VISION: Fostering Lifelong Learners

Many K-12 school districts across the country include some form of the idea of fostering lifelong learners in their vision statements and many post-secondary institutions mention or at least allude to, providing opportunities to participate in lifelong learning in their mission statements. So to what exactly are they referring? According to Dictionary.com, the formal definition of lifelong learning is “the provision or use of both formal and informal learning opportunities through people’s lives in order to foster the continuous development and improvement of the knowledge and skills needed for employment and personal fulfillment.” Additionally, I agree with Keith Keating’s explanation of a lifelong learner in his article entitled, “The Mindset of a Lifelong Learner” as, “someone who keeps acquiring new skills and capabilities well past their formal education years. It involves not only studying new topics but also developing an open-minded, positive attitude about the dynamic nature of the world. Personal development continues alongside professional development.” Lifelong learning is a mindset!

It is difficult to continue a long-term pursuit of a goal or career without feeling passion or purpose. So often we lose interest, become bored with the mundanity of our everyday lives, but we must press on. In her book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth, Professor of Psychology and former middle school math teacher, cites a 2014 Gallup poll that “more than two-thirds of adults said they were not engaged at work, a good portion of whom were ‘actively disengaged.'” Many people will chalk this up to not following their heart and following a career path for which they had no passion, but unfortunately, most people don’t know where their passions lie before they start their careers. Contrary to what Hollywood would have us believe, generally, people don’t have epiphanies that reveal their passions. Duckworth suggests that “passion for your work is a little bit of discovery, followed by a lot of development, and then a lifetime of deepening.” The process begins with the discovery of interests, but “interests are not discovered through introspection. Instead, interests are triggered by interactions with the outside world.” This is where teachers can play a major role in the lives of their students. It is important to give students an opportunity to explore the world through the various academic disciplines and extra-curricular activities. Duckworth upholds that “interests thrive when there is a crew of encouraging supporters, including parents, teachers, coaches, and peers.” This encouragement provides positive reinforcement as students continue to sample various interests and hone in on the activities that fit them. Enabling this type of exploration and growth in students requires maintaining a supportive environment in the classroom.

So when you look out into the crowded rows of desks and can’t help but notice the blank stares of the students that have lost interest and appear to be disengaged. Be mindful not to respond by wielding shame and negative consequences at the already disenchanted students. Hurling insults, humiliation, and extra assignments only serve to emphasize the power differential between the student and teacher, effectively creating a power struggle and intensifying the shame the student feels. When learning feels volatile and punitive, students lose their vulnerability and resilience. Brené Brown’s idea that learning is inherently vulnerable is illustrated by Keating’s cycle of a lifelong learner, in which he indicates that the cycle requires being “agile and adaptable, you need to learn, do, unlearn – learn, do, rest – learn, do, unlearn – repeat.” The cycle also suggests the need to be resilient; teachers must support their students’ willingness to fail and to change as they investigate their interests and seek their passions.