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LIFELONG EDUCATION:
FORMS AND METHODS
K. Spirov
Introduction. Theoretical substantiation for lifelong education as a relatively new form of acquiring education or qualifications is still to be found. Without engaging in a scientific dispute regarding what lifelong learning is, but basing it on the fact that we are speaking about learning, I believe that it would be logical to look for its theoretical basics in didactics — the science of teaching. The report discusses the components of a didactic system and makes an attempt to propose methods and aids that would best facilitate the management of this type of learning. It should be noted that we are speaking about a system of formal lifelong education which is offered and delivered by educational institutions and organizations. Non-formal forms of lifelong learning are only touched upon in connection with forms of formal legalization and recognition of such education.
I. Formal lifelong education. Formal lifelong education (lifelong learning) implies that learning is managed and provided by training institutions. With the help of the education system a person can acquire a certain profession or qualification, thereby being enabled to start his or her professional career (work). In the course of their work, everyone has to be able to maintain or enhance their qualifications and be retrained in a different profession, if necessary or personally desired. Possible places of learning include a training institution, the place of work or at home. Forms of learning may include corporate courses, distance learning courses, off-job courses, etc. For cases where a person studies non-formally (informally), it is necessary to develop a system of recognition of acquired qualifications or specialities. The same system is necessary for formal lifelong learning. It should be developed using a module-based principle and the process of formal acquisition of an education degree or qualification should be developed and defined very clearly. The European Qualification Frameworks can serve as a model for such a system in any professional field (see Table 1).
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Table 1
Personal and professional competencies
Degree Knowledge Skills Selfreliance and responsibility Learning skills Communication and social skills Profes- sional skills
The model may be kept the same, albeit the number of degrees and qualification levels in different professions does not necessarily have to be eight. Tasks, skills and personal and professional competencies are incremented for each higher degree. The model of European Qualification Frameworks is also a means for recognition of qualifications or specialties in different countries which contributes to workforce mobility. In the social context, a possibility to learn and work wherever you want is a prerequisite for crossing borders for every person.
II. Interactive methods as a prerequisite for efficient lifelong education. Efficiency of learning depends on many factors, one of which is the involvement of learners in learning-related activities. Traditional didactics states that knowledge is something that can be transferred by a teacher to a learner. Consequently, traditional teaching methods are not suitable for lifelong education, because, even if managed formally and delivered by an educational institution, it can be pursued without the direct involvement of a teacher (on-job, at home, etc.). Moreover, lack of verbal communication with a teacher poses issues of motivation, self-organization and selfdirection of learners. The latter should become an integral part of the process of planning, management and delivery of education to render it more efficient. For every person who wants to achieve both spiritual and financial prosperity, lifelong learning should first of all be a conscious need. It is the conscious need for knowledge (information) that is lacking in the traditional education model. This is why it is not suitable for managing lifelong learning. Table 2 shows the basic characteristics of the traditional and interactive education models (Ivanov, 2008).
The traditional education model is based on building knowledge and skills under the guidance of a teacher, whereas the interactive education model is based on the conscious need for knowledge. In this model, the teacher's goal is to teach the learner to search for and retrieve knowledge for solving problems. Moreover, interactive teaching is similar to behavior in the workplace. Each person, regardless of his or her position, has to handle certain problems on a daily basis and uses literature, references books,
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documentation, flowcharts, guidelines and other support aids in order to do so. The credo of interactivity (dialogue) in learning is shaped by the following basic principles: (a) what I hear, I forget completely; (b) what I hear and see, I remember to some degree; (c) what I hear, see and ask or discuss with somebody, I begin to understand; (d) what I hear, see, discuss and do enables me to acquire knowledge and skills; (e) what I teach others makes me proficient. The interactive education model better suits for managing lifelong education, because it is based on identification and solving of problems in an uncertain and dynamic environment — this is the type of environment in which learners work and learn nowadays.
Table 2
Traditional education model Interactive education model
Learning information required for a successful examination The need for knowledge is conscious
Problems are identified and solved in a structured and static environment Problems are identified and solved in an uncertain and dynamic environmen
Knowledge and skills are applied in specific cases and situations Adaptation to information resources. Information becomes a usable resource
Is based on the «learner - teacher» interaction Is based on the «learner - teacher» interaction and teamwork
Teacher makes evaluations and attestations on an individual basis and provides feedback Teacher and learners make individual evaluations and attestations cooperatively and exchange feedback
Ill. Self-guided work as the main form of lifelong education. Self-guided work is a relatively new problem in didactics. It emerged and manifested itself in the late 19th - 20th century when representatives of different schools under the umbrella of so called «Reform Pedagogy» became sharply critical about the class- and subject-based system developed by Jan Komensky and refined by I. Gerbart. Reformer educators believed that the traditional teaching model restricted independence and activity of learners and formed their own pedagogy schools in which a learner and a teacher had equal positions. This is aimed at taking into account the individual characteristics of every learner in the learning process to the greatest extent possible, which contributes to the development of valuable personal qualities, such as self-reliance, activity, initiative and striving for vigorous action. Didactics does not offer a uniform understanding (definition) of this notion. Different points of view can be combined in several dimensions. Self-guided work of learners is viewed as: (a) a kind of activity of learners where they exhibit maximum activity, creativity, initiative and independent thinking; (b) work performed without direct involvement but on the instruction of a teacher within specified timeframes; (c) practice (a series of
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learning practices) which is implemented through specific actions of a teacher and a learner; (d) a means of organization and performance of a certain activity by learners in line with desired goals.
The fact that self-guided work has emerged as an alternative to the class-based system renders it, perhaps, the only form suitable for lifelong learning. Organization of self-guided work in formal forms of lifelong learning requires aids that will replace a teacher in a significant part of the training process. An Individual Learning Plan can become one of these aids. This plan is designed to provide self-organization and self-direction. The proposed structure of an individual plan is functional since it may be regarded from the perspective of a problem (input) and its solution (output). This is critical for self-guided learning because it motivates a learner to tackle a problem. In the traditional training system, the goal is to attend at a certain number of classes (lectures, hands-ons), prepare for and successfully pass an examination. This certainly does not mean that such forms of learning process management will not be present in the system of lifelong learning, but virtual lectures, hands-ons and seminars will serve as a means of achieving a goal and will be used by learners as and when required.
The content of individual elements of an Individual Plan should be universal. The «Learning Goals» section provides a description of the ultimate outcome to be achieved in the context of Bloom's taxonomy (Spirov, 2007). The «Learning Content» section contains tasks to be solved by the learner in order to achieve the goals set. The «Learning Management» section refers to capabilities that the learner can rely on when solving problems and achieving goals. The «Learning Control» section includes evaluation.
IV. Conclusions: (1) The traditional education model with its class-based learning process is not suitable for lifelong learning; (2) the interactive education model can be used for lifelong learning; (3) self-guided work of learners supported by a teacher is the only possible form, method and means of lifelong learning.
References
Иванов Ив. Интерактивни методи на обучение, www.ivanpivanov.com /uploads/.../55_Interaktivni-metodi-za-obuchenie.pdf.2008
Спиров Кр., Аудиовизуални и информационни технологии в обучението, изц. Дидакта Консулт, 2007. София.
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