Lifelong Learning In Action

Since the concept of lifelong learning came to prominence much excellent work has been undertaken but, as Professor Longworth's new book shows, major change in some areas is still needed if the concept of learning from cradle to grave is to become a true reality. Using his unique vantage point from consulting with schools, universities, local, governmental and global authorities, Professor Longworth brings the development of lifelong learning bang up-to-date with a complete survey of the principles of lifelong learning including examples from around the world and crucial information on the impact of lifelong learning on 21st century schools.

A visionary guide for the future of learning and work Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs That Don’t Even Exist Yet offers readers a fascinating glimpse into a near-future where careers last 100 years, and education lasts a lifetime. The book makes the case that learners of the future are going to repeatedly seek out educational opportunities throughout the course of their working lives — which will no longer have a beginning, middle, and end. Long Life Learning focuses on the disruptive and burgeoning innovations that are laying the foundation for a new learning model that includes clear navigation, wraparound and funding supports, targeted education, and clear connections to more transparent hiring processes. Written by the former chief innovation officer of Strada Education Network’s Institute for the Future of Work, the book examines: How will a dramatically extended lifespan affect our careers? How will more time in the workforce shape our educational demands? Will a four-year degree earned at the start of a 100-year career adequately prepare us for the challenges ahead? Perfect for anyone with an interest in the future of education and Clayton Christensen’s theories of disruptive innovation, Long Life Learning provides an invaluable glimpse into a future that many of us have not even begun to imagine.

Lifelong Learning is now central to the Hong Kong education reform agenda. As a recent Education Commission Report put it, 'lifelong learning is the key to Hong Kong's success'. This book focuses on the post-secondary, continuing and professional education (CPE) sector. It includes contributions from Hong Kong practitioners in the field as well as from eminent international scholars who are well acquainted with CPE in Hong Kong. The book is in three parts. The first part traces recent developments in CPE in Hong Kong and offers an up-to-date account of policy, programmes and provision. A profile of lifelong learners, drawing on recent research findings, is also provided. In the second part, practitioners from a diverse range of subject disciplines offer their perspectives on the issues. This part of the book contains a wealth of ideas and examples illustrating the practice of lifelong learning in Hong Kong. The third part examines the forces shaping post-secondary education in Hong Kong and explores emergent issues. Topics discussed include: the convergence of higher and continuing education, work-based learning, cross-border collaborations with mainland China, Hong Kong vocational education and training policy, and the legal challenges posed by on-line learning. Written primarily for academic managers and teachers in the adult and continuing education sector, this book will also be of interest to (postgraduate) students of lifelong learning, comparative education researchers, CPE policy-makers, employers and human resources managers. It is a timely contribution to the current debate on the future shape of education in Hong Kong. The two Editors' combined experience in tertiary sector teaching and administration totals 57 years. They are now both working in the School of Professional and Continuing Education, The University of Hong Kong (HKU SPACE). John Cribbin is the School Secretary and Registrar; a graduate of University College London and Leicester University, he has previously worked at King's College London and the UK Open University. Peter Kennedy is a Senior Programme Director responsible for programmes in the fields of human resource management and training, as well as in English and theatre studies.

This text outlines the future roles of schools, business and industry, higher and adult education. Using examples of learning communities that are adapting for the future, the author describes the conditions which lifelong learning can accelerate as an agent for change.

This book explains and demonstrates how indigenous communities – built on traditional knowledge, culture and language – can be extended and strengthened by (1) the new, integrated methodology of Lifelong Action Learning (LAL), and (2) new approaches to learning and development as exemplified by the system of GULL (Global University for Lifelong Learning). The GULL system harnesses the potential of people to bring about positive change together, characterized by self-reliance, financial independence, and cascading learning and benefits to others. It is a self-directed and self-sustainable process of learning and growth. The case studies in this book provide evidence that over time economically very poor communities can achieve transformations that bring with them many benefits personally, professionally and for the community. This book manages to accomplish an almost impossible goal—to be both deeply inspirational and highly practical all at the same time. Professor Mary Brydon-Miller, USA I was sold on this book from the foreword – the need to rethink how we think about and ‘do’ education is emerging as a ‘hot topic’ among academics. Professor Lesley Wood, South Africa All development practitioners and students should study this book carefully, as should aid bureaucrats and aid donors. Dr Chad Perry, Australia In this book Ortrun Zuber-Skerritt and Richard Teare invite us to re-think, re-evaluate and re-create our views of learning. Associate Professor Doris Santos, Colombia In this new book, the authors present challenging and original models for encouraging community and social development work. Drawing on a Lifelong Action Learning (LAL) approach, they challenge Western-dominated approaches to learning, encouraging the development of local solutions for local needs. Dr Pip Bruce Ferguson, New Zealand By bringing education to the people, rather than people to education, they create the possibility for real personal, organizational and community learning on-the-ground in developing countries. Dr Ron Passfield, Australia The genius of this book is its simplicity. It provides a sound approach to addressing the holes in our mainstream approaches to education, training, development and in living together in communities, through providing a new understanding of ‘lifelong action learning’ and how to achieve it through proactively cultivating and passing on local knowledge. Dr Frank Thompson, Africa. I believe this book has the potential to transform the century old teaching and learning paradigm that is failing many countries to one that is futures oriented and transformational in nature. This is a book that all educators need to read and to consider within their own learning context. Dr Margaret Fletcher, Australia This book will be useful to international community developers, educators and researchers - especially if they are looking for alternative ways of successfully improving living conditions for disadvantaged and subsistence communities. Associate Professor Wendy Rowe, Canada

