Lifelong Learner…What does that mean?

Buzz words.  You hear many of them in education. The ‘lifelong learner’ is one you hear often and probably is overused. You see it in almost every mission statement. But what exactly does it mean?  It sounds great, but what are schools doing to create the lifelong learner?  

The education conversation is changing as it evolves with the multitude of research that has become available in the last ten years. “It’s not a question of content versus skills – it’s about creating challenging, profoundly engaging, and authentic educational experiences that produce lifelong learners” (Hersh, 2009).  There have been three major shifts in education beginning with the launch of Sputnik in 1957.   This moved education into the age of math and science – inquiry-based pedagogy that would teach students how to think rather to simply regurgitate.  This began the debate regarding the inadequacy of U.S. education.  Twenty years later, A Nation At Risk resurfaced the debate that focused on the prowess of Japanese schools and corporations.  The response by the U.S. was to focus on increased core course requirements, homework, and achievement standards.  The current shift has turned to the focus on 21^st Century skills and preparing our students for the challenges that have become global due to technology and speed of information. (Hersh, 2009). The question is, what is the response?

At Waverly High School, we are focusing our curriculum on the “big picture.”  We want students to make connections with their learning, connect content areas, and be able to connect one lesson in a class to the next.  This transfer of learning is one of the most crucial aspects of education.  Research states that long-term learning occurs if students can make the connections – regurgitation of facts is not permanent.  Students will only remember information as long as they have to – it is our job to help them understand that content is all connected and there is a purpose for everything we teach.  By doing that, students are motivated, connected and invested. If those things are happening, students will achieve.

Our focus in the curriculum revision process has been centered on what we want our students ‘to be’ and what we want them ‘to become’ after they graduate.  We want them to be prepared for what life will throw at them when they are on their own.  Bonding the two concepts together forces us to examine how we make learning relevant so they can relate later in life.  It is not just about the content, it is about how the content affects their lives. 

The lifelong learner is hungry for knowledge.  Somewhere along the way, students need to get hooked on that knowledge.  They need to understand its power and appreciate where it can take them.  If this happens, lifelong learning is natural.  The key is how we present that knowledge.  K-12 systems hold the power in their hands.  How students learn from ages 4-18 will forever affect their desire for knowledge.  If we can help students bring it all together and connect all that they have learned – they will understand the purpose.  If they can understand the purpose, they will be thirsty for more, and more, and more…

It is our challenge to put knowledge in front of students and help them to want more.  If we can achieve this, the lifelong learner is born!

Hersh, R.H. (2009, September), A Well-Rounded Education or a Flat World: Educational Leadership, ASCD, Vol. 67 (1)