive concept and includes not only various means of employment as well as other activities that are not work-related. This brief history gives room for a new definition of vocation that is at par with how the term is coming to be used in contemporary society while also not discounting its ancient beginnings. This new concept of vocation as more than a calling gives a means of incorporating carefully measured life values in one’s day to day activities. The new definition integrates holistically conceived values into their way of life and personified in community life. Three key concepts are identified; holism, core values, and community life. Holism is the incorporation of values into one’s activities, core values come about through reflection although they are not set in stone and apply to all activities. Community life is about the interpersonal relationships that improve and assess our values and by this process assist us to discover who we are (Brown, Wall & Buerk, 2010). Education was once merely one of the various aims and objectives of a national system. Case in point is the Robbins Report (1963) on higher education which mentions vocational training but was mainly concerned with intellectual, social and cultural uses of education. The Russell report (DES, 1973) espouses similar values. It has been proven that there are several different types of workplace learning that are categorized according to different levels of formality such as OECD (1996), incidental learning (Marsick and Watkins, 1990) or as taught, sought, wrought and caught (Smith, 2003). Older workers are said to increasingly participate in informal learning as compared to youthful workers especially intentional learning activities such as ‘sought’ as opposed to elucidation of operational procedures from other employees (Berg and Chyung, 2008). The latter tend to rely on their supervisors for instruction (Coetzer, 2007). Employees that have been around for a while can be used for training purposes (Sisson, 2001), and therefore can be used as trainers as well as learners. This does not mean that there are no limits to workplaces as learning environments (Harris and Volet, 1997) but these limits are more apparent to the older workers. Vocations and Vocational Education Sigmon (1979) has illustrated five important facets of thoughtful community service which must be integrated into service learning programmes: community voice Orientation and training. Meaningful action. Reflection. Evaluation The community voice is drawn out through the carryout of reciprocity; getting ideas from the community members as to what services need to be rendered. Orientation and training is aimed at students and provides information on the community or other entity they will be serving. This factor is important to give learners background on the significance of the project and how to characterize the aims of the recipients of service. Placing focus on the community voice and giving learners orientation and training on the requirements of the community, should lead to service that is evocative to the community. Reflection involves incorporation of every element of the experience in order to drive the project beyond community service and into service learning. Finally, evaluation is done by all stakeholders from the students, to the agencies or organizations and communities in which the service has taken place. The enables learners to assess the effectiveness of the project in enhancing their knowledge base and it also helps agencies, organizations or communities to examine the efficacy of the project in catering to their needs. Service learning gives learners an opportunity to get involved in introspective community service that makes the concept of vocation more than just a theory. The productive engagement with communities in service learning affords the opportunity for self-reflection of values. Serving the community puts these core values into practice giving them a perspective on holistic living. Educational Value of Lifelong Learning and Vocational Education One method used to conceptualise Lifelong Learning has that it is mainly aimed at encouraging the development of skills and competencies that are required specifically in the workplace. The premise being that a highly skilled and competent human resource leads to a more developed and competitive economy. However, economic activity is but one reason to get involved in lifelong learning. Smethurst (1995: 33) says that it may not be statistically apparent but in for success in life from world history it has been seen that personality, independence of mind and autonomy of spirit are important. According to the OECD (1992), it will become imperative for future citizens to have skills on the knowledge economy which includes a large scope of knowledge areas viz. communication, computer literacy, numeracy; ability to research and learning how to learn, cooperation and team-building, interpersonal skills, discrimination and judgment, creativity and imagination. Two previous assumptions dictate the conception of lifelong learning as an exercise in economic empowerment; these are that lifelong education is key to advancing certain aims, and that the objective of lifelong learning is related to economy. This however has been deemed to limit the requirements of lifelong learning. Another method touts lifelong