tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/lifelong-learning-12315/articlesLifelong learning – The Conversation2024-03-07T08:44:06Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2232342024-03-07T08:44:06Z2024-03-07T08:44:06ZSouth Africa: women play a key role in early childhood learning and care – but they need help accessing university<p>In South Africa, the <a href="https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/201610/national-integrated-ecd-policy-web-version-final-01-08-2016a.pdf">early childhood development sector</a> is <a href="https://womensreport.africa/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/WomensReport_2021.pdf">dominated by women</a> who build creches from the ground up. These women offer services to communities that go far beyond childcare. They teach, feed and nurture children and keep them safe. They also build sustainable businesses and provide employment opportunities to members of their communities.</p>
<p>Previously managed under the Department of Social Development and currently under the Department of Basic Education, the early childhood development sector runs on an entrepreneurship model. Some individuals in the sector opt to set up and run childcare businesses; there are also many not-for-profit early childhood development centres. It’s a model that lends itself to informal sector economic practices.</p>
<p>Like most women in the informal sector in developing countries, these early childhood development practitioners work long hours for very little money. This reality echoes the findings of <a href="https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/115591468211805723/pdf/825200WP0Women00Box379865B00PUBLIC0.pdf">a World Bank report</a> which showed that women who trade in any part of the informal sector in African countries are prone to economic exploitation.</p>
<p>Most of the women who run these facilities have certificates and diplomas from vocational colleges. But they are unable to get accepted at universities so they cannot pursue degrees. This limits their earning ability and their ability to formalise their businesses.</p>
<p>Having taught in vocational colleges, I set out to better understand the obstacles faced by women early childhood development practitioners who wanted to further their studies by going to university. I <a href="https://journals.co.za/doi/full/10.14426/jovacet.v6i1.317">conducted research</a> for my doctoral studies on practitioners and their learning journeys, as well as a focus on what’s known as recognition of prior learning. </p>
<p>This concept assumes that people learn through experience; it then provides access to qualifications based on that experience. In some cases, people can also gain university credits through recognition of prior learning. This can then be used towards the completion of a higher education qualification.</p>
<p>I interviewed 11 women, aged between 33 and 46, based in Cape Town. </p>
<p><a href="https://journals.co.za/doi/full/10.14426/jovacet.v6i1.317">My findings</a> suggest two potential changes to the existing system. One, there should be a standard policy across all South African universities related to recognition of prior learning as a criterion for entrance. And two, universities should accept women early childhood development practitioners who have successfully completed early childhood development qualifications at vocational colleges. </p>
<p>The benefits would be twofold. It would benefit the women, who could build better lives for themselves and their families. And it would benefit <a href="https://theelders.org/news/empowered-women-create-empowered-societies">society</a>. <a href="https://www.unicef.org/early-childhood-development">Research has shown</a> that early childhood development is critical to children’s lives.</p>
<h2>Women’s own stories</h2>
<p>All the women in my study held early childhood development qualifications from technical and vocational education and training colleges. These qualifications train women to work in centres with babies and children between the ages of 0 and 9. They completed their qualifications while working as teachers, principals and owners of early childhood development centres. </p>
<p>The women wanted to further their education by going to university and continue training as teachers and find better employment. They applied at different universities but were rejected, primarily because their matric results – the final secondary school exam – had not qualified them for university entrance and partly because of their ages.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/radical-adjustments-needed-if-universities-are-to-make-it-easier-for-people-to-study-while-working-45531">Radical adjustments needed if universities are to make it easier for people to study while working</a>
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<p>In some cases they were unsuccessful because universities didn’t recognise their existing vocational college early childhood development qualifications. </p>
<p>The only route of access was therefore through recognition of prior learning. However, this programme is not offered at all higher education institutions for access into the faculty of education. </p>
<p>Jenna (not her real name) found out from a friend about one university’s recognition of prior learning programme. The application process was arduous and costly – Jenna paid R2,750 (about US$145) overall. She submitted her work history, certificates, a motivational letter, and letters of support from the principal of the early childhood development centre where she worked and from a mentor. She also submitted lesson plans and a portfolio reflecting her teaching philosophy. </p>
<p>Her application was successful. However, at the close of my study, because of ineffective administration from the university’s side, Jenna had not yet entered into the first year of her degree programme.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.saqa.org.za/">South African Qualifications Authority</a> allows only 10% of entrants into any undergraduate and postgraduate university programme via recognition of prior learning. Some of my participants also applied at a different university, located in the Western Cape, where Cape Town is, for this alternative route. They were advised that, even if they successfully completed the recognition of prior learning process, there was no guarantee they’d be accepted into their desired programme, because of the 10% rule. </p>
<p>In my study, different institutions managed recognition of prior learning very differently, which caused a lot of confusion for my participants – and, by extension, the many people hoping to access it. Some institutions do not consider recognition of prior learning at all. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/economies-grow-when-early-childhood-development-is-a-priority-69660">Economies grow when early childhood development is a priority</a>
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<h2>Answers</h2>
<p>I argue for a number of steps to be taken.</p>
<p>Firstly, universities should provide access to early childhood development teachers who have successfully completed vocational qualifications. They can do this by recognising these qualifications.</p>
<p>Secondly, universities should recognise prior learning and standardise recognition of prior learning processes in their access criteria. </p>
<p>Thirdly, they should make the process more affordable and easier to navigate. </p>
<p>This would help early childhood development teachers to keep learning, no matter their age. And that would be good for South Africa more broadly: when women learn, children and communities learn and grow as well.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223234/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kaylianne Aploon-Zokufa receives funding from The European Union (EU) Department of Higher Education and Training’s Teaching and Learning Development Capacity Improvement Programme (TLDCIP).</span></em></p>There should be a standard policy across all South African universities related to recognition of prior learning as a criterion for entrance.Kaylianne Aploon-Zokufa, Lecturer, University of the Western CapeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2172592024-03-05T14:00:43Z2024-03-05T14:00:43ZHow age-friendly universities can improve the second half of life<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578357/original/file-20240227-22-jb0bay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=38%2C23%2C5137%2C3422&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Opportunities to learn alongside people of different ages can benefit the entire community.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/group-of-mature-students-collaborating-on-project-royalty-free-image/511846363?phrase=older+college+students&adppopup=true">monkeybusinessimages via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>By 2030, more than 1.4 billion people across the globe will be at least 60 years old. This number will shoot up to <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health">2.1 billion by 2050</a>. At this point, there will be more people age 60 or older <a href="https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/documents/decade-of-health-ageing/decade-ageing-proposal-en.pdf">than people between 10 and 24</a>. </p>
<p>These dramatic demographic shifts prompted the United Nations and World Health Organization to declare the 2020s the <a href="https://www.who.int/initiatives/decade-of-healthy-ageing">decade of healthy aging</a>. </p>
<p>The creation of a more age-friendly world includes basic things like improving health care access. But one critical component is often overlooked: taking college courses in your 50s, 60s or beyond. These opportunities to learn later in life have been associated with a host of positive health outcomes. These include <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/26883597.2020.1794757">being less socially isolated</a> and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/aging/want-keep-your-brain-sharp-old-age-go-back-school-n1030326">staying sharp mentally</a>.</p>
<p>Many older adults know as much. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/TrendGenerator/app/trend-table/2/8?trending=column&rid=89">more than 550,000 U.S. adults 50 and older</a> were enrolled in college undergraduate and graduate programs in 2021. Their reasons for going back to school range from <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/older-adults-are-heading-to-college-in-pursuit-of-new-opportunities">learning new skills</a> to wanting to get ahead in their careers to achieving long-held goals.</p>
<p>Institutions of higher education play a unique role in shaping an aging world. In 2012, a group of interdisciplinary scholars met to establish the <a href="https://www.afugn.org/principles">10 principles of an age-friendly university</a>. These include things such as career development for older adults pursuing second careers, increased access to health and wellness programs at universities and opportunities to learn alongside younger students. </p>
