{"id":7609,"date":"2023-05-25T20:03:54","date_gmt":"2023-05-25T20:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/?p=7609"},"modified":"2024-05-02T21:04:11","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T21:04:11","slug":"lifelong-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/lifelong-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Great Lifelong Learning Examples (Plus Criticisms)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lifelong Learning - Explained for Beginners (In 3 Minutes)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zVkF_EUShIo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Lifelong learning is incredibly important in the 21st Century. Our world is changing so rapidly that we need to be consistently upskilling in order to keep up to date with the latest knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is also incredibly important for improving yourself and trying to become better both professionally and personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is Lifelong Learning? (Definition)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Lifelong learning is the idea that learning does not end at the completion formal education. Instead, we continually learn through our daily experiences throughout our lives (Aspin et al., 2012). In the professional workplace, this concept is often invoked to refer to <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/professional-development-examples\/\">ongoing professional development<\/a>. It is also an approach to learning that emphasizes reflective practice for self-betterment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6 lifelong Learning Examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Examples of lifelong learning include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\"><strong>1. Learning a new Skill<br><\/strong><\/span>The simplest thing you can do is to simply identify a skill to learn and teach yourself that skill. It might require repetition, buying educational kits online, and buying books about the skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\"><strong>2. Joining a Club<br><\/strong><\/span>There are clubs on every topic &#8211; just jump on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">meetup.com<\/a> and see what&#8217;s out there! Clubs will usually meet regularly (once a week or month, perhaps) to get together and discuss your chosen topic together. As you interact with more people, you will learn from them and refine your skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\"><strong>3. Downloading Educational Podcasts<br><\/strong><\/span>Podcasts are a revolutionary way to learn new topics. You can listen to a podcast while going for a run, driving, or put it on as you&#8217;re going to sleep. We call this &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/microlearning\/\">microlearning<\/a>&#8216; &#8211; listening to a little bit of new information each day. It takes some time to find a podcast host who you like, so fiddle around and have a look for a podcast that&#8217;ll teach you your new topic!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\"><strong>4. Keeping a Reflective Journal<br><\/strong><\/span>A daily reflective journal can help you to continually reflect on your life and things you have been doing, so you can then improve for the future! Simply writing in the journal will often be enough for you to stimulate reflection and get you thinking about some ways to better yourself. You can also re-read the journal at the end of the week for a &#8216;thinking session&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\"><strong>5. Use Metacognitive Strategies<br><\/strong><\/span>&#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/metacognitive-theory\/\">Metacognition<\/a>&#8216; means to reflection on your own thinking. Take the time to stop and reflect on your own behaviors and thought processes to see if you can find ways to improve your thinking. This might involve coming up with strategies (literally: <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/metacognitive-strategies\/\">metacognitive strategies<\/a>) such as streamlined procedures for certain tasks you do regularly, or reminding yourself to stop and take a deep breathe every 5 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\"><strong>6. Short College Course<br><\/strong><\/span>Another example of lifelong learning is to take short college courses every semester at your local college (or even &#8216;summer courses&#8217;). You can choose a course that will help with your work, employability, or even personal life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key and Defining Features of LLL<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Key features of lifelong learning include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\">1. Ongoing<br><\/span><\/strong>The central feature of lifelong learning is that learning is never-ending (Billett, 2010). There are many models of learning to represent this. For example, reflective practice cycles (such as Gibbs&#8217; and Kolb&#8217;s models) show how we finish every learning scenario with more questions for the next stage of learning. Further, the idea that learning is &#8216;lifelong&#8217; shows that learning occurs well beyond formal situations &#8211; we&#8217;ll keep learning even after school is over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\">2. Voluntary<br><\/span><\/strong>A lifelong learning approach is usually voluntary and represents a &#8216;mindset&#8217; more than anything. An ongoing learning mindset needs to be voluntary rather than compulsory. Compulsory learning (such as K-12 schooling) is not considered &#8216;lifelong&#8217; because it has a distinct conclusion and no expectations of rolling on to the next point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\">3. Self-Motivated<br><\/span><\/strong>You will need to be self-motivated to embrace lifelong learning. As it is voluntary, you can usually opt-out whenever you want. So, you usually need to enjoy what you are learning or enjoy the process of learning altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\">4. Broad<br><\/span><\/strong>It is not exclusive to one subject area or category. You can learn anything you like &#8211; so long as it is something new to keep your mind active and to help you with your life. The goal is not necessarily to be a specialist in anything, but to constantly improve yourself &#8211; a bit like being a <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/renaissance-man\/\">renaissance man<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\">5. Multiple Contexts<br><\/span><\/strong>It can take place at the workplace, at home, online, through books, at the coffee shop, in one-to-one meetings, on the job (we call this &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/situated-learning-theory\/\">situated learning<\/a>&#8216;), or anywhere you want it to be! Online self-taught learning is an increasingly common form of ongoing informal learning as it provides people with instant access to so much information at anyone&#8217;s fingertips!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\">6. Informal<br><\/span><\/strong>Different to continuing education, lifelong learning often <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/informal-learning-examples\/\">informal learning<\/a>. It does not require you to get a formal education degree or certificate from a university. You don&#8217;t need to pay anyone or even need a university teacher. It involves any form of learning that takes place at any point in life, so long as it is underpinned by a mindset of ongoing, voluntary and self-motivated personal or professional growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\"><strong>7. Learning on Demand<br><\/strong><\/span>Lastly, if often &#8216;on-demand&#8217; learning, meaning we learn things when we find it most useful for our lives. This is not always the case (as many people learn for the love of learning), but nonetheless it is common to find that people choose topics to learn that <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/relevance-examples\/\">have relevance to<\/a> (and improves) their immediate lives or skills in the workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Importance of Lifelong Learning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Lifelong learning is important because it helps us to develop as humans. While many theorists once believed that human development peaks at age 20-25, we increasingly understand the importance of learning to help us develop into our old age. We might call learning in older ages the &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wisdom-examples\/\">getting of wisdom<\/a>&#8216;. We don&#8217;t just learn new things: we also use our past knowledge to become better at thinking through situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Benefits &amp; Challenges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table><tbody><tr><td>\n<h4>Benefits and Strengths &#8211; Opportunities it opens up.