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CONTINUOUS LEARNING AS A MODEL FOR EUROPEAN EDUCATION:
THE CASE OF SPAIN
B. Pena-Acuna
F. Moreno-Lucas
M. I. Rojas-Marin
We never stop learning. From birth we are constantly learning, every day we see ourselves involved in a series of processes that requires the assimilation and making thousands of new learning that reach us from our social and labor environment. Throughout our lives we need constant training in every way. There are numerous and rapid advances occurring in society, technology makes a product becomes increasingly obsolete in shorter times. Because of new technologies, human beings require prior training to use the services offered, and more and more changes at the level of communication that requires specific user training so he can enjoy. Given these changes, education is increasingly necessary to meet emerging new knowledge, the rise of new disciplines, as new areas of research are progressing, and men need guidance and direction to acquire the necessary programming that allow we still enjoy the resources that provide these new information channels .
It is desirable to encourage of continuing education. From the public authorities, they should create infrastructures and encourage and facilitate continuing education to individuals, where all people have the ease of training throughout life, through different routes, whether formal type, such as formal education, and / or through non-formal education , such as formal and informal training. The purpose is to advocate for continuing education, where human beings can acquire competencies and skills adapted to the characteristics of the society in which they live, an education where the person can expand their knowledge and skills, ultimately, to progress in their personal and professional development.
In this line, Merino (2011) talks about education as "a process that accompanies man throughout his life, and not one or more learning activities confined to teaching and learning school, certain stages of life ( childhood and youth ) or some of the dimensions of the person, which has been the case in the cognitive dimension and acquiring knowledge" (p.1). We cannot unlink education to the evolutionary development of human beings; we cannot confine education to a particular stage of life, but must accompany the human being a contributory way, their improvement and progress as a member of society. Continuing education equals advance, progress, growth, and for this, should be present in the life of human being perennially.
Continuous or lifelong learning is a reality of our society and as Longworth (2003) states " continuous learning has profound implications for all parts of the system, not just a few educational systems in schools and universities, but also to the social, political, economic and cultural systems that we have built in our societies" (p.19). Today, more than ever, education throughout life is necessary
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due to the many changes that occur in our society, so that we must be flexible in our education, always dynamic in academic training, ensuring by a non- formal and informal education that meets our needs as active members of civilization.
Continuing education is a powerful tool that can lead to large changes in society, through continuous learning, man can progress; make a more prosperous life, helping every man can enjoy a social being. Education enhances the acquisition of new challenges, can develop the potential of every man to advance and improve their daily lives, achieving greater personal and social satisfaction. Education throughout life is so important to the advancement and progress of society that Suurla Markkula (1998) claimed that people can discover all its possibilities of action that have through continuous learning. A person will be able to take their full potential through lifelong learning and continuous contact with the teaching / learning.
Unesco, through the Delors report, prepared by an international commission for the education of XXI century, emphasized as one of the main objectives of training people from infancy to old age, emphasizing the importance of non-formal education and informal basis throughout the life of men. Delors (1996), which aims to develop learning throughout life thinks that it is necessary that periodic training is based on four pillars, which are related to each other, in order to have a continuing education, continuing and thriving. These four pillars are: (1) Learning to live together. Learning is necessary based on the acquisition of values such as solidarity, empathy, respect, tolerance. With the ultimate goal that we can live in peace and serenity. (2) Learning to know. Continuing education involves the acquisition by man of the basics that form the basis of our learning throughout life. (3) Learning to do. Education is aimed at acquiring a set of skills, to produce the resources we needed to transform our society into a welfare state. (4) Learning to be. Promoted training where respect for self and others, where fairness and honesty contribute to the establishment of a better world is highlighted.