<p>In 2014, these efforts expanded to become the <a href="https://www.afugn.org/">Age-Friendly University Global Network</a>, a collective of more than 120 colleges and universities across the world. These institutions promote positive and healthy aging through innovative educational programs, research agendas, civic engagement opportunities and more. </p>
<h2>What are age-friendly universities?</h2>
<p>An age-friendly university is one that commits to including and supporting learners of all ages. What this means may vary from university to university. Some focus on increasing the presence of older adults – considered age 55 and older – on campus. Others lead the development of health and research initiatives to improve the lives of older adults. </p>
<p>At Mississippi State University, where one of us works, the focus on learners at all stages of life is growing. The new <a href="https://www.cpcs.msstate.edu/">College of Professional and Continuing Studies</a> develops and supports both credit and noncredit programs for nontraditional students.</p>
<p>We are also working with the city of Starkville, Mississippi, where one of us is located, to ensure it is an attractive destination for retirees. And we offer extension programs across the state that are of interest to many older adults, such as the <a href="https://extension.msstate.edu/community/leadership/master-gardener">master gardener program</a>, which involves 40 hours of educational training in consumer horticulture.</p>
<p>Other schools, such as the <a href="https://www.sarasotamanatee.usf.edu/news/2023/usf-receives-international-designation-as-age-friendly.aspx">University of South Florida</a>, emphasize the importance of engaging older adults in research. This includes conducting research at their <a href="https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/aging-studies/eol-center/index.aspx">Center for Hospice, Palliative Care and End-of-Life Studies</a>. The center works to ensure better quality of life for older adults in the future. Similarly, the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging at UMass Boston works with communities throughout the commonwealth to research what older adults need and <a href="https://www.umb.edu/demographyofaging/communities/archive/">how the community can provide for them</a>.</p>
<p>All of these examples are from universities that are part of the Age-Friendly University Global Network. But this designation just builds on what many universities have long been doing. For example, the <a href="https://www.osherfoundation.org/olli.html">Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes</a> have helped universities design programs to reach older adults for decades. These include offerings such as <a href="https://olli.fullerton.edu/classes/the_arts/Linedancing.php">dance classes</a>, <a href="https://www.depts.ttu.edu/olli/catalog/2022S1/0330EuropeanCheeseWestTexasWine.php">wine tastings</a> and <a href="https://web.uri.edu/olli/programs/travel/">educational trips</a>. </p>
<h2>How age-friendly universities improve life for older students</h2>
<p>Whether older adults go to college to earn academic credits toward a degree or just for personal development, their presence on campus <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-016-9371-x">benefits the entire community</a>. </p>
<p>Older adults benefit from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2020.1819905">social opportunities, intellectual stimulation and personal growth</a>. This even extends to their health. Older adults involved in social activities are <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/healthy-aging/participating-activities-you-enjoy-you-age">less likely to develop certain diseases</a>, including heart disease and some cancers. Continued learning is also associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370802408332">positive health outcomes</a>, such as improved general well-being and mental health. </p>
<p>Research also shows that intergenerational relationships on campus can reduce younger students’ <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2019.1638257">negative perceptions of older adults</a>. Young students may associate older people less with physical decline and death and more with smiling and learning, for example. Shared classes promote more positive experiences between them, including deep and meaningful conversations.</p>
<p>The best programs at age-friendly universities make sure that older adults experience a greater sense of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2020.1726744">inclusivity, respect and opportunities for learning</a>. At some universities, older adults can also find friendship in university-based retirement communities and shortened courses that meet their needs for flexibility. And at these institutions, professors are committed to integrating older adults in their college classrooms.</p>
<p>While older adults can engage in learning opportunities at almost any school, universities with the age-friendly designation may be their best bet when it comes to inclusion.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217259/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>As the share of adults age 60 and older grows globally, age-friendly universities offer social connection, continued learning and better health.David R. Buys, Associate Professor of Health, Mississippi State UniversityAaron Guest, Assistant Professor of Aging, Arizona State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2094222023-07-17T15:06:46Z2023-07-17T15:06:46ZWhat does it mean to be ‘educated’? In Uganda it’s not just schooling that counts<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537064/original/file-20230712-25-lfnlkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The experience of schooling matters as much as the practices it teaches.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Richard Juilliart/Shutterstock (Editorial use only)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>How do you gauge whether someone is educated or not? In many parts of the world, the answer relates to the level of formal qualifications they achieve when they are young – do they have a university degree? In what subject and from what institution?</p>
<p>This appeals to the sense that education is something earned and to the belief that schools and universities have the authority to say who is (and who is not) educated. It’s also how economists and social scientists define someone’s education level and link that to what their health and social outcomes might be later in life.</p>
<p>However, as journalist Vanessa Friedman <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/17/style/george-santos-style.html">has written</a> in the New York Times, educational status can change because of the clothes you wear. She uses two examples – a jacket worn by the fictional protagonist of the 1999 film <a href="https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/talented-mr-ripley-menswear-review/">The Talented Mr Ripley</a> and the outfits worn by <a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/05/george-santos-news-arrested-indicted-mug-shot-clothes.html">disgraced US politician George Santos</a>, a look she calls the “uniform of preppy private-school boys everywhere”. He worked hard, she argues, to appear more credentialed than he was.</p>
<p>These characters, one fictional and one real, are con artists. But they make an important point about the way being educated is not a settled status. It is something that can be worked on in various ways, including through the clothes one wears.</p>
<p>We are researchers involved in <a href="https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/projects/youth-futures-challenging-categories-educated-unemployed-institutional-innovators-rural-uganda/">a project</a> exploring young people’s futures in rural Uganda. As part of this, Ben – an anthropologist – conducted <a href="https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/amet.13151?casa_token=CA3eZvGKf_AAAAAA:42WXwWMZJ24jJf3Avpa8P1royeN9TFTpYVl2wmUR-PnpUMHH5_asQdKpc6guxNycCt2hO7-GbfdCz2P-">a study</a> to understand what young men and women do with their education in the absence of white collar jobs.</p>
<p>We found many women and men, of different ages, continuing to work on their claims to an educated identity throughout their lives. They do this by wearing the right clothes, but also by joining committees, being active in church, speaking what is considered the right sort of English, and presenting their arguments in the “logical” way that those with a good education have been trained in. </p>
<p>These people are not Tom Ripleys or George Santoses. They are doing what they do because being seen as educated has benefits. In this part of Uganda, educated people tend to prevail in disputes and fare better with various authorities; they are also more likely to benefit from government and NGO schemes.</p>
<p>This shows that people can work on their educational status throughout life, and that much of the work of being educated is only indirectly tied to the schooling experience. Policymakers miss this point. They assume that formal qualifications are the best measure of educational status. But “being educated” is not only about the credentials you have: it is also about how others credential you.</p>
<h2>Ivan and Florence</h2>
<p>Oledai is a rural sub-parish of about 180 households near the trading centre of Ngora, in eastern Uganda. Though English is the language of instruction from the late stages of primary school, Ateso is the most spoken language. Residents engage in a mix of farm work and petty trading; some run businesses to make a living. A small number have salaried employment, typically as school teachers.<br>
There is a difference in how young and older people work on their educational status that reflects the fact that very few older people had the opportunity to go to secondary school.</p>
<p>If you ask a resident in the village to take you to the home of an educated person, you might we be directed to Ivan Onai’s grass thatched house. Ivan is in his late 20s; a born-again Christian who is fluent in English. He listens to the BBC World Service to cultivate his vocabulary. </p>
<p>Always well turned out, Ivan serves as a youth counsellor at the sub-county and runs a youth group in the village. Though Ivan dropped out of school after his A-levels, he has cultivated the identity of a university graduate through his manners, political career and committee work. Many feel he is more educated than some of his better-credentialed peers.</p>
