The Importance of Lifelong Learning

Myth: Learning ends upon exiting the classroom.

Reality: Learning happens everywhere, everyday! In an ever-changing world, one filled with advancing technologies, revolutionary industries, and a demand for jobs that would not have existed 20 years ago, the world (and thus, our economies) are changing at an unprecedented rate. The question remains: What does this mean for learning?

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Wikipedia defines lifelong learning as “the “ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated” pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons. Therefore, it not only enhances social inclusion, active citizenship, and personal development, but also self-sustainability, as well as competitiveness and employability.” However, simply put, lifelong learning is merely never stopping TO learn — rather to continue to grow and develop as an individual.

What Does This Mean for Students? Redefining Education:

Learning doesn’t just mean studying from a textbook and copying it down come test time — it refers to drawing meaning from your work, and seeing how it’s important and connected to a broader concept or idea.

Though for many students “learning” may consist of memorizing formulas, dates, and facts, they often miss the bigger picture. If you spend all of your efforts on memorizing and none of your efforts on understanding what you are actually doing, by the time the next test rolls around, the information stored in your short term memory may be completely forgotten.

As an example, take two students, Julie and Brian. Both students are in high school, getting ready for an upcoming mathematics test. Julie memorizes the way that you solve each problem, all of the formulas, and knows exactly what steps she needs to do to solve any of the example questions. Brian also memorizes the formulas, but concentrates on the why — and understands why the examples are done the way that they are done, comprehending the methods and connecting any relevant prior knowledge to each question at hand. Both of them might ace the test, but come exam time, Julie will have to memorize the concepts all over again — and one slight twist in the question may throw her off. Brian, however, understanding the concepts behind his steps, will be much better off come any challenging question, and practicing questions will come more naturally to him.

That being said, not all students must be categorized into being a Julie or a Brian — instead, they may fit in between the two. The important take-away is understanding how important asking “why?” really is. In the midst of stress or a heavy work-load, this question is often forgotten — yet it is the key to lifelong learning. Practicing the art of asking “why” not only enriches one’s curiosity, but it feeds your desire to learn beyond the textbook.

On a Larger Scale - The Economies of Tomorrow:

Learning to practice and develop the skills required for lifelong learning as students helps individuals develop as lifelong learners as they grow older — creating more adaptable, versatile and open-minded employees. As technology continues to develop and consumer demands continue to change, employers are starting to seek out more and more adaptable individuals — those who can learn on the spot, cater their skill sets to the current needs of the company, and who want to continue learning how things can be improved, are the ones who end up getting hired.

Both globalisation and automation within the workforce are playing a large role in both the needs and wants of a company, influencing their desired needs for employers. Lifelong learning is needed now more than ever, meaning that it’s becoming more and more of an advantage for younger students to acquire the skill early on.

Lifelong Learning In a Nutshell:

The next time you think about asking “why” or “how” to a certain situation, ask it! Curiosity may have once killed the cat, but it’s the key to the future of learning.

Written by Lauren Fong, Writer for the Junior Economist

Originally published on November 4th, 2019