CULTIVATE Lifelong Learning in Singapore. Do not PROMOTE it like a sales gimmick.

CULTIVATE Lifelong Learning Singapore. 
DO NOT PROMOTE it like a sales gimmick.

Definition of cultivate :
Grow or maintain (living cells or tissues) in culture.

There are many cultures that cultivate learning over the years and some with long history over centuries inculcating the skills of art, science, creativity, innovations through formal and informal learning.

In the past, in the UK, Lifelong Learning, has a meaning strongly associated with building a competitive labour market. In The US, Lifelong Learning is about adult learning, continuing, or distance education. It was about gaining knowledge.

The best comparison could be studied between West Germany and East Germany before and after the Berlin Wall was destroyed. The difference in approach of learning between the two countries. How the changes affected GDR and BRD. These comparison can be found in the “Mapping the German Landscape of Tertiary Lifelong Learning” a discussion paper 2012/4.3, from the Institut Arbeit und Terik, THEMP.

How do we create a Lifelong Learning culture.

For a country like Singapore with a historical timeline, and an influential factor from our colonial masters we must move away from the perceived knowledge that of Lifelong Learning is for economic prosperity. Our formal national education is catered for economic purpose.

During the years we moved on to training and re-training, which are all linked with economic consideration. Presently we have moved with the same objectivity in Lifelong Learning. Lifelong Learning is continuous and not of a stop when economy was and is going and doing well and start when it is not doing well. And here is where we will fail in the true essence of the meaning of Lifelong Learning.

Many of us or in a more specific group(s), Singaporeans can get through primary schooling to secondary schooling and further in that ten (10) or sixteen (16) years. Regardless of a fixed or growth mindset. When it comes to learning for the sake of learning only, the growth mindset will continue to learn.

We all know that Lifelong Learning is important. Today the government, institution, educators, organizations, employers and public, understand the importance. It all depends how we value Lifelong Learning and if the objectives are of the past for economic purpose we will be approaching it the wrong way.

Here are the challenges to cultivate a Lifelong Learning culture in our society:

• Teachers/Trainers centred to learners learning-centred.
  Education institutions or institutions that cater for manpower or courses should stop having the old method of training and transform trainers to be mentors. Bring in leadership to the classrooms and not managers. Bring in mentors to the classrooms and not trainers or teachers. In fact changing the names of trainers to consultants or mentors would be a better way to start. Have a learners-centred learning rather than teacher-centred learning.
•  Career mentors
   Start having these people learning leadership courses before they start counselling people and having them to go courses. Help them to inculcate Lifelong Learning to older workers or experience workers. Send them for courses on motivation or counselling courses. Or basic psychological courses.
  
•  Finance
  Have stakeholders MOM, NTUC, SNEF, Business, organizations involve in financing courses. Allocate resources for research inculcating on Lifelong Learning Culture and not promoting them as a sales perspective. Feed the needy and not that of those who can afford in the lines of Lifelong Learning. Have policies made to help the unemployed who would have a tougher time financing courses. 
•  Need for demand oriented courses
  Have courses that of demand and not that of economic need. Allow individuals to attend the courses that they are interested. Encourage variety. Embrace multiple intelligence s and diverse learning styles.
• Learning/knowledge base environmen
  Stop fear mongering and to be confident in sharing information. To create a Learning or knowledge culture, managers must turn to be leaders and be not afraid to mentor and share 
• Quality Learning Experience
  Have quality inspection on private education in terms of quality programs catered for Lifelong Learners and Learning experience that enhances skills and knowledge for all individual especially for marginalized groups and unemployed.
• Debate
  Allow debates and have forums on subjective matters as, “responsibilities and roles of the governments, civil society and individual learners in building learning societies and reforming formal education in a Lifelong Learning environment or system. Cultivating non-formal and informal “learning for children and adults. Building a learning community. Discuss in the mechanism and exploration of innovation of financing Lifelong Learning. Cultivating a holistic Lifelong Learning culture. 
  There is no point in having institution(s) serving the same purposes and the objective does not cater to create Lifelong Learning but simply to have courses just to use up allocated funds or simply to create awareness or simply to show that courses are being done. There need to be effectiveness. By being effective does not being influence or simply to create results. It is very important that these institutions and policies are sincere to the issues at hand.
• Research
  Make research and research papers available to the public to engage in building Learning and Lifelong Learning. Allowing constantly exploring the theories-in use of all involved in the education process.
  
• Be effective
  Gone are the days of efficiency being the objective of all process. Today with the fast changing high technological advancement we need to move three or four gears up to effectiveness. It is pointless if you are not going to make your aspiration a reality. Policies must a tune to effective progressive efforts not simply efficiently going through the motions of Lifelong Learning Goals.
• Womb to the tombLifelong
  Learning is not just about Adult Learning it must be set forth from children to adult learning. As a start we can begin with a IAL foundation to build its group for the future creating knowledge base learning in school and adult learning.
  
• Be LEADERS when making policies, do the right things in policy making. Question policies if they are CULTIVATING or PROMOTING Lifelong Learning.
If policies are to promote Lifelong Learning then it will have restriction to make advantage for a certain group and give excuse for other groups. If policies are to cultivate Lifelong Learning then it would have everyone inclusive. Regardless of employed and unemployed including for those who will have a tough time financing themselves to upgrade. Most importantly cultivating to help those who are not able to sustain Lifelong Learning.

