Lifelong Learning

Objective

Lifelong learning is essential for creating a fulfilling career and life. I have been a student since I was 4 years old, and although school is not my favourite, I thrive off of learning new things.

"Learning is really just a growth in awareness. The transition from not knowing to knowing ... One can't ever really, truly understand something any more than a shrub can stay trimmed. There's always growth or decay, changing contexts or conditions." – Terry Heick

The different ways that people learn may be through their learning style - auditory, visual, or kinesthetic. That is, they learn best by listening, watching, or by actively doing and most typically learn best with a combination of learning styles. Being a lifelong learner requires self-directed learning, or when the individual takes the initiative and the responsibility for their own learning activities and have a solid understanding of their personal learning style. Lifelong learning encourages us to lead a life of continuous improvement, which benefits the individual as well as society.

Reflective

As an educator I realized how important it is to motivate and encourage self-learning. It is my responsibility to build and maintain a fire within my students to be passionate about the subjects I am teaching. I need to teach my students how to learn on their own and follow their own life passions to be lifelong learners.

Interpretive

When I first read this quote it made me happy because I was focused on the aspect of lifelong learning and the positive emotions I have associated with that term. As I re-read it a few times, I began to realize more of a warning message directed at educators to beware of the way we teach our students, and how important our roll is in promoting lifelong learning. Educators could potentially make a learning situation miserable for a student, but as an educator I want to aim to have every student leave every single one of my classes feeling positive about something new they have learned. If someone leaves one of my classes having not learned a single thing or feeling less than excited about the topic, then as an instructor I have failed. The last thing I want is to have someone feel as if I have wasted his or her time. I know there will be students in my future that may completely resist learning, but I sincerely hope that doesn’t happen without my greatest attempt to inspire them.

Decisional

This quote has inspired me as a learner, as a citizen, and most importantly as an educator. I am excited to have the privilege as an educator to instill and promote self directed learning in students so that they can become lifelong learners to benefit society as a whole.

Some ways that I can motivate my students to be lifelong learners is to play off both of their intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, such as finding commonalities in subject matter to find personal meaning and value in the learning material, and provide plenty of opportunities for students to be rewarded with marks for participation or simple assignments that will encourage them to remain engaged in the subject matter. The atmosphere of the learning environment must stay positive, open, and creative to allow for critical thinking and problem solving. Every individual must feel that they are valued members of the learning community in order to create a positive synergizing environment. Most importantly, I must lead by example and be a role model for my students in order to promote the benefits of lifelong learning.

Czes, C. (2011, June 10). 7 Ways to Spread Your Passion. Retrieved from http://tribe.betterbasketball.com/motivation/7-ways-to-spread-your-passion/

Heick, T. (2013, December 13). 6 Ways to Honor the Learning Process in Your Classroom. Retrieved July 15, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/6-ways-honor-learning-process-terry-heick

Kirk, K. (n.d.). Motivating Students. Retrieved from http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/affective/motivation.html

Types of Learning Styles Types of Learning Styles: The Three Main Types - See more at: Http://www.learningrx.com/types-of-learning-styles-faq.htm#sthash.YNdkR7b3.dpuf. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2015, from http://www.learningrx.com/types-of-learning-styles-faq.htm

WHAT IS SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING? (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2015, from http://www.selfdirectedlearning.com/