<p>Florence Akol, meanwhile, is in her early 40s and went to school at a time when educating daughters was less of a priority in Uganda than <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09540253.2010.499854?casa_token=JBrBgmtddDEAAAAA%3Aut9qBetr1Dn0hKmIWTtdqwNT4QpPGx-NQHc0iYYXW0lEttNmZvFmgpDfHNPx2ky5knn-85mc-As9ig">it is today</a>. She completed only two years of primary education, but went on to raise two daughters who both attended university. Through them she has learned English. She is also treasurer of the village council and treasurer of her clan.</p>
<p>These stories illustrate how schools and universities throughout Uganda are important not only as places where certificates are handed out but also as referents against which ideas of “being educated” circulate more widely in society. </p>
<p>The experience of schooling matters as much as the practices it teaches – committee skills, competence in English, the carrying of books and pens. Committee work requires an understanding of procedure, an ability to do bookwork and, often, a degree of confidence in spoken English. </p>
<h2>The benefit of perceptions</h2>
<p>The wider community often discussed what made someone educated. One older woman, part of a group trying to raise money for school fees, told us that education “trims your manners and helps you think differently” and that “being educated” helped in managing disputes and getting a favourable outcome in the village court. </p>
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<span class="caption">Women in Oledai reflect on what it means to be ‘educated’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ben Jones</span></span>
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<p>This could be observed as the community mobilised around the “parish fund”, a new government initiative meant to help its citizens, or the president’s <a href="https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/how-emyooga-scheme-works-3415992">Emyooga scheme</a> targeting youth. Those appointed to positions of influence were more educated than the average, and those in committee positions had the capacity to monopolise how the funds would be allocated.</p>
<h2>Policy implications</h2>
<p>We believe that understanding these dynamics is key for policymakers and researchers, who (in Uganda and many other parts of the continent) define educational status through the formal qualifications a person has. They focus on the health or social benefits that come from “human capital”. </p>
<p>We would encourage policymakers to rethink how education is understood so that it comes to be defined as an accredited status – how people evaluate you – as well as a credentialed one – the papers you carry in your pocket. </p>
<p>Investing in areas that shape accreditation would be a way of helping more people access opportunities. In Oledai this might mean offering evening classes to help adults improve their skills in spoken English, or giving people access to training in the sort of bookwork that committees value.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209422/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fieldwork was funded by a Mid-Career Fellowship from the British Academy (MD170053) and a further grant also from the British Academy (YF190162). I would like to thank Stella Aguti, Joseph Ochana, Sarah Amongin, and Joel Ekaun Hannington for their support in collecting data and debating the research findings.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lucy Njogu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In this area, much of the work of being educated is only indirectly tied to the schooling experience.Ben Jones, Senior Lecturer, University of East AngliaLucy Njogu, PhD student, University of East AngliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1806432022-04-13T13:35:03Z2022-04-13T13:35:03ZFour reasons you should consider adult education – even if you’re at the start of your career<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457920/original/file-20220413-26-ijwygx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C0%2C5626%2C3950&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/woman-laptop-working-planning-thinking-concept-334190087">Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Adult education has often been associated with evening classes for older people, such as the wonderful non-formal educational opportunities provided by organisations like the <a href="https://www.u3a.org.uk/about">University of the Third Age</a>. Nevertheless, there is huge value in learning at all stages of life, including for those in their twenties and thirties – for work, self development, health, happiness and participation in wider community life. </p>
<p>Colleges and universities provide opportunities that include short courses, evening classes, fully online distance-programmes and work-based learning. Adults can study for pleasure, to gain a professional development certificate, or to complete a full undergraduate or postgraduate degree, or even a PhD.</p>
<p><a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=dzZ-AgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT29&dq=illeris+lifelong+learning&ots=N95H-rH4Ve&sig=E4a6V-TzDrrXKz_ZLsENJBwwOAQ#v=onepage&q=illeris%20lifelong%20learning&f=false">Research has demonstrated</a> the positive impact of lifelong learning. Its transformative effects include developing critical and reflective skills, fostering a better understanding of our place in the world and our relationship to others, and developing a more secure and fulfilled sense of wellbeing. </p>
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<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.</em></p>
<p><em>More articles:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-it-makes-good-business-sense-for-your-employer-to-look-after-your-mental-health-177503?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Why it makes good business sense for your employer to look after your mental health</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/student-loans-would-a-graduate-tax-be-a-better-option-179253?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Student loans: would a graduate tax be a better option?</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/your-forgotten-digital-footprints-could-step-on-your-job-prospects-heres-how-to-clean-up-179585?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Your forgotten digital footprints could step on your job prospects – here’s how to clean up</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>Despite these benefits, the collapse in <a href="https://feweek.co.uk/ifs-education-cuts-effectively-without-precedent-in-post-war-history/#:%7E:text=The%20IFS%20says%20funding%20per,fell%20by%2028%20per%20cent.">further education funding</a> and the introduction of higher university tuition fees has made adult education a noteworthy casualty of austerity. There has been a dramatic decline in the number of adults studying in colleges and universities. Part-time mature student participation decreased by 57% <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/improving-opportunity-and-choice-for-mature-students/">between 2010-11 and 2019-20</a>.</p>
<p>However, there has been a policy shift in the last few years. The UK government recently launched a consultation into the provision of a <a href="https://consult.education.gov.uk/lifelong-loan-entitlement/lifelong-loan-entitlement-consultation/">lifelong loan entitlement</a>, which would provide funding for education to be used over the course of a lifetime.</p>
<p>The expansion of online learning also means there are now considerably more opportunities to get back into study as an adult, especially for those looking to enhance their skills or change career trajectories. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1496803415795675136"}"></div></p>
<p>Here are four reasons to think about studying something new – even if you’re at the beginning of your career. </p>
<h2>1. The idea of a career has changed</h2>
<p>Many of the jobs advertised today would not even have existed when today’s 30-year-olds were in school. While the idea of a “career for life” has not disappeared entirely, the rapid pace and scale of change means that we are more and more likely to <a href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/231587/millennials-job-hopping-generation.aspx">move around considerably</a> during our working lifetime. We will take more career breaks, seek more promotional opportunities, or jump ship and start entirely afresh – often on a number of occasions across our working lives. </p>
<p>While we used to think of careers in terms of stability, predictability and incremental progression, we now understand that they can be fractured, complex, messy and unpredictable. </p>
<p>Lifelong learning provides a wide variety of in-work and out-of-work opportunities for people to develop their skills or learn new ones. It provides varied opportunities for adults who didn’t gain qualifications at school to re-enter formal education and qualify for graduate level employment.</p>
<h2>2. There are financial incentives</h2>
<p>The government’s plan to introduce a lifelong loan entitlement is just one way that future learners may be able to fund their study. Other options are already available, such as degree apprenticeships, which allow learners to study while employed. </p>
<p>These relatively new courses with a salary, no course fees to pay and blocks of learning related to employment are proving <a href="https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/education/increase-in-university-applications-outstripped-by-demand-for-degree-and-higher-level-apprenticeships-over-past-year-3341463">understandably popular</a> – especially in digital technologies, leadership, social work and engineering. </p>
<h2>3. Learning has become much more flexible</h2>
<p>The last few years have seen an increased emphasis on flexibility, enabling adult learners to fit study around their work and family commitments. The 2019 Augar Review into post-18 education in England <a href="https://wonkhe.com/blogs/the-augar-review-the-essential-overview-for-he/">encouraged colleges and universities</a> to develop provision that enables learners to “step on” and “step off” <a href="https://study-online.sussex.ac.uk/about-us/">their learning journeys</a> – to study when and where it suits. </p>
<p>The pandemic has driven a rapid increase in the quality and quantity of wholly online courses. There is now a vast array of opportunities to study from home, either through a traditional university or via a specialist online organisation like <a href="https://www.futurelearn.com">FutureLearn</a> or <a href="https://www.coursera.org">Coursera</a>.</p>
