FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

JANUARY 2018

OUMH1203

ENGLISH FOR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

NO. MATRIKULASI : 870506385163002

NO. KAD PENGNEALAN : 870506385163

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E-MEL : mdfazlan1986@gmail.com

PUSAT PEMBELAJARAN : GREENHILL LEARNING CENTRE

CONTENTS

NO. CONTENTS ` PAGE

1.0 INTRODUCTION 2

2.0 THE IMPORTANCE OF LIFELONG LEARNING. 3

3.0 THE DIFFERENT WAYS OF ENGAGING IN LIFELONG

LEARNING. 5
4.0 WHAT SCHOOLS SHOULD DO TO PREPARE
YOUNG LEARNERS TO BE LIFELONG LEARNERS. 8
5.0 WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES YOU HAVE FACED
WHEN ENGAGING IN LIFELONG LEARNING? 11
6.0 CONCLUSION 12
7.0 REFERENCES 13

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

Lifelong learning is 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.

Evolved from the term "life-long learners", created by Leslie Watkins and used by Professor
Clint Taylor (CSULA) and Superintendent for the Temple City Unified School District's
mission statement in 1993, the term recognizes that learning is not confined to childhood or the
classroom but takes place throughout life and in a range of situations. Allen Tough(1979),
Canadian educator and researcher, asserts that almost 70% of learning projects are self-planned.

During the last fifty years, constant scientific and technological innovation and change
has had profound effects on how learning is understood. Learning can no longer be divided
into a place and time to acquire knowledge (school) and a place and time to apply the
knowledge acquired (the workplace). Instead, learning can be seen as something that takes
place on an ongoing basis from our daily interactions with others and with the world around
us. It can create and shapeshift into the form of formal learning or informal learning, or self-
directed learning.

In this task, Lifelong Learning will be explaining thoroughly including the important
of lifelong learning, the different way to engaged lifelong learning, what school should do to
prepare young learners to be lifelong learners and what are the challenges you have faced when
engaging in lifelong learning? The explanations will be included the supported evidence from
a review of current and related literature.

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2.0 THE IMPORTANCE OF LIFELONG LEARNING.

Lifelong Learning refers to the voluntary decision to enrol in educational courses or to

study a topic on one's volition. While the term may seem to apply especially to those who have
already earned a college degree or entered the workforce, lifelong learning is vital
for everybody, no matter the age or level of education.

The courses and activities taken on by the lifelong learner may culminate in some kind
of certificate, license or even a degree, but this is not necessarily the ultimate objective. With
lifelong learning, the goals may not be so clear-cut. Lifelong learners tend to keep themselves
motivated with the desire for more knowledge and self-improvement, or there may be career
aspirations in mind.

However, the most important aspect to lifelong learning may be its beneficial effect on
general wellness.

Lifelong Learning for Lifelong Benefits

A lifetime of learning can keep both the body and mind in shape. Research has
suggested that continued cognitive activity has a positive effect on brain cells and helps
promote mental sharpness, especially for senior citizens.

Physically, lifelong learning can entail taking exercise or dance classes, learning how
to swim or even picking up a new sport. It includes learning ways to stay active that are
enjoyable for you--good news if you can't stand the treadmill!

In any case, taking up a class or hobby can be a social activity as well as an educational
one. You can make friends with similar interests and get involved with the communities you
care about, curbing loneliness and stress. Your avocation may bring opportunities for travel,
giving you a chance to see more of the world, to experience life in another culture and to gain
perspective on your own.

Lifelong learning means exploring the things that make you tick, expanding your
horizons and becoming an active participant in your personal and professional life.

Personal Learning

Maybe you've taken up an interest in photography, carpentry or archaeology? Was it

your childhood dream to learn how to figure skate or fly a plane (or both)? Perhaps you always

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wanted to learn a different language--or even a computer language--but during college, you
just couldn't stomach the idea of 6:00 AM Japanese?

