9.1 Lifelong learning in knowledge society  (Page 2/4)

Learning in knowledge society

Implies to differentiate between:

1. superficial learning (reception/understanding/application)
2. deep learning (analysis/synthesis/evaluation)

Implies to construct knowledge, to make meaning, and continuous improvement of mental representation.

Constructivist’s definition of learning

• Learning is the process of adjusting our mental models to accommodate new experiences.
• Learning is a search for meaning.
• Meaning making requires wholes as well as parts.
• Parts must be understood in the context of wholes.
• Therefore, the learning process focuses on primary concepts not isolated facts.

Four pillars of lifelong learning in 21st century

• Learning to know
• Learning to do
• Learning to be
• Learning to live together

Learning to know by mastering cognitive skills&collaboration.

Learning to do by mastering skills&production.

Learning to be by admitting multiple intelligent (MI) and sustainable human development.

Learning to live together by dialogue and tolerance.

Main objectives of lifelong learning

• Personal fulfillment and development throughout life (cultural capital)
• Active citizenship and inclusion (social capital)
• Employability (human capital)

Lifelong learning and competencies

There are three broad types of competencies to be acquired through lifelong learning process:

1. Communicative competencies: the ability to speak, listen, write, negotiate, and mediate.
2. Analytical competencies: the ability to operate within systems of formal logic, to create models, and to display a sociological imagination.
3. Personal competencies - the ability to display “emotional balance,” to accept diversity, to tolerate.

Key competencies

The key competencies mentioned above are neither school nor university topics, but are acquired in social groups or in the family. These competencies could be considered as tangible contribution to the lifelong learning process and to the construction of a knowledge–based society.

• Key competencies enable people to pursue individual objectives in a life driven by personal interests, aspirations, and the desire to continue learning throughout life (cultural capital).
• Key competencies allow everybody to participate as an active citizen in society (social capital).
• Key competencies upraise the capacity of each and every person to obtain a decent job in the labor market (human capital).

Dimensions of a knowledge society

The three specific dimensions of knowledge society are:

1. The political dimension
2. The operational dimension
3. The dimension related to the development of Human Beings

The political dimension implies developing a “learning culture”&“learning spaces” in civil society and in a work place.

The operational dimension implies all players in the lifelong learning process (institutions, NGO’s, companies, trade- unions, education and training authorities, practitioners, municipalities, local communities, museums,…) in order to build strategic lifelong learning partnerships and networks to analyze learning requirements and remove barriers to access to learning.

The dimension related to the development of human beings is the heart of the matter, since it implies a focus on people and citizens rather than abstract terms, such as “human resources” or “end-users.”