learning as an end in itself aimed at facilitating the learner not to reach a certain destination, but to acquire a broader view (Peters, 1965). According to Kant, human beings are duty-bound to seek self-improvement. This is done by promoting their natural spiritual, mental and corporeal powers in order to achieve certain ends. It is necessary for man not to let his natural talents go to waste (Kant, 1964 in Bailey, 1988: 123). The proliferation of these natural gifts can be done through expansion and transformation by edification and cognitive accomplishment through lifelong learning. This concept has been adopted by community groups, organizations as well as more archetypal learning institutions. Conclusion The notion of lifelong learning has always been fundamental to adult and vocational education. Technical and Further Education (TAFE) was developed in the 1970's as a provision of education not only for the preliminary groundwork of skills for the Australian workforce, but for learning all the way through life. Similarly, lifelong learning has long been associated with individuals' personal development or continuing education to advance or change careers. That is, it had a strong emphasis on personal and personally-directed development. However, in recent years, the concept of lifelong learning has come to be perceived as a variation of learning to sustain individuals' currency of their vocational practice throughout their work lives, in order to achieve vital economic goals of sustaining national competitiveness and standards of living. For some commentators this view represents a narrowing of the purposes and valuing of lifelong learning. For others, this represents a focus on individuals' vocation and its ongoing development throughout their working life. The way I see it, the two are not mutually exclusive and it is possible to make a living at an undertaking that one feels called to do. In fact Confucius said that if one finds a job they love, they never have to work another day in their life. According to the various definitions of what a vocation is, it fits the description of doing something that you love, therefore whatever field it happens to be in, whether service-related or not, as long as it develops the person spiritually, mentally, or corporeally as long as it is done to the best of the person’s ability, it usually also reaps some financial rewards as well. References Alphonso, Herbert. Discovering your personal vocation: the search for meaning through the Spiritual exercises. New York: Paulist Press, 2001. Berg, A.S. and Chyung, Y. “Factors that influence informal learning in the workplace”, Journal of Workplace Learning, Vol. 20 No. 4, pp. 229-44. 2008 Brown, N.J, Wall, A.E., Buerck, J.P. Vocation And Service Learning: Fostering Reflection And Citizenship In An Informatics Curriculum. Teaching Ethics, Spring 2010. CEC (Commission of the European Communities) Growth, Competitiveness, Employment, Office for Official publications, Luxembourg 1994 CEC (Commission of the European Communities) A Memorandum on Lifelong Learning, European Commission, Brussels. 2000 Coetzer, A. “Employee perceptions of their workplaces as learning environments”, Journal of Workplace Learning, Vol. 19 No. 7, pp. 417-34. 2007 European Union .Lifelong Learning - European Information on Education 2000. retrieved 16-Aug-12 from: http://www.euractiv.com/ Faure, E. Learning to Be: the world of education today and tomorrow, UNESCO, Paris. 1972 Field, J. Lifelong Learning and the New Educational Order, Trentham Books, Stoke on Trent. 2000 Group of Eight .Köln Charter: aims and ambitions for lifelong learning, Group of Eight, Köln. 1999. Harris, L. and Volet, S. Developing a Learning Culture in the Workplace, Murdoch University, Perth. 1997 Kincaid, John. “The American Vocation and Its Contemporary Discontents.” Publius 1 (1971): 115-140. Loxterkamp, David. “Hearing voices. How should doctors respond to their calling?” New England Journal of Medicine 335 (1996): 1991-3. Marsick, V. and Watkins, K. Informal and Incidental Learning in the Workplace, Routledge, London. 1990. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Lifelong Learning for All: Meeting of the Education Committee at Ministerial Level, 16/17 January 1996, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris. OECD Knowledge Based Economy, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris.1996 Peters, R.S. 'Education as Initiation' in Archambault, R.D. (Ed.) Philosophical Analysis and Education London: Routledge & Kegan Paul 1965 Robbins, L.Higher Education: Report of the Committee (London, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office). 1963 Russell, L. Adult Education: A Plan for Development (London, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office).1973 Schuurman, Douglas James. Vocation: discerning our callings in life.Grand Rapids.: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004. Sisson, G. Hands-on Training: A Simple and Effective Method for On-the-job Training, Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco, CA. 2001. Smith, E. “The scope for state intervention in young people’s learning and training”, Journal of Education and Work, Vol. 16 No. 4, pp. 385-406. 2003. Smethurst, R. 'Education: a public or private good?' RSA Journal Volume CXLIII No.5465 December 1995 pp 33-45. 1995. Read More