Life-long learning
As a librarian/instructor, it always makes me feel the most valued when a student departs with skills that they can use in their daily life after leaving college.
What techniques are all of you using to instill a life-long learning momentum or enthusiasm?
Fran
Fran,
I encourage my students to continue to be life long learners through a combination of ideas and examples. First and foremost in many young peoples mind is money and tie that in with the monetary rewards of gaining additional education. Furthermore, I emphasize the idea that education in general and formal degree programs add value to the student and make them more marketable to other potential employers and more valuable to their present organizatiom. Once you have the degree/ education thay can not take it away.
Hi Paul,
I wish you the best as a new instructor. I know you are going to enjoy your role of helping to prepare students to enter into and succeed in their careers.
Through you efforts to keep current in your field you are going to be offering them the latest information based upon your career experiences.
Gary
Being a new instructor I think it will be important to show students how I have always felt a need to continue to learning. To expand my knowledge in my field and become better at what I do. Because with constantly changing technology if you are not willing to learn new things it will be very hard to keep up.
Dear Fran,
Coming from a tech school background I find that keeping up with with trends and changes in technology (trade journals / periodicals) and seeing how and where that impacts the curriculum allows you to adapt and modify to keep thing current and "fresh".
Is this a good approach?
Are there some other things you can suggest?
Hi Carol,
Adult or career mature students have many life experiences from which they can draw when they are in class while the younger students can draw from their recent educational studies. As an instructor the challenge is to blend the two. A good way to do this is to create learning groups where the different segments of the class and work together on projects or case studies. The common sharing that goes on really benefits both groups in developing respect for each other.
Gary
Hi Terry,
Good examples that your students can benefit from. The first point is an excellent one. Sometimes students think that they are the only ones that ever read or study. I don't know how they think you got the knowledge you have. Maybe you were born with it. It came as a result of much effort and it still does. The second point shows them how they can increase their own growth. Keep up the challenges you are giving your students. You will make life long learners from them as a result.
Gary
Two ways that I try to instill a desire for life-long learning:
First, I practice life-long learning both in and out of the class room. When I run into something I do not know I research the subject and I share my findings with my students. My students think I’m smart but I tell them I’m not smart, just curious!
The second way is monetary. Students (and teachers) can get great discounts on software. I tell my students that when they are ready to buy that $$$$ software package it’s time to go back to school. The money they save will pay for a class at a community college. I also tell my students to ask their employer if their company will pay for classes.
Terry
I teach computer classes at our college. While in the classroom, outside in the halls or at my office, I always encourage students to keep a constant strive towards learning in our field. I show them what I am studying outside of class and explain why constant technical updating is required because without life-long learning, you can soon become outdated with knowledge of software and language skills. I will take current job opportunites and show them that if they did not keep their skills up to date, they would soon find that their skills sets are no longer sought for and they can become obsolete.
I also share with my students how much I enjoy the professional development that I do. How it not only helps me keep up to date in my field, but it shows me new and differnt things I can shre with them. It is a model to them that their learning will not just be limited to the course they are currently in, but learning is a lifelong process.
I try to talk about the importance of life long learning in every class. Many students come to school thinking they will learn their trade and spend the rest of their lives doing what we taught them. In truth, their fields will change and they will have to re-learn their trade 3 or 4 times during their careers. I teach computer programming. But what I am really trying to teach them is to learn how to learn a new computer language. This is important because the version of the language I teach them will be obsolete by the time they graduate. So they will have to learn a new version or an entirely new language in their first job. They need to learn how to learn. This is how I approach the critical need to instill life-long learning.
As a Chef instructor, I tell my students that you will always be learning. I have found the minute I think I know everything, then I am not open to the possibilties that are out their to learn. Once I stop learning, I stop growing.
Hi Kathy,
Those kinds of stories and examples are what inspires all of us. This I know really helps our students to see their future if they are willing to put forth the effort no matter what the challenges might be.
Gary
I teach in a vocational school so not a day goes by without my learning something of value from both my co-teachers and my students. I find it wonderfully interesting when my students react to my reactions at learning some new or different method to accomplish something. Does anyone find a difference between how older ( or more mature) students relate to this on going learning as opposed to younger, less experienced students?
I try to instill life long learning by sharing books I enjoy with students. Some students have favorite authors they like to share as well. I like citing examples such as the recent student who received her high school diploma at the age of 73 (through an adult basic education school). It's never to late to work towards your dream job!
Kathy
It's interesting that life-long learning applies to our students as well as ourselves, so I can relate to my students. I try to show them how math (my subject) can be used in their jobs using projects and examples.
Hi Carlos,
Life long learning is essential for instructors. They need to look for content and methods that will help them to stay current and improve their professional delivery.
Gary
lifelong learning is valuable because technology and methods are changing more rapidly. Learning the latest techniques is important.
Hi Alice,
Great philosophy! This is one of the things I love about being a teacher, being able to continually learn new things not only about my field but also about life in general. I wish you much success in helping to develop your students like long learners as they progress through your classes.
Gary
My main attempts to encourage life-long learning in my students consist of several things:
I demonstrate my own enthusiasm for the subject matter... to me math problems provide an endless source of puzzles, and I find real-life math situations are great challenges to be conquered, if necessary, by learning more math.
In English class I demonstrate, teach and encourage using a variety of dictionaries and thesauri to learn more about our language and to better express myself. Through this, then, I show them that they, too, can develop their language and writing skills. I often discover individuals have actually bought and started carrying good pocket dictionaries (even accepting a bit of ribbing from peers in other classes).
Reading class itself provides a multitude of opportunities to demonstrate the value, even the pleasure, of learning more and more. I celebrate with the students the interesting subjects textbook writers use as their tools to help students read better. I encourage them to do further research on whatever topic appeals to them, then we share our research with each other.
I model my enthusiasm for life-long learning by constantly trying to learn new things myself.