Lifelong learning enriches your life with the things that spark your curiosity, simply
because you want to know how, what or why. The subject may be personally significant (e.g.,
learning about genealogy to trace your family roots), but you do not need to be enrolled in a
formal degree program to develop your own interests.

Professional Learning

Lifelong learning can also fortify and round out the skills you need to excel in the
working world. For example, current technical skills, such the ones you can develop with
Study.com's complete, self-paced courses in Java Programming, Microsoft Excel or Microsoft
Powerpoint, are always in demand.

Depending on the nature of your work, your place of employment may provide (or
inform you about) relevant courses, expositions, seminars or even travel opportunities designed
to help you perform better, network and advance in your field. Such opportunities are usually
strictly optional, but taking advantage of them may give you a professional edge.

If you are unemployed (or underemployed), learning something new can improve your
resume, as well as your chances of moving towards a more desired or better paying position.
Likewise, if you are having trouble discovering what kind of career you want and you don't
know where to begin, why not explore How to Find a Career Path with Study.com? In five
chapters, you'll learn about career paths, how to set goals and how your education or field of
interest--traditional or not--can help you find the path that's right for you.

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3.0 THE DIFFERENT WAYS OF ENGAGING IN LIFELONG LEARNING.
Lifelong learning preserves an individual’s desire to obtain new knowledge outside of
the formal education system. Developing an attitude where you constantly learn is the only
way to succeed in the dynamic environment which we live in today. There is so much
technology at your fingertips which you can take advantage of to help you learn throughout
your life. This means you can follow your passion for languages, improve your craft skills and
even develop a mobile app using resources you can find online.

There are countless ways you can follow your goal of becoming an eternal
learner. There are:

1. Read widely and often

Buy newspapers, search for things online you want to know more about, ask your
friends for books they foundhelpful; above all else, be curious. If you want to find
research on a topic, use Google Scholar to find academic research. Delve into a topic
and don’t stop until you have exhausted it!

2. Keep smart company

Reach out to contacts that you admire. Get talking to some influencers on Twitter and
organise to meet up to explore some ideas and learning topics. Make sure to keep in
touch with people you have come into contact with who have inspired you to learn on
your journey.

3. Teach others

You don’t need to join the teaching profession to help people learn. Teaching others
what you know will also help ensure that you really understand something; it’s a real
test of your knowledge.

4. Keep a list of things you want to explore

This is a good way to help you get started. Before you jump right into an area, spend
some time researching topics and keeping notes. Once you have developed a list then
you can decide what the best option to follow for you is.

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5. Start your own project

If you’re a teacher, encourage students to plan out their own projects starting with goals
and objectives. This will help them to cultivate an idea of how they would be able
to follow this process in the future which could be applied to various scenarios.

6. Use a personal learning environment

Understanding how to learn is an invaluable skill. Using personal learning

environments such as GoConqr.com can help you adopt proven learning
techniques which students can use throughout their journey to discovering new
knowledge.

7. Experiment with new ways to learn

Trying a variety of ways to learn will help you to find the way that sticks. Drawing
diagrams, watching documentaries, creating mind maps and using music to study are
some alternative ways students can approach learning.

8. Join a study group

Find virtual study groups online where you can collaborate and learn from people with
varying experiences. Take insight on board from a variety of sources and apply it to
your own knowledge search.

9. Find a job that encourages learning and collaboration

Most professional roles include some degree of learning whether it’s on the job training,
workshops or other educational encouragement. Pursuing a career in an evolving area
will ensure that you are constantly learning and developing your skillset.

10. Make it a priority!

Don’t just keep saying ‘one day’. Make today that day. Whether you’re a teacher,
student, professional or other – make learning a priority in your life. If you wait for it
to find you, you will limit the amount of information you know plus your ability to
attain this knowledge over the long-term.