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<img alt="Man taking notes at laptop" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457943/original/file-20220413-17-khjw2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457943/original/file-20220413-17-khjw2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457943/original/file-20220413-17-khjw2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457943/original/file-20220413-17-khjw2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457943/original/file-20220413-17-khjw2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457943/original/file-20220413-17-khjw2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457943/original/file-20220413-17-khjw2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Online classes make learning more flexible.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-african-business-man-black-male-1854664897">insta_photos/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Another avenue is to opt for <a href="https://education.ec.europa.eu/education-levels/higher-education/micro-credentials">microcredentials</a>, which allow learners to complete short, specific, <a href="https://www.gla.ac.uk/study/microcredentials/">work-based courses online</a> or in person – without the commitment of enrolling on a full three-year programme. Moreover, the credits achieved can normally count towards a degree for those that want to carry on studying. </p>
<h2>4. It’s good for your wellbeing</h2>
<p>Adult learners bring life experiences and established perspectives with them when they start a course. Active, participatory and discursive learning environments enable them to draw on these experiences, contextualise and interrogate them, and learn from one another. </p>
<p>Educational research has shown us that such “<a href="https://catalogimages.wiley.com/images/db/pdf/9780470257906.excerpt.pdf">transformational learning</a>” results in happier, healthier individuals, who have stronger social networks and <a href="https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/10385/Transformative_teaching_and_learning_in_further_education_july_2019/pdf/transformativeteachingandlearninginfurthereducationjuly2019">enhanced family life</a>. These positive individual outcomes ripple throughout their families and friendship groups, and across wider <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Being-Adult-Learner-Austere-Times/dp/3319972073?asin=3319972073&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1">communities and society</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/180643/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Will Curtis works for University of Warwick </span></em></p>Education can improve wellbeing – and job prospects.Will Curtis, Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor and Professor in Education, University of WarwickLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1712202021-12-23T20:50:48Z2021-12-23T20:50:48ZSo you want to be a music producer? You can learn the skills online to do it at home<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432312/original/file-20211117-13-1nntu7x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6016%2C4007&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This article is part of a <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/how-to-guides-113946">series</a> explaining how readers can learn the skills to take part in activities that academics love doing as part of their work.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Music technology has always fascinated me. My father’s reel-to-reel tape machine began a lifelong obsession that led to managing recording studios, teaching music technology and <a href="https://music.apple.com/us/artist/brett-voss/390648484">making music</a>. It’s something I’ve never lost my passion for, as for me the studio opens up a world of creative possibilities. </p>
<p>The process of developing ideas, layering tracks and refining a mix delivers a certain satisfaction that only this creative process can fulfil. What’s involved in all of this, you might wonder? </p>
<p>Well, broadly, producing music entails writing, recording and mixing music to create a “track”. Initial musical inspiration is explored and could come in the form of a riff, a sound or a feel. Multiple layers of instrumentation are then added to develop the sound of the track, before being “mixed” or interpreted for creative effect. </p>
<p>Sound complicated? Well there are certainly some things you need to get your head around before delving into this world. The good news is that access to online learning has opened up the possibility of developing these skills at home. The other thing to note is that you can access the resources needed to begin for little or no cost. </p>
<p>Still not convinced? Well it doesn’t even really matter if you play an instrument or not. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufxorJi37eM">Loop-based music production</a> has made it possible for anyone with a computer and some spare time to start producing music. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ufxorJi37eM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">An introduction to creating a loop-based song.</span></figcaption>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/no-musical-talent-no-problem-there-are-now-apps-for-that-133624">No musical talent, no problem — there are now apps for that</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>I grew up in an era when getting your music recorded to a release standard generally involved hiring an expert to <a href="https://tech.co/news/music-production-evolution-2016-01">record and mix your product</a>. Setting up a home studio required a <a href="https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/production-expert-1/2020/9/8/home-studio-recording-costs-compared-1980s-and-now">significant investment</a> in <a href="https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/recreating-80s-home-studio-experience">music technology hardware</a>. </p>
<p>Fast-forward to today, where my 16-year-old son is releasing his own albums via digital distribution services like <a href="https://www.spotify.com/au/">Spotify</a> and <a href="https://soundcloud.com/Soundcloud">Soundcloud</a>, using his computer and a bit of know-how. While I’ve shown him a few things, he has picked up a lot of his skills through learning the craft online.</p>
<h2>So where do you begin?</h2>
<p>There are many avenues to explore if you want to learn about producing music online and accessing the tools to make it happen. </p>
<p>Even if you don’t have a budget to start working on music, you could easily make a start by using one of the freely available <a href="https://mixdownmag.com.au/features/musicology-a-brief-history-of-the-digital-audio-workstation/">digital audio workstations</a>. Avid’s <a href="https://my.avid.com/get/pro-tools-first">Pro Tools First</a> is an introduction to the industry-standard recording software used in studios across the world.</p>
<p>If you have no idea where to start with Pro Tools, that’s not really an issue. Avid has produced <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H--Q-fwJ1g">free online tutorials</a> to get you going. </p>
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<p>Then there are other websites that focus on delivering information to up-skill users in the use of audio software. <a href="https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/">Pro Tools Expert</a> offers a lot of supporting information and tutorials on a range of topics. It’s designed to support users from all backgrounds.</p>
<p>Pro Tools isn’t the only freely available software for producing music.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.reaper.fm/">Reaper</a> is a digital audio workstation that’s gained in popularity over recent years. It’s reasonably priced at US$60 for non-commercial users. However, you can try before you buy, with a free 60-day evaluation period on offer. The Reaper web page also includes a range of resources to help new users navigate the software.</p>
<p><a href="https://flstudioapp.net/">FL Studio</a> focuses on electronic music making with a view to freeing up creatives to produce music without the “constraints of other audio recording software”. </p>
<p>Many Apple users would be familiar with <a href="https://www.apple.com/au/mac/garageband/">Garageband</a>, a loop-based music creation studio. Working with loops involves using pre-recorded or programmed sounds to produce music. It has a surprising range of features in a simple package. It’s even available as a mobile phone application. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">It’s possible to produce a whole album of music mixed on a mobile phone.</span></figcaption>
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<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/computing-gives-an-artist-new-tools-to-be-creative-57631">Computing gives an artist new tools to be creative</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Where can you find help?</h2>
<p>Finding tutorials for platforms like Garageband is also simple. There’s a wide range of Garageband <a href="https://thegaragebandguide.com/tutorials">tutors</a> to choose from online. </p>
<p>If you’re willing to invest a bit more in your learning there’s a plethora of music production courses available for a small fee. <a href="https://www.udemy.com/courses/music/production/">Udemy</a> is a service where more experienced producers offer self-paced courses. These can be a great place to pick up skills relevant to your musical focus. </p>
<p>While these options focus more on using and getting the most out of your software, there are plenty more that cover <a href="https://producerhive.com/category/music-production-recording-tips/">recording techniques</a>. Really, the opportunities for learning and developing your music production skills are endless. </p>
<p>When searching for tutorials you’ll find a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=music+production+for+beginners">number of options</a>, but try finding an instructor who communicates effectively. The feedback within forums is also a great source of information that can guide you to the right tutor.</p>
<p>If you have no idea where to start with songwriting, then there are also plenty of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=songwriting+for+beginners">experts</a> available online to guide you through the process.</p>
<h2>Work out your musical goals</h2>
<p>What are the secrets of getting the most from all of these options? I’d start by considering what you want to achieve. Are you focused on electronic music production, or do you see yourself as a rock producer? </p>
<p>The answers to those sorts of questions would influence what digital audio workstation you choose to invest your time in learning. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/music-that-you-help-make-composition-for-video-gaming-draws-on-tradition-and-tech-124282">Music that you help make: composition for video gaming draws on tradition and tech</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Pro Tools is used in most recording studios. If you want to take your work to a professional studio to polish, then working in Pro Tools would allow you to easily move between studios. </p>
