In my last Newsletter article, I wrote on the Hume value of Excellence and how it is an important element of a Hume education. As we, the Teaching and Learning Leadership Team, come closer to formulating our draft of the school’s new Vision for Teaching and Learning, it seems timely to make mention on the notion of Life-long Learning. This is something that the school community has identified as another priority for teaching and learning (this became clear in our surveys and focus groups) and is indeed a phenomenon that, many would say, is an essential skill, value and attribute of the 21st century global citizen, in this dynamic, fast-paced and unpredictable world.

The term itself, “Life-long learning,” is credited to American educator Leslie Watkins and was then adopted by Professor Clint Taylor, the Superintendent of the Temple City United School District in America in the 1990s. The motto of his school district in 1993 became “Life-Long Learning.”  Since the 2000s, the term has gained considerable traction (and particularly in the last 10 years) and as a result, a great deal of research has gone into defining and articulating exactly what Life-Long Learning looks like and why it is seen as an essential value and asset for the individual to function effectively in the 21st century and beyond.

A vast amount of literature and research exists on the concept and constructs of the Life-long Learner. For example, notable academics such as Green (2006), Fleming (2011), Regmi (2015) and Dede & Richards (2020) as well as the OECD itself, have written on Life-Long Learning, models of Life-Long Learning and what it means to be prepared for the rigours of living in this century while contributing economic, social and individual capital to one’s world and one’s context.

Skills, concepts and metalanguage that sit parallel to or underneath the umbrella of “Life-Long Learning” go far beyond the classroom and are phenomena that stretch to the workplace such as Microlearning, Mobile Learning, Digital Transformation and Learning, Gamification, Learning Outcomes, Corporate Learning, Blended Learning, Personalised Learning, Phenomenon Learning, Cooperative Learning, Collaborative Learning, Continuous Learning, Vicarious Learning and even Un-learning (Valamis, 2022). The list goes on and countless theorists have made their own contributions on what it is that constitutes different constructs of Life-Long Learning. The 5Cs of Communication, Critical Reflection, Creativity, Citizenship and Collaboration (Anderson & Jefferson, 2015) are another framework that pertain to Life-long Learning. The role of wellbeing (Seligman, 2011) and the growth mindset (see the work of Dweck) have an integral role to play in Life-long Learning. The transformative competencies that make up the OECD 2030 Framework for Learning, that I have written of before, as well as myriad other educational and psychological paradigms, all align with Life-long Learning.

Oscar Nowik (2022), author of renowned book “Brightening” sums up the Life-long Learner as being characterised by these 14 habits or behaviours:

1. They read daily
2. They take various courses
3. They seek opportunities to grow
4. They take care of their bodies
5. They have diverse passions
6. They love making progress
7. They challenge themselves with specific goals
8. They embrace change
9. They believe it’s never too late to start something new
10. Their attitude to getting better is contagious
11. They leave their comfort zone
12. They never settle down
13. They choose the right career
14. They aren’t afraid of failure

All of this is food for thought, as we move forward, in writing our Vision for Teaching and Learning and consider what Life-Long Learning means for us, and what it looks like, for our learners at Hume.

Kirk Thomas - Director of Teaching and Learning