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 It may even help to understand the characteristics of a lifelong learning, including
curiosity, skepticism, creativity, initiative, perseverance, and “perfectionism,” among other
habits. Still curious? Take this quick test to see if you have these qualities.

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4.0 WHAT SCHOOLS SHOULD DO TO PREPARE YOUNG LEARNERS TO BE
LIFELONG LEARNERS.
Lifelong learner also started fom school. Teachers are the closes person to encourage
pupils to be a liflong learner. Those are the way school should do to encourage pupils to become
a lifelong learner.

1. Encourage Curiosity at All Ages

Babies explore by crawling, putting things in their mouth and knocking things
over. Young kids learn by asking questions and taking things apart. Older kids
continue to hone their knowledge as they develop a passion (or sometimes an obsession)
for a topic or theme. Nurture their curiosity no matter what age! Allow them to explore,
ask questions, read and test out theories.

2. Promote Problem-solving

Kids receive so many step-by-step directions in life that it’s important to give them
opportunities and questions that will challenge their mind. Try to let them decide which
strategy they will use to solve everyday problems. Give them choices instead of
directions. For example, allow your child to choose what they wear instead of laying
out their clothes. And if they want to accompany you to the grocery store as a cowboy,
great!

3. Encourage Creativity

One of the earliest ways young children display their creativity is in how they approach
art. Allow them to color the sky green or draw a short giraffe. This just shows that
they are using their imagination and thinking outside of the box. Also, offering kids
open-ended toys such as blocks, science kits, art supplies and items for pretend play
will enhance their creative skills.

4. Teach Resourcefulness

Kids need to know that we don’t have all the answers but that we can help them find
ways to answer their questions. Do they want to know the location of a country? Pull
out a map or atlas. Are they curious about a specific animal? Visit a zoo or find a DVD
that highlights the animal and its habits. And connect them with people – teachers,

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 librarians, family members. If you have a child who is interested in becoming a nurse
or doctor, encourage them to ask questions at their next check-up.

5. Show Them That Learning Happens Every Day

Let your kids know that learning doesn’t just happen when they are at school. Show
them how they learn every day. Point out that they are learning new skills as they grow
up, such as tying their shoes or taking care of the family pet. And show them that adults
continue to learn by highlighting some of the new things you’re discovering – cooking
a new recipe, using a digital camera or mastering a new hobby.

6. Introduce Kids to New Places & New Experiences

It’s important to take children to new places and encourage them to try new
experiences. It helps them to relate what they’ve already learned with the
unknown. Take sports as an example: a child that only plays soccer will not understand
that different sports have different rules. And if you only see animals during a visit to
the zoo, you might not realize that many animals roam free in nature.

7. Feed Their Passions

Got a child who’s crazy about something – rocks, dinosaurs, seashells? Encourage
them to collect and learn about it! Connect books with their passion, try to take them
to a place where they can observe more about their interest and learn along with
them. When my son was 4, he was obsessed with the giant squid! We found some
great kids’ science books, watched a few wonderful nature programs about ocean
animals and even found a replica of a life-size giant squid while we were on vacation.

8. Be Ready for Questions

Lots of them! Why is it important to encourage questions? It expands a child’s

knowledge, keeps their mind active and shows them there’s always more than one way
to look at something. Don’t be afraid to discuss questions that may not have a clear
answer – “How deep is the ocean?” or “Why do some people have lots of food while
others are starving?” These are the questions that help kids form opinions, create
solutions to problems and understand more about what we do know and what we have
yet to learn.

9. Help Kids Expand Their Vocabulary

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Many times, children will learn something new without knowing the terminology or
words. Be sure to share some new vocabulary as they are exploring new places and
ideas! If it’s your first visit to a museum, introduce words like ‘sculpture’ and ‘artist’,
and explain what they mean as you browse the exhibits. On a visit to the zoo, ask them
what the animals are doing and share new words to describe their behavior. Encourage
older kids to read the news and introduce them to different genres of books to further
advance their vocabulary.