<\/h4>\n<\/td><td>\n<h4>Challenges and Weaknesses &#8211; What&#8217;s hard about it.<\/h4>\n<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>1. Builds <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/cultural-capital-in-education-examples\/\">social and cultural capital<\/a><\/td><td>1. Time-consuming<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2. Develops a love of learning<\/td><td>2. Costly<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>3. Personal development<\/td><td>3. Hard to self-motivate<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>4. Professional development<\/td><td>4. Doesn&#8217;t confer a <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/types-of-degrees\/\">university degree<\/a> at the &#8220;end&#8221; of it.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>5. Prevents cognitive decline<\/td><td>&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Benefits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Benefits of lifelong learning include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\"><strong>1. Social Capital<br><\/strong><\/span>Participating in ongoing learning opportunities can help you to develop social contacts (Hildebrand, 2008). You can make new friends and possible employment opportunities through your learning communities. Further, you can open up new social groups that coalesce around shared interest in the topic. However, you won&#8217;t gain the &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/cultural-capital-in-education-examples\/\">cultural capital<\/a>&#8221; that you can get from a university degree from a popular university like Harvard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\">2. Love of Learning<br><\/span><\/strong>People who are lifelong learners enjoy learning and the process of learning new things. They practice the <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/cognitive-skills\/\">skill of moving through cognitive dissonance<\/a> and getting pleasure out of achieving new things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\">3. Personal Development<br><\/span><\/strong>You can grow as a person, developing better communication skills and <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/thinking-strategies\/\">thinking strategies<\/a>. Learning will help you discard misconceptions and understand the world through more perspectives. Further, Laal and Salamati (2012) argue it can help with your self-esteem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\"><strong>4. Professional Development<br><\/strong><\/span>More skills can help you to be more competitive in future job interviews, making you more employable (Laal &amp; Salamati, 2012). People will often also engage in ongoing learning and development on the job to become more efficient and capable at their job &#8211; which may lead to enhanced job satisfaction and further opportunities for promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\"><strong>5. Prevents Cognitive Decline<br><\/strong><\/span>As people get older, they need to continue to exercise their brains to prevent cognitive decline. Ongoing <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/learning-experiences-examples\/\">learning experiences<\/a> right through past retirement are necessary to sustain brain strength and prolong your life (Findsen &amp; Formosa, 2011).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Challenges<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Challenges of lifelong learning include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\">1. Time Consuming<\/span><br><\/strong>It takes time out of your day to do any serious learning. And unfortunately it&#8217;s an ongoing commitment &#8211; by definition! Some ways to streamline learning include listening to podcasts in the car, learning online rather than on campus,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\">2. Costly<\/span><br><\/strong>Ongoing learning will cost you money. You need to continually invest and re-invest in new books, short courses, and tutoring. Setting aside a &#8216;learning budget&#8217; or seeking out free options such as library membership may be necessary. This is especially true if you need to buy new technology or update old technology to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15pt;\"><strong>3. Hard to Self-Motivate<br><\/strong><\/span>Learning is not always fun. Because lifelong learning is voluntary, you have to be personally motivated and enthusiastic about learning. A possible solution to offset this issue is to focus on learning about your own hobbies or topics you are interested in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Lifelong learning is a powerful way to consistently improve yourself and help you become a more refined, wiser person. Over time, you will develop new skills and abilities that you can apply in your everyday life. With the rise of technology, anyone with the internet can be a lifelong learner!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">References and Further Reading<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/lifelong-learning.jpg\" alt=\"lifelong learning\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Aspin, D. N., Chapman, J., Hatton, M., &amp; Sawano, Y. (Eds.). (2012). <i>International handbook of lifelong learning <\/i>(Vol. 6). New York: Springer Science &amp; Business Media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Billett, S. (2010). The perils of confusing lifelong learning with lifelong education. <i>International Journal of Lifelong Education<\/i>, <i>29<\/i>(4), 401-413.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Findsen, B., &amp; Formosa, M. (2011). <em>Lifelong Learning&nbsp;in later life: A handbook on older adult learning.<\/em> London: Brill Sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Laal, M., &amp; Salamati, P. (2012). <a href=\"https:\/\/core.ac.uk\/download\/pdf\/82766067.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lifelong learning; why do we need it?<\/a> <i>Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences<\/i>, <i>31<\/i>, 399-403.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"724\" src=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/lifelong-learning-examples-and-definition-1024x724.jpg\" alt=\"lifelong learning examples and definition, explained below\" class=\"wp-image-25889\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/lifelong-learning-examples-and-definition-1024x724.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/lifelong-learning-examples-and-definition-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/lifelong-learning-examples-and-definition-768x543.jpg 768w, https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/lifelong-learning-examples-and-definition.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lifelong learning is the idea that learning does not end at the completion formal education. We continually learn through daily experiences every day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"Chris Drew (PhD)","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"authorship-box-avatar":false,"authorship-box-related":false,"authorship-post-flat":false,"authorship-post-cards":false,"authorship-post-thumbs":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Chris Drew (PhD)","author_link":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/author\/chris-drew-phd\/"},"uagb_comment_info":3,"uagb_excerpt":"Lifelong learning is the idea that learning does not end at the completion formal education. We continually learn through daily experiences every day.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7609"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37278,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7609\/revisions\/37278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}