The Lifelong Learning Theory

Great Essays
Register to read the introduction… Learning is therefore part of life which takes place at all times and in all places. It is a continuous lifelong process, going on from birth to the end of our life, beginning with learning from families, communities, schools, religious institutions and workplaces’ (Rojvithee 2005, p.1).

The concept of lifelong learning began earlier in the 1920’s in England, by two scholars called Basil Yeaxlee and Edward Lindeman. Yeaxlee and Lindeman identified the boundaries of the fundamental principles of adult education, and therefore consequently leading to lifelong learning. As Faris states they understood education as an ongoing process, affecting mainly adults, and certainly not restricted to formal school. They also introduced the concepts of “life-as-education”, and the valuing of individual’s experiences as much as their formal education (Faris 2004,
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1995: ‘World Initiative on Lifelong Learning’, this report was a direct result from the first global conference on Lifelong Learning in Rome in 1994
1996: European Commission white paper – ‘Teaching and learning: towards the learning society’, OECD - two part report of OECD (1996 a) ‘Education and training: learning and work in a society in flux’ & (1996 b) ‘Lifelong Learning for all’ and UNESCO – ‘Learning: The Treasure Within’ by Delores.
Furthermore the year 1996 was the year of ‘Lifelong Learning Europe’ and this promoted release of the UNESCO report ‘Learning: The Treasure Within’ by Delores and OECD two part reports as stated earlier ‘Education and training: learning and work in a society in flux’ and ‘Lifelong Learning for all’.
The period of time between UNESCO first report by Faure and the second report by Delores is explained by Griffin as ‘between the publication of these reports the world has moved into another age, variously described as post-industrial , post-welfare, post-education and, of course, post-modern. So it is important to consider what has happened to lifelong learning policy in the meantime’ (Griffin 1999,
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“Formal education contributes to learning as do the non-formal and informal settings of home, the workplace, the community and society at large” (OECD).

European Union perspective of Lifelong Learning is ‘It is a key element of the new economic and social strategy adopted in March 2000 by the European Council for the decade to 2010. It is also the guiding principle of the resulting program of work on the concrete objectives of education and training systems (European Commission 2003, p.4).

The characteristics of lifelong learning according to Watson as ‘Common themes conveyed in government literature both Australian and international articulate a new policy framework for considering education and training. This new policy framework has four characteristics which, taken together, transform ‘education and training’ into the concept of ‘lifelong learning’ (Watson 2003, p.2)

Informal

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