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5.0 WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES YOU HAVE FACED WHEN ENGAGING
IN LIFELONG LEARNING?
There are several challenges to face when engaging in lifelong learner. Those are the
challenges we need to face:
1. Socio-Economic
In most cases, inadequacies in provision are linked to other inequalities in the society
such as urban/rural disparities, as well as inequalities arising from discrimination on
grounds such as gender, race and disability. Barriers result not only from the inadequacy
of provision, but also from policies and practices which are designed to perpetuate these
inequalities.
2. Lack of Access to Basic Services
One of the most significant barriers to learning remains the inability of learners to
access the educational provision that does exist and their inability to access other
services which contribute to the learning process. In most instances the inability to
access education provision results from inadequate or non-existent services and
facilities which are key to participation in the learning process.
3. The trap of habits
Learning a new skill can take months, if not years. It requires considerable energy,
especially when the new behaviour runs counter to deeply ingrained habits. Coupled
with insufficient effort to remember the new knowledge well enough, and insufficient
persistence in devoting enough attention to substitute existing habits with new
behaviours, many executives find themselves trapped in the status quo.

4 Attitudes

Negative and harmful attitudes towards difference in our society remain a critical
barrier to learning and development. Discriminatory attitudes resulting from prejudice
against people on the basis of race, class, gender, culture, disability, religion, ability,
sexual preference and other characteristics manifest themselves as barriers to learning
when such attitudes are directed towards learners in the education system.

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6.0 CONCLUSION
In conclusion, it is to be appreciating that lifelong learning's core values of learning,
exploring, and serving, coupled with benefits for the mind; body and spirit make it an incredibly
powerful tool for personal transformation and enhancement.
But, there are drivers and barriers which increase or decrease motivation to engage in
lifelong learning process, and provides some insights into the challenges of embedding lifelong
learning in higher education. The most important key drivers underlying the adoption of
lifelong learning are the need to up skill the population to meet the challenge of the information
and knowledge society and the need for accessible and flexible access to education. As
concerning the significant barriers to implement the lifelong learning strategies at higher
educational level it may be noticed: academic staff non-acceptance and non-engagement in this
process and lack of funds.
The successful implementation of lifelong learning strategies at higher educational
institutions level requires not only adoption by enthusiastic innovators but also institutional
structures in order to support the sustainability and mainstreaming of lifelong learning
initiatives.
(2756 words)

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7.0 REFERENCES

Aspin, D. N. & Chapman, J. D. (2000). Lifelong learning: concepts and conceptions.

International Journal of Lifelong Education, 19 (1), 2-19.
Aspin, D. N. & Chapman, J. D. (2007). Lifelong learning: concepts and conceptions. In Aspin
D. (Ed.), Philosophical Perspectives on Lifelong Learning (Chapter 1, pp.19-38).
Netherland: Springer Publishing.
Cross, K. P. (1981). Adults as Learners: Increasing Participation and Facilitating Learning
(1st ed.). San Francisco, USA, Jossey-Bass publishing.

Eggelmeyer, S. (2010, Nov. 11). What are the benefits of lifelong learning? Expert Answer.
Retrieved 2018 March 1st, from: http://continuingeducation.yoexpert.com/lifelong-
learning/what-are-the-benefits-of-lifelong-learning-445.html.

Gelpi , E. (1984). Lifelong Education: opportunities and obstacles. International Journal of

Lifelong Education, 3 (2), 79- 87.

Green, A. (2002). The many faces of lifelong learning: recent education policy trends in Europe.
Journal of Education Policy, 17 (6), 611-626.

Maxted, P. (1999). Understanding Barriers to Learning, a guide to research and current

thinking. London, UK, Campaign for learning publishing.
Ministry of Education (2006, June 19). Towards a Learning Society -- Part One. Taiwan;
Republic of China, Retrieved 2018 February 25th, from:
http://english.moe.gov.tw/content.asp?CuItem=747.

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