<p>If you want to create beats, then you might want to focus on FL Studio. It has been a starting point for many contemporary electronic artists. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ableton.com/en/products/live-lite/">Ableton Live</a> is another popular choice of electronic producers today. If you see yourself working in the electronic sphere, then you should definitely get to know Ableton’s capabilities. </p>
<p>The best thing about all this is most of it will cost you nothing to explore your interests. So, if you see music production as something for you, what are you waiting for? </p>
<hr>
<p><em>You can read other articles in this series <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/how-to-guides-113946">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171220/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brett Voss does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Learning the skills and techniques of music production has never been more accessible. Online tutorials and free music-creation resources have made it possible to create anytime and anywhere.Brett Voss, Learning Designer- Technology Enhancement, Bond UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1703792021-12-01T17:05:57Z2021-12-01T17:05:57ZYou actually can teach an old dog new tricks, which is why many of us keep learning after retirement<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434880/original/file-20211201-23-1l3eqy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-senior-people-resting-park-mature-551227891">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=2019073014375151">Lorna Prendergast</a> was 90 years old when she graduated with a master’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2019. She said her message to others was, “You’re never too old to dream.” </p>
<p>Nor, obviously, too old to learn. </p>
<p>In the same year 94-year-old <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-06/david-and-anne-bottomley-1/10785150?nw=0">David Bottomley</a> became the oldest person in Australia to graduate with a PhD from Curtin University. The great-grandfather said he wasn’t yet finished. “I have a great deal yet to work out,” he said, perhaps making him the ultimate lifelong learner.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1156824122695016448"}"></div></p>
<p>Prendergast’s and Bottomley’s achievements are examples of the levels of learning some older adults are capable of. In 2019-20, around 73,000 Australian adults aged 60 or more were enrolled in <a href="https://www.ncver.edu.au/research-and-statistics/publications/all-publications/total-vet-students-and-courses-2020">vocational training, community education</a> and <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/2019-section-2-all-students">university</a> courses. That’s enough to populate a mid-size Australian city.</p>
<p>But the term “lifelong learning” has increasingly tended to focus on the period of compulsory education and training across working lives – that is, before retirement.</p>
<p>Professor of adult education, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1556/2059.01.2017.3">Stephen Billett</a>, argues the concept of lifelong learning has come to be associated with lifelong education, which is more about the institutional provision of learning experiences.</p>
<p>Instead, he says, it should go back to its roots. Lifelong learning is a personal process based on the sets of experiences people have had throughout their lives.</p>
<h2>Learning after retirement</h2>
<p>According to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12120">David Istance</a>, the nonresident senior fellow at the OECD’s Center for Universal Education, a result of this foreshortened view of lifelong learning is to downplay the considerable amount of formal learning taking place after retirement. This means learning like that done by Prendergast and Bottomley. Although much learning also happens in non-institutional settings.</p>
<p>For example, a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2016.1224037">Scottish study</a> tracked the learning activities of almost 400 Glaswegians aged 60 or over. Using a broad definition of “learning”, researchers discovered an “active ageing” subset in the sample. </p>
<p>This active ageing group was: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>socially and technologically engaged … “learner-citizens”, participating in educational, physical, cultural, civic and online activities.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Such findings are particularly significant for a country like Australia where the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/twenty-years-population-change">population is ageing</a>, due to sustained low fertility and increasing life expectancy. The result is proportionally fewer children and a larger proportion of people aged 65 and over.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-universities-need-to-be-more-age-friendly-what-does-that-look-like-in-practice-160440">Australian universities need to be more age-friendly — what does that look like in practice?</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<p>Over the past two decades, the population aged 85 and over has also increased, by <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/twenty-years-population-change">110%</a> (more than doubled) compared with total population growth of 35%. In mid-2020 there were more than half a million of these “older olds” in Australia. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434908/original/file-20211201-21-1r60yz1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Older woman painting at home." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434908/original/file-20211201-21-1r60yz1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434908/original/file-20211201-21-1r60yz1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434908/original/file-20211201-21-1r60yz1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434908/original/file-20211201-21-1r60yz1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434908/original/file-20211201-21-1r60yz1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434908/original/file-20211201-21-1r60yz1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434908/original/file-20211201-21-1r60yz1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Learning doesn’t have to be in an institutionalised setting.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/image-senior-female-artist-painting-picture-247408171">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The nation could have <a href="https://cheba.unsw.edu.au/research-projects/sydney-centenarian-study">50,000 centenarians</a> by 2050.</p>
<h2>A lifetime of complex cognitive activity</h2>
<p>Brain researcher <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-25/longevity-ageing-centenarian-lifespan-life-expectency/100123434">Perminder Sachdev</a> says surviving into older age relies partly on “a lifetime of good effort”. Some of that effort is a solid education in our formative years and then ongoing purposeful learning. </p>
<p>Sachdev believes this builds better cognitive reserves and sets us up for a lifetime of more complex cognitive activity.</p>
<p>But what is “purposeful learning”? A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2020.1819905">Swedish review</a> found older adults do formal learning to maintain or increase quality of life, including through learning new things and sharing knowledge, and to connect through social networks. They also see classes and courses as a means of developing coping skills that enhance individual autonomy, and as a way of stimulating their cognitive abilities to help stave off mental decline.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-cognitive-reserve-how-we-can-protect-our-brains-from-memory-loss-and-dementia-76591">What is 'cognitive reserve'? How we can protect our brains from memory loss and dementia</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED054428;%5Blink%20text%5D(https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED084368.pdf);%5Blink%20text%5D(https://www.wiley.com/en-au/Learning+in+Adulthood%3A+A+Comprehensive+Guide%2C+4th+Edition-p-9781119490494)">numerous studies</a> in recent decades have shown formal education is just the tip of the adult learning iceberg. </p>
<p>As the Glasgow study reveals, many older adults are continuing their learning in guises other than through formal courses. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0741713613513633">Communal examples</a> include sewing groups, men’s sheds, bird-watching clubs, travel groups, and musical jam sessions. </p>
<p>Few of the participants are likely to perceive their activities in explicit learning terms, yet all four reasons for learning the Swedish study identified can be discerned within such groups.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434912/original/file-20211201-19-peszg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434912/original/file-20211201-19-peszg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434912/original/file-20211201-19-peszg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434912/original/file-20211201-19-peszg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434912/original/file-20211201-19-peszg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434912/original/file-20211201-19-peszg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434912/original/file-20211201-19-peszg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434912/original/file-20211201-19-peszg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sewing groups, bird watching clubs and musical jam sessions are ways seniors can continue their learning.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/seniors-trekking-forest-1095221123">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As in the Glasgow research, the proportion of older people engaged in purposeful learning is likely to be a subset of the larger population. Nevertheless there needs to be official and community acknowledgement that a segment of older people has both the motivation and capacity to continue to learn, including into their 90s. These people are “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0741713613513633">active agers</a>”.</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-25/longevity-ageing-centenarian-lifespan-life-expectency/100123434">Sachdev</a>, the key to maximising healthy ageing is improving the quality of initial and ongoing education because this impacts positively on our brains. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/contested-spaces-we-need-to-see-public-space-through-older-eyes-too-72261">Contested spaces: we need to see public space through older eyes too</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This is not to say older adults should feel obliged to engage in “purposeful learning”. After all, they’re not a homogeneous group, and some may decide it’s not something they want to do. </p>