This tribute to Ortrun Zuber-Skerritt is a celebratory Festschrift of her learning/research action-packed life. Colleagues around the world reflect on their own learning, research and professional development, with and through Ortrun, in action learning and action research (ALAR). Four Parts identify focus areas in Ortrun's work and interests over the last 40 years. Higher Education is the site for most of Ortrun's work experience since 1974 when she joined Griffith University in Australia. Organisations is a context where Ortrun has actively explored processes of learning, leadership and development in management education. Communities of Practice characterise Ortrun's work throughout her career, particularly through participatory action learning and action research (PALAR) in communities. Futures focusses Ortrun's recent writing advocating for PALAR as a flexible and effective methodology for responding to rapid change. Here we see why Ortrun is a quintessential international scholar. And an ALAR practitioner/advocate. Her world view, understandings of knowledge and personal qualities naturally orient her along this path of inclusive, purposeful action. This is why Ortrun is a vital energy in shaping the evolution of the 'Action' family of scholarship, now including PALAR and LAL (Lifelong Action Learning). No wonder her life and pioneering work are an adventure story - not just of learning and research, but also of passion and action. This tribute opens windows onto that story.

In covering the essentials of action learning, this title returns to the basics and most powerful aspects of the subject. It is not a book of theory, but rather of practice. Application of action learning in a variety of settings is explored, with guides to programme design and how-to information.

Educational theory and practice have long been dominated by the requirements of formal learning. This book seeks to persuade readers through philosophical argument and empirical examples that the balance should shift back towards the informal. The arguments and examples derive from informal learning in diverse situations, such as leisure activities, as a preparation for and as part of work, and as a means of surviving undesirable circumstances like dead-end jobs and incarceration.

Learning and identity development are lifetime processes of becoming. The construction of self, of interest to scholars and practitioners in adult development and adult learning, is an ongoing process, with the self both forming and being formed by lived experience in privileged and oppressive contexts. Intersecting identities and the power dynamics within them shape how learners define themselves and others and how they make meaning of their experiences in the world. The series, I Am What I Become: Constructing Identities as Lifelong Learners, is an insightful and diverse collection of empirical research and narrative essays in identity development, adult development, and adult learning. The purpose of this series is to publish contributions that highlight the intimate and intricate connections between learning and identity. The series aims to assist our readers to understand and nurture adults who are always in the process of becoming. We hope to promote reflection and research at the intersection of identity and adult learning at any point across the adult lifespan. The rich array of qualitative research designs as well as autobiographic and narrative essays transform and expand our understanding of the lived experience of people both like us and unlike us, from the U.S. and beyond. Identity and Lifelong Learning: Becoming through Lived Experience, Volume Two of the series, focuses on identity and learning within informal settings and life experiences. The contributions showcase the many ways that identity development and learning occur within cultural domains, through developmental and identity challenges or transitions in career or role, and in a variety of places from assisted living facilities to makerspaces. These chapters highlight identity and learning across the adult lifespan from millennials and emerging adults to midlife and older adults. The authors examine cultural, relational and social identity exploration and learning in international contexts and within marginalized communities. This volume features phenomenological and ethnographic qualitative studies, autoethnographies, case studies, and narratives that engage the reader in the myriad ways that adult development, learning, and identity connect and influence each other. Praise for: Identity and Lifelong Learning: Becoming Through Lived Experience "We all pay lip service to the importance of lifelong learning, but what is it exactly and how does it come about? The connections between identity and learning are intriguing and complex, especially when it comes to adult learners. In this very thoughtfully organized collection, researchers present qualitative and narrative studies, along with personal narratives, to explore identity development in formal and informal learning environments. Contributions from varied cultural contexts, most with powerful and moving stories to tell, provide insight into how identity, meaning-making, and adult learning and development intersect and influence each other. Psychologists, scholars and educators interested in identity development and meaning-making will find inspiration and fresh understanding in this innovative and enlightening series." Ruthellen Josselson Author of Paths to Fulfillment: Women’s Search for Meaning and Identity "This innovative series on adult development is inspiring and substantive. We hear voices from the margins and stories of courage. We read identity-formation narratives by young adults and experienced professionals who share impressive capacities for transparency, vulnerability, and self-reflection. Many of the narratives are embedded in rigorous qualitative research that highlights diverse ways that identity is shaped through social positionality, lived experience, the quest for individuation, and willingness to encounter life as a dynamic learning process." Jared D. Kass, Lesley University Author, of A Person-Centered Approach to Psychospiritual Maturation: Mentoring Psychological Resilience and Inclusive Community in Higher Education