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How People Learn The system of education since the 1940 s was based around the 11 + examination, which determined whether you obtained a place in a technical, secondary or grammar school for you second level education. This classification alone was seen as a determination of your level of intelligence and some may say, future career path, at the age of eleven. It tended to be mainly those who had attended grammars and a select few from the secondary schools who were encouraged to continue with their learning. So the attitude or public opinion tended to be that your learning finished with your education. But times and attitudes have been changing; it is no longer believed that once you reach a certain age your learning career is over, or that your abilities do not live up to some higher expectation. Today in fact the learning population has grown not only larger but also older.
People are adapting to their work and family life in order to meet their own needs to learn. When we look closely at the traditional views in which society holds and therefore use to classify our intelligence, we can begin to see how people as individuals and society as a whole have been affected and held back in terms of their personal and intellectual development. Jean Piaget has for many years influenced the way in which learning has been seen. Piaget believed that we all as children have distinctive stages of our intellectual development: Each stage must be completely mastered by the child before progression can be made to the next.
So according to Piaget, intelligence and its development depends on both age and stages. There is no leeway given to the aspects of the learning environment. (Richardson 116) Vygotsky took a more social constructivist view when theorizing on intellectual development, believing that learning takes place as an interaction between the individual and the environment. In other words we continually learn from outside influences. Although Vygotsky disagreed with Piaget's theory of development he still restricted individual capabilities by basing his own ideas in a series of stages. (Richardson 129) The concept of life long learning and the realization of the need for it has been developed or evolved alongside our society and the world as a whole. In general people in our society experience greater life changes and opportunities than ever before. Our lives are less work orientated and there is a greater focus on leisure time.
Hobbies and interests all fall into place in life long learning. People are more willing to look at themselves and ask what they really want and then discover ways, which point them in the direction of their goals. The pace of the world has increased; completion in the world markets and the business world calls for staffs who are skilled enough to match the needs of the business. Technologies are updated and transformed at such a rate, that there is a constant need for training course, refresher courses and anything else which the employer may feel will benefit the employees work performance and in so the company. People have the ability to work themselves up the ladder in their jobs. More employers are willing to provide day release schemes and fund courses for their employees in order to establish a more professional workforce.
As the needs which are met by the business world change and raise higher, so must the knowledge and expertise of those who work within it. The pace of change in industry, particularly in relation to technology, and the growing demand for a new set of values and skills, challenges the role of education and training and strengthens the need for access to a continuous learning process throughout life. (Kulik 120) The knowledge explosion we have witnessed since the development of the World Wide Web has open up the opportunity for people to gain knowledge from the comfort of their own homes. Internet cafes are opening up in towns and cities across the country and the world as a whole. The developments in computer technology have the potential to improve the quality and effectiveness of learning. There are a variety of video films, multimedia courseware and live lessons that can be delivered via the computer screen.
Internet learning can provide you with an abundance of information on any topic that you may be interested in finding out more about. You can order books and classes from all over the world, keep up to date with the latest information, advances, research and finding in your particular area of interest. As a local business you can advertise on the web and compete in the global markets for the first time, something never deemed possible before. The capability of the Internet in the progression to life long learning is unlimited, but it needs to be accessed. But the beauty of it is that its completely user friendly, this is what is not known, to those who have never sat before a computer screen, and fear the idea of it.
At present however, computer courses are filling up quicker than ever before, so people are becoming aware of the benefits. Last year the oldest higher education student at the Belfast Institute FHE, was an 84 year old man taking a computers course and moving on to the internet. (Richardson 180) Nothing is impossible, the theme of life long learning confirmed in this case! Life long learning will benefit both the individual and society as a whole. The recent Adult Literacy Survey for Northern Ireland highlighted the great need for a focus on continued learning.
The results of this survey clearly reinforce the importance of promoting a culture of life long learning in Northern Ireland. The survey showed that 26 % of 16 - 65 year olds in Northern Ireland have the lowest level of document literacy and among the unemployed this figure rises to 36 %. Around 40 % of unemployed and 19 % of employed have no qualifications and only 28 % of the population have engaged in formal learning. (Dorough 52) So what does the government see as the benefit of learning for these people? Learning offers excitement and the opportunity for discovery. It stimulates inquiring minds and nourishes our souls.
It takes us in directions we never expected, sometimes changing our lives. Learning helps to create and sustain our culture. It helps all of us to improve our chances of getting a job and of getting on. Learning increases our earning power, helps older people to stay healthy and active, strengthens families and the wider community, and encourages independence. (Davis 162) Learning helps businesses to be more successful by adding value and keeping them up to date.
Learning develops the intellectual capital, which is now at the center of a nations competitive strength. It provides the tools to manage industrial and technological change, and helps generate ideas, research and innovation. Because productivity depends on the workforce, we must invest in everyone. The government sees the learning potential for the communities as: Learning contributes to social cohesion and fosters a sense of belonging, responsibility and identity.
In communities affected by rapid economic change and industrial restructuring, learning builds local capacity to respond to this change. (Richardson 202) Communities groups are rapidly growing and forming. The people of the community are attempting and managing to meet the needs of those within their own area. Through learning programs they are raising the bar on the expectations of the local people; helping them to gain qualifications, encouraging them to take up and interest and getting the local people to work together. The result will be increased self-esteem, social health in the area may and probably will improve and people will begin to take more risks in regard to their future, instead of being resolved to believing they can be no more than they are right now. The involvement of the community is a key part of the implementation and progression to a life long learning culture of the future.
The community has the ability to promote and encourage learning with the aid of residents groups, mother and toddler groups, environmental organizations, youth clubs, self-help programs and local colleges. The community should hold no limitations in its ability to deliver the promise of life long learning. The possibilities and opportunities that will begin to open for individual people and society once the cultural change of learning occurs are unimaginable, no longer should a persons ability and potential be measured and assumed. Learning places this firmly into the hands of the individual and they can reach as far as they wish because now the system will be on their side. Throughout the industrial era, the system has focused upon serving the educational needs of the youth to prepare for a lifetime of work. Today it is clear that the future will involve a lifetime of learning in order to work.
Words count: 1, 475. Bibliography: Davis, D. , & Sorrell, J. (1995, December). Mastery learning in public schools. Paper prepared for PSY 702: Conditions of Learning, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA. Dorough, D. , & Bonner, R. (1996). Incorporating multicultural dialogue.
Science Teacher, 63 (2), 50 - 52. Kulik, J. (1994). An analysis of the research on ability grouping: Historical and contemporary perspectives. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan. Richardson, J. (1999). Life long learning.
New York: Harper Collins.
Free research essays on topics related to: northern ireland, local people, intellectual development, life long, computer screen
Research essay sample on Northern Ireland Life Long