<p>David <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12120">Istance</a> intimates some may also subscribe to the outmoded mindset that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”.</p>
<p>For older people who do want to continue to engage with the wider world and have the capacity to do so, however, we need to ensure “active ageing” is part of any “lifelong learning” agenda.</p>
<p>Let’s continue to promote older learning champions like Prendergast and Bottomley, not as outliers but as shining lights in a broader expanse of long-twinkling stars.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170379/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Darryl Dymock does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Lifelong learning isn’t just about being employable, it’s about a healthy brain and overall quality of life.Darryl Dymock, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow in Education, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1647852021-07-30T04:14:59Z2021-07-30T04:14:59Z3 things we need to get right to ensure online professional development works<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413257/original/file-20210727-13-1120kfz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6048%2C4010&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/multiracial-business-people-gathered-together-online-1857569854">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>One thing the COVID-19 pandemic has not changed is the need for employee training and skills development. Although lockdowns have reduced access to offices and <a href="https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/news-room/press-releases/2021/pwc-hopes-and-fears-survey-2021.html">increased job insecurity</a>, they have provided the time and opportunity for building skills. Demand for professional development <a href="https://staff.unimelb.edu.au/mspace/horizon/impact-of-covid-19-economic-downturn">has grown</a>.</p>
<p>However, since early 2020, the only option for employees to upskill has been through remote learning. Training and development specialists have been working tirelessly to adapt programs and courses for online delivery. For most, this has meant replacing face-to-face workshops with dial-in sessions using teleconferencing software. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, these changes have <a href="https://tmb.apaopen.org/pub/nonverbal-overload/release/1">not always been effective</a>. In other cases, employees have been applying their own personal, informal learning methods to develop professionally. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/digital-technology-and-the-rise-of-new-informal-learning-methods-126813">Digital technology and the rise of new informal learning methods</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In comparison, the global online education sector has steadily and organically expanded over the past 25 years. It’s set to <a href="https://www.guide2research.com/research/online-education-statistics">become mainstream sooner than expected</a>. The characteristics of online learning, which can connect a larger and more diverse student body, make it truly scalable and sustainable. </p>
<p>Thankfully, we can draw on decades of research evidence from online education to deliver professional development effectively online. This research shows three of the most important things to consider are flexibility, accessibility and social connectedness. </p>
<h2>Make flexible learning a priority</h2>
<p>Online education is <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2017.00059/full">growing rapidly because of its flexibility</a>. Students can study from wherever, whenever. This means they can maintain roles such as work, parenting and other commitments alongside their studies. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Parents sits with young child on lap in front of laptop as he studies online" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413253/original/file-20210727-23-dsrsw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413253/original/file-20210727-23-dsrsw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413253/original/file-20210727-23-dsrsw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413253/original/file-20210727-23-dsrsw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413253/original/file-20210727-23-dsrsw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413253/original/file-20210727-23-dsrsw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413253/original/file-20210727-23-dsrsw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many people undertaking professional development courses must juggle other responsibilities too.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/parent-child-studying-remotely-homebased-laptop-1529712827">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Flexible online learning is erasing traditional boundaries of time and place.
To provide flexibility in professional development, learning should no longer be restricted to a single day and venue. A combination of scheduled and self-paced learning options provides collaborative and independent learning opportunities as needed. </p>
<p>Flexible learning options work best for learners who can stick to their learning plans and schedules and dedicate their attention to these tasks without distractions. Employers can support flexible learning by respecting these learning plans. This means allowing employees to schedule work around their learning. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-7-elements-of-a-good-online-course-139736">The 7 elements of a good online course</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Ensure accessibility for all</h2>
<p>A more diverse student body calls for more inclusive teaching and learning practices. The best examples of online education offer all students the same opportunities to do well. </p>
<p>Both learning material and learning management systems need to be reliable and accessible to all. That includes people who are living in remote parts of the country, those who cannot leave the home due to family commitments, or students with special needs who require learning resources to be created that take account of these needs.</p>
<p>Similarly, the use of online learning technology for professional development should act as a learning enabler, not a learning barrier. Advanced learning technology and software – learning management systems such as Moodle, for example – can bring both accessibility and innovation to professional development. It makes for a smoother and more engaging learning environment.</p>
<p>Organisations may need to invest in accessible learning technology – just as they would invest in creating accessible and inclusive office spaces. <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/making-online-learning-accessible-students-disabilities">Guidelines</a> are readily available to help trainers make online learning content accessible and engaging.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/massive-online-open-courses-see-exponential-growth-during-covid-19-pandemic-141859">Massive online open courses see exponential growth during COVID-19 pandemic</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Foster connections between learners</h2>
<p>Finally, learning remotely, like working remotely, can be isolating. Creating meaningful opportunities to nurture a sense of belonging and connectedness among students is a challenge for online educators. But the benefits of social connectedness are worth the effort. It’s <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2017.00059/full">associated with</a> greater academic performance, self-confidence, engagement, retention and satisfaction. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Young woman at a desk chats to a group in an online meeting via her laptop" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413252/original/file-20210727-15-189xocg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413252/original/file-20210727-15-189xocg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413252/original/file-20210727-15-189xocg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413252/original/file-20210727-15-189xocg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413252/original/file-20210727-15-189xocg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413252/original/file-20210727-15-189xocg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413252/original/file-20210727-15-189xocg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Promoting social connectedness should be a priority in online learning because of its many benefits.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/rear-back-view-happy-young-female-1854698215">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Students who opt for the flexibility of online education are often time-poor or juggling multiple competing demands. They prioritise their goal of learning over their social needs. </p>
<p>For this reason, relying on these students to initiate interaction through social forums can often be ineffective. Rather, trainers should embed social collaboration in core online learning activities. </p>
<p>Activities that involve collaboration include peer review and simulation tasks. Online meetings and workshops should also be designed to capitalise on the interplay of learning and dialogue. </p>
<p>Activities like these ensure participants can maintain focus on learning goals while reaping the benefits of social interaction.</p>
<h2>Online professional development is here to stay</h2>
<p>Universities are expanding their educational offerings for professional development. They now offer affordable, accredited and verifiable online study options such as short courses and <a href="https://www.candlefox.com/blog/micro-credentials-the-provider-handbook/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=marketing%20cloud&utm_campaign=Candlefox+AU+April+2021+Newsletter">micro-credentials</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-learning-economy-challenges-unis-to-be-part-of-reshaping-lifelong-education-144800">New learning economy challenges unis to be part of reshaping lifelong education</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>These courses bridge the gap between higher education and industry needs – bringing a high standard of learning and innovation directly to employees, without the costs of travel or relocation. </p>