By helping these groups other equation will follow suit in terms of social understanding. You may not even have the need of priority seats as people will understand all seats are priority to those elders and needy. Once leadership begins to reason and have excuses for having restrictive policies in terms and conditions the social fabric of its people will follow the attributes of the policies leadership have created and maintained.Policies should chose to lead to do the right things RATHER than to choose to manage to do things right.



• Create a mutual agreement
  Have education as a right and learning as a duty as a mutual implicit/explicit agreement. When creating courses for learning it should be catered for all and subsidise for all not just to those employed or of certain age or gender or race.

How to be a Lifelong Learner.

• Learn how to learn

Determine your own learning style.

• Learn where your talent and interest lies

Try your hands in different things and not just a few and think you only can do those things.

• Understand learning

Don’t force yourself to learn. Learning is not about gaining that high score but to gain knowledge. Learning must be fun. Just like playing football. It must be fun. Professional players first have fun in learning and then grow on to build excellent skills.

•  Understand the learning of the basics

It is important to learn the basics. If one do not learn to crawl, one would have difficulty to control the momentum of how to walk. If a footballer does not learn the basic of kicking a ball, he would find it hard to kick the ball in the directions he would want the ball to go.

Once you know the basics you can connect the complicated issues and the complex issues by understanding not simply memorizing steps. Understanding the basics is the most important element in learning.

•  READ, READ, READ, READ

Not just reading newspapers. The newspaper would be just the best place to start reading into diverse subjective matters, such as Politics which would include business, education, policies, and then there are Sports section, Movie critiques, and many other subjects. Reading should be of diverse interest of subject. One can start reading subjects that they are interested on in the beginning. In the later stage take curiosity a notch or two up and read those that have never been your interest.

•  Broaden the definition of knowledge

Read many multiple equations of issues. Don’t base on one side of the story. Look at things broadly. See things in many equations.

• Doing things outside of work

Don’t do things that you are of at work. Learn other things when you are outside of work. Maybe even in Volunteer work.

•  Take classes
Both for formal and informal learning. There are groups that discuss philosophy or even psychology in groups. Attend those group meetings for informal learning. Most of these meetings are conducted by professors. Its a great place to network as well.

• Have groups for discussion on knowledge not for gossip. Apply what you have learned.

The heading itself says a whole lot. There is no point in talking about somebodies else problems if you cannot help them. You could do better to volunteer as a counsellor. Take up a course in Counselling so that you can help people with problems rather than talk behind them.

•  Do not be afraid to mentor others and share your learning experience.

Always learn to share knowledge and not be afraid to do it. You will learn more sharing knowledge in this technologically advance world. "Mentor" not teach. Listen, ask questions. Learn as well as share information and knowledge.

In order to conclude we have to go back to the drawing block as to define Lifelong Learning. As the previous blog I wrote in Lifelong Learning we need to define the definition of Lifelong Learning.

What is the meaning of Lifelong Learning?

“The provision or use of both formal and informal learning opportunities throughout people’s lives, to foster the continuous development and improvement and skills needed for employment and personal fulfilment.” – Define by many Dictionaries.

How we define Lifelong Learning is very important equation.

The person who learns by doing, learns by thinking, who learns by experience is a valuable member of in a team.

The person who has curiosity, a willingness to question the status quo, and want to know more about his or her assignment, is the person who believes in Lifelong Learning. – Wilber J Cohen.
Read : Lifelong Learning, http://michaelrsmorgan.blogspot.sg/

Environment : Policies have to create and cultivate Lifelong Learning and not simply promote it like a sales item. It must be cultivating an environment of Lifelong Learning for all not just for a group.

Learners : Learners must define the path of learning as to gain knowledge and not just a means to upgrade or enhancement in their careers.

REFERENCEConceptual evolution and policy developments in Lifelong Learning- Edited by in Yang and Raul Valdes-Cotera

Lifelong Learning: moving beyond education for All (EFA) – Rosa Maria Torres

Lifelong Learning – A tool for all ages – Age statement for the 2007 European year of equal opportunities for all.

Developing and assessing student capacity for Lifelong Learning – Int J. Engng Ed Vol.00, No 0, pp 1-11, 2008, Printed in Great Britain. By Donna Riley and Lionel Claris

The Enphe Lifelong Learning Final Report – September 2012.http://www.enphe.org

http://www.academia.edu/5670098/THE_POLICY_AND_PROGRAMMES_OF_LIFELONG_LEARNING_IN_INDIA

Building the future of European Lifelong Learning. Learning strategies and policies : Defining critical key drivers for lifelong Learning in Europe – by Veli-Matti Kauppinen, Jari Kaivo-oja & samuli Aho -https://www.utu.fi/fi/yksikot/ffrc/julkaisut/e-tutu/Documents/eTutu_2011_11.pdf

“Mapping the German Landscape of Tertiary Lifelong Learning” a discussion paper 2012/4.3, from the Institut Arbeit und Terik, THEMP.