All continuing education must be planned and with clear and achievable goals, is therefore first necessary teacher training, this being continuous example of lifelong learning through continuing education, as Longworth (2003) notes, "Teachers will become guiding learning, versed in all aspects of educational approaches, including the use of learning technologies, the development of learning skills and knowledge of the tools and techniques of continuous learning" (p.50-51). Hirtz (2009) reaffirms all mentioned in previous lines, when he considers that "education is the indispensable foundation of our personal training. Now from small starts to go the long way of teaching, the path that opens many doors and has a particular purpose “(p.1).
If the education of children it is considered essential from the earliest years, and from the political states regulated education systems compulsory are configured, we cannot let that education remain crippled and stalled once such education is complete, but should offer education that can adapt to the features that people are taking over life. So it is need promoting lifelong learning, where there is a close relationship and compromise between political, social, employment and education, fundamental and indispensable for education according to the
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pursued from the European Higher Education area. In this sense, an example of continuing education is adult education, as a way to encourage and promote continuous learning throughout life. As Garcia and Martin (2007) point out, this education is key to personal, social, cultural and economic development of a society and political authorities must ensure and promote continuing education programs to children, adolescents, the elderly, workers active, unemployed, people at social risk, etc. Bustamante (2010) corroborates the above when talking about possible solutions to promote continuing education, "a new model of education and training, a model of lifelong learning (lifelong) that encompasses formal learning (schools is required, training institutions, universities), non-formal learning (structured on the job site training) and informal learning (skills learned from family members or people in the community). All this issues will allow people to access learning opportunities as they need, rather than having them only when you have reached a certain age.” (p.35) The participation of society, the education system and public authorities, are essential to the carrying out policies of lifelong learning, where each of them has a responsibility to provide the best of their knowledge and experience in interests of global learning.
Lifelong learning is a new way of life, where we move forward and progress in skills and cognitive and social skills. Formal education is not the exclusive formation of the person, but continuing education is aimed at the person as a social being who needs constant feedback throughout life. Education throughout life contributes to human development will complement as a member of society, thereby contributing to the progress and consolidation of social welfare. With education throughout life, we are also expanding the field of teaching, not limited to only teaching duties attributed to certificated staff through formal education. Anyone with experience, knowledge and skills gained through the fruits of their work over time, turns out to be a potential teacher who can convey a type of instruction that can truly help the individual to personal fulfillment, always with appropriate modifications and preparations methodological and educational level. But what is clear is that it extends to superlative levels, the sources that you can use for teaching in this area.
Continuing education is structured in different ways, and when speaking of continuing education are referring to the formation of groups such as adults, young people, people at social risk, older people, social groups to groups and associations with common interests and themes, people who share interests , leisure , sport, culture etc. The final recipient of education throughout life, is the human being, whatever their condition, race or religion, and that education has no beginning or end, but is an ongoing process, which can be used interchangeably in time and space. What matters is the end goal we want to achieve with the teaching that we want to convey. Every day we acquire new cognitive processes, new learning consciously or unconsciously learn from a coworker, friend, neighbor, etc.; so continuing education is always on the agenda.
We want to explain the educational Bologna's model and the university Spanish system case Lifelong learning also takes place within a legislative framework is the Bologna agreement in countries that are now part of the
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European Union. There are some features that make it different as an Education plan. We'll see which of these features are suitable especially for continuing education, and specifically applying to the Spanish case nowadays.
One is the commitment to prepare students for Europeans to compete with American students that learn in competitive universities and thus keep up financially, so it is an educational system that wants to emulate the Anglo-Saxon paradigm in some of its features. A second factor is the commitment to the English language, on the other hand, English is even more economically favored, and thus also imposes further its cultural hegemony. Another third key factor is the emergence of new technologies in the 80s and its popular usage, particularly in a field that interests us emphasize: the labor and education. A fourth factor is the prominence acquired by the students in their own learning and the importance that is given to investigate from the previous Spanish educational model where students are passive to the teachings of the teacher who uses the resource preferably of "masterclass" and learn what the teacher will discover, without initiative and without researching by their own.
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