<p>The investments universities and other organisations are making in e-learning capabilities mean online professional development is here to stay.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/164785/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Demand for professional development has grown but the pandemic has forced it online. Decades of evidence from online education tells us how to ensure professional development remains effective.Filia Garivaldis, Senior Lecturer, BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash UniversitySarah Kneebone, Education & Training Manager, BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1448002020-09-13T19:50:24Z2020-09-13T19:50:24ZNew learning economy challenges unis to be part of reshaping lifelong education<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357342/original/file-20200910-14-si7ob9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=127%2C0%2C6397%2C4176&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/working-studying-home-thoughtful-mature-man-1783914440">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The new learning economy is creating opportunities for universities to move on from the current focus on cutting costs, downsizing and job losses. Many universities appear stuck in a downward spiral, but now may be the time to offset this with new initiatives. Growth in the need for ongoing learning creates these opportunities.</p>
<p>Current education providers, as well as new entrants, have the chance to replicate the business models and innovative practices of Spotify, YouTube, Uber, Airbnb and other disruptors of other sectors. For example, we can envisage a platform provider brokering crowd-sourced production of education content. The resourcing of expertise from the higher education sector would provide access to new, scaleable and more widely available forms of academic content. </p>
<p>Significant disruption is imminent. We believe those with ambition will thrive in the emerging new learning economy. They will not only disrupt, but also generate new forms of demand and supply for education.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/massive-online-open-courses-see-exponential-growth-during-covid-19-pandemic-141859">Massive online open courses see exponential growth during COVID-19 pandemic</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Old assumptions overturned</h2>
<p>The education market has been stable for generations. This stability has relied on three assumptions.</p>
<p>First, knowledge gained through upfront education equips people to master the immediate and ongoing needs of work. As a basis of lifelong competence, the knowledge gained by novice professionals is expected to be sufficient for career entry and beyond.</p>
<p>Second, as we gain experience in our career, we only occasionally require new learning. Experience builds incrementally and continuously on upfront knowledge over time, leading to ever-increasing competence.</p>
<p>Third, there is no need for learning consciousness. In other words, the individual does not need to know how much they know, what else to learn, or how to unlearn.</p>
<p>These assumptions have driven government policy, student demand, employer practices and university business models. With changes to the future of work and digital disruption, these assumptions can now be seen as creating three systemic learning disorders:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>the rate of innovation and knowledge development has accelerated, so our knowledge is out of date sooner</p></li>
<li><p>experience gained through repetitive work and professional practice is of less value in a world of changing practices and new requirements </p></li>
<li><p>our competence is something about which we have less consciousness or literacy – we increasingly don’t know what we don’t know, and not knowing how to learn and unlearn matters even more.</p></li>
</ol>
<h2>The 3 learning disorders explained</h2>
<p>We illustrate these disorders in the three charts below. These plot the way knowledge, experience and competence develop over lifetimes, and the impacts of the emerging learning disorders. </p>
<p>The first chart uses a simplistic model of learning development consistent with the <a href="http://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/729c/aa15a342544d26c68dab6aa09a21d8c6c583.pdf">seminal work on self-efficacy in education of Caprara et al</a>. The underlying idea is that competence is a combination of knowledge gained from learning and experience gained from working. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/356662/original/file-20200907-113501-xq45ou.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/356662/original/file-20200907-113501-xq45ou.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/356662/original/file-20200907-113501-xq45ou.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=259&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356662/original/file-20200907-113501-xq45ou.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=259&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356662/original/file-20200907-113501-xq45ou.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=259&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356662/original/file-20200907-113501-xq45ou.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=325&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356662/original/file-20200907-113501-xq45ou.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=325&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356662/original/file-20200907-113501-xq45ou.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=325&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The traditional model of learning: knowledge and experience combine to form competence.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, competence is not sufficient. Similar to our understanding of physical well-being (for example, is my blood pressure OK?) or financial well-being (will I have enough super?), we need consciousness about our competence. We suggest this is the basis of educational well-being. The pursuit of this goal gives rise to the new learning economy.</p>
<p>The first disorder, the knowledge disorder, shown in the chart below, captures the fact that the knowledge gained from formalised learning now decays more quickly. This happens due to faster rates of innovation and knowledge development within the periods that learning had been designed to serve. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/356663/original/file-20200907-115897-scngqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/356663/original/file-20200907-115897-scngqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/356663/original/file-20200907-115897-scngqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=259&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356663/original/file-20200907-115897-scngqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=259&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356663/original/file-20200907-115897-scngqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=259&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356663/original/file-20200907-115897-scngqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=325&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356663/original/file-20200907-115897-scngqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=325&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356663/original/file-20200907-115897-scngqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=325&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The knowledge disorder: knowledge is decaying more quickly.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The rate at which knowledge grows and develops has overtaken our intention to create novice professionals with knowledge lasting a lifetime. One-off degrees that testify to a certain qualification at a certain point in time are no longer sufficient. The world requires educational well-being as much as it requires a healthy and prosperous population. </p>
<p>The third chart shows how the value of experiences we gain in the workplace has changed. No longer does cumulative experience lead to increasing competence. Experiences of old ways of doing things are becoming hindrances to ongoing competence in disrupted environments. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/356664/original/file-20200907-111007-s7y4od.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/356664/original/file-20200907-111007-s7y4od.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/356664/original/file-20200907-111007-s7y4od.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=259&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356664/original/file-20200907-111007-s7y4od.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=259&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356664/original/file-20200907-111007-s7y4od.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=259&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356664/original/file-20200907-111007-s7y4od.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=325&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356664/original/file-20200907-111007-s7y4od.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=325&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356664/original/file-20200907-111007-s7y4od.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=325&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The experience disorder: experience can become unhelpful.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As a result, experience might matter less. Even worse, it could become counter-productive when unlearning established practices becomes increasingly difficult. In some situations, current knowledge has become more important than past knowledge with added experience. </p>
<p>We can see the impacts of this experience disorder in recent years. Large organisations have let “experienced” staff go, then hired new graduates with contemporary knowledge. <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/nabs-6000-job-cuts-lazy-option-finance-sector-union-20180221-h0wedp">NAB</a> was criticised for doing this. </p>
<h2>How should education respond to these changes?</h2>
<p>We predict we will see on-demand, tailored and customised learning on new platforms. These may be ubiquitous and scaleable programs of what are being called micro-credentials. <a href="https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/google-plan-disrupt-college-degree-university-higher-education-certificate-project-management-data-analyst.html">Google’s “career certificates”</a> are one recent example.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1282715042647924737"}"></div></p>
<p>We foresee a need to support continuously improving workplace experience through partnerships between educational well-being providers, maybe universities, and providers and receivers of workplace experiences, employers and employees. We see opportunities for new, platform-based, lifelong experience-management services.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-universities-are-shifting-classes-online-but-its-not-as-easy-as-it-sounds-133030">Coronavirus: universities are shifting classes online – but it's not as easy as it sounds</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The consciousness disorder arises from us being unaware of how change undermines competence. As US secretary of state, Donald Rumsfeld famously coined the term “unknown unknowns” in highlighting the danger in dealing with complex, fast-changing situations. In such a world, competence becomes more fragile, but we are not aware of it, which makes us vulnerable to disruption. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GiPe1OiKQuk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">When Donald Rumsfeld spoke about ‘unknown unknowns’ he wasn’t talking about education, but the concept has emerged as a key issue for the sector.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We can foresee new services to help identify unconscious incompetence. Maybe automated online “health checks” of educational well-being will be made available to alumni. This service could be aligned with personalised access to new knowledge to address gaps.</p>
<p>We believe that responding to these three disorders, in these sorts of ways, provides a blueprint for a new learning economy. This learning economy is global and will scale up to satisfy the demands of citizens who are no longer served by our current model of education. </p>
<p>This evolution of education will not only present new directions for established education providers, but also attract new competitors. They might range from ed-tech start-ups with niche services, to others that see the global learning economy as a high-growth opportunity. Google is unlikely to be the last new challenger to the traditional university model.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144800/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Higher education is facing painful disruptions and challenges from online providers, but the emerging need to monitor and continually update knowledge also offers opportunities.Martin Betts, Emeritus Professor, Griffith UniversityMichael Rosemann, Director, Centre for Future Enterprise, and Professor for Innovation Systems, Business School, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1268132019-11-11T18:26:30Z2019-11-11T18:26:30ZDigital technology and the rise of new informal learning methods<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301139/original/file-20191111-194675-xwk6yk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1000%2C636&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">More and more employees are using digital tools to acquire new professional skills.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Consulting a YouTube tutorial or an online dictionary, improving English skills using a dedicated application while taking public transportation, etc. To develop their skills, professionals are increasingly turning to these informal digital learning methods. This is illustrated by two studies conducted by the HRM Digital Lab at Institut Mines-Télécom Business School, on a representative sample of 1,000 French employees.</p>
<p>According to the study carried out by Kantar TNS in 2016, just over one in two employees had used informal digital learning to develop their professional skills. A second study carried out by OpinionWay in 2018 showed that this figure now applies to 60% of the workforce.</p>
<h2>Fundamental needs</h2>
<p>There is nothing new about employees learning independently on a daily basis, whether through observing their colleagues or manager, reading trade publications, talking to their peers, etc. This set of learning behaviours was first studied and formalised starting in the 1950s, building on work by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Knowles">Knowles</a>, who is considered to be the father of andragogy.</p>
<p>Composed of the ancient Greek words <em>andros</em> (ἀνδρὀς), meaning “man” (in the sense of a mature man, and by extension an adult human being, not a gendered term), and <em>agogos</em> (ἀγωγός), meaning “guide,” this term refers to knowledge acquisition in adulthood.</p>
<p>In the 1960s, <a href="https://www.cairn.info/revue-recherche-en-soins-infirmiers-2012-1-page-106.htm">Bandura</a> explored the phenomena of imitation, whereby individuals learn by observing or listening to others, considered to be “models” or “occasional teachers.” Then, in 1996, three researchers, Morgan McCall, Robert W. Eichinger and Michael M. Lombardo, from the Center for Creative Leadership (in North Carolina, US) demonstrated, based on a study of 200 executives, that individuals learn in a variety of ways throughout their lives.</p>
<p>In this study, traditional (<em>off-the-job learning</em>) and formal (meaning official/certification training programs) learning situations represent only 10% of learning time, compared to 90% for informal learning time, which is more instantaneous and disorganized.</p>
<p>In an era of increasingly rapid skill obsolescence, <a href="https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/amr.2016.0202">informal learning</a> has become crucial for employees and professionals to continue to perform their jobs effectively. The study conducted by Kelley shows that there has been a steady decrease in workers’ estimates of the portion of knowledge stored in their memory which is necessary for their professional activity: from 75% in 1986, to 20% in 1997, and 10% in 2006.</p>
<p>A culture of lifelong learning is thus slowly starting to rival that of traditional training. In an interconnected world, possibilities for informal learning have proliferated. Tools have given rise to a major transformation, from the person in the next office to a community of 4 billion Internet users, from borrowing a book to having access to 30 million articles created in over 280 languages on Wikipedia, to the 2 million registered users on <a href="https://www.fun-mooc.fr/universities/IMT/">the French MOOC platform FUN</a>.</p>
<h2>New methods</h2>
<p>We have analysed this reality through two case studies with consultants, auditors and independent professionals, and have identified the factors in the use of these practices and highlighted <a href="http://www.theses.fr/2018PSLED010">four informal learning methods</a> based on digital technology:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>Distributing content to a community using tools such as social media.</strong> This is the case, for example, for Laura, a 31-year-old speech therapist who creates, distributes and shares content she finds interesting with groups of fellow speech therapists on social media. On a Facebook group “Les Orthos et la Neuro,” a community of more than 11,000 colleagues discuss, share and debate current topics and issues related to their profession.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Keeping up with and responding to trends in a profession or industry through regular updates.</strong> This is the case for Vincent, a 32-year-old manager at an auditing and consultancy firm, who checks his LinkedIn news feed before going to bed. Such monitoring is opportunistic and this method is used when circumstances allow for it, for example, during time spent waiting and in public transportation.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Leveraging all the available digital resources required to achieve an objective.</strong> This is the case for Caroline, a 29-year old senior consultant, who has been offered an ambitious mission, which does not align with her current skills. She takes on this challenge, and learns independently using online resources she considers useful. Her intense method is connected to a specific objective, in this case, her new mission. Such a method can also be for personal reasons, such as in order to obtain a promotion or start a new career.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Reacting to difficulties that arise while performing a professional activity, and using learning power for the right need at the right time.</strong> This is the case for Sarah, a 36-year-old pharmacist who must respond to patients’ questions and requests for advice. To do so, she draws on appropriate contacts and a list of trustworthy reference websites collected in advance to answer questions quickly and effectively.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>The four informal digital learning methods identified in this article are in keeping with the discontinuation of the training plan as of January 1, 2019, in favour of a skills development plan aimed at a more personalized approach focused on training objectives that target specific skills. This law provides for flexibility in implementing learning pathways that go beyond the traditional model with a set time and space.</p>
<p>Companies, and all forms of organisations, have the opportunity to become more flexible and cater to the real practices and needs of today’s employees and professionals. This opens the door, for example, to a debate about the (co)production, structuring, availability, use and sharing of digital resources.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article was translated from the original French by the <a href="https://blogrecherche.wp.imt.fr/en/2019/10/17/digital-technology-new-informal-learning-methods/">Institut Mines-Télécom</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126813/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emmanuel Baudoin received funding from the CFA EVE. He is a member of ANDRH Essonne.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Myriam Benabid et Serge Perrot ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur poste universitaire.</span></em></p>As new ways of working have spread throughout the workplace, a culture of lifelong learning is competing with the traditional practice of on-the-job training.Myriam Benabid, Directrice de programme, Institut Mines-Télécom Business School Emmanuel Baudoin, Professeur associé en RH, Institut Mines-Télécom Business School Serge Perrot, Professeur de Management, Université Paris Dauphine – PSLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/857762017-12-04T13:24:09Z2017-12-04T13:24:09ZCan’t teach old dogs new tricks? Nonsense. Tips for learning later in life<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/195790/original/file-20171122-6031-z41y4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">As 90-year-old Thumekile Mthiyane proves, you're never too old to learn or try new things.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reuters/Rogan Ward</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Change, often rapid and disorienting, is today’s norm. Even things our grandparents took for granted – manual typewriters, telegrams, smelling salts, corsets – have disappeared into antique shops and museums. We <a href="https://www.thebalance.com/how-often-do-people-change-jobs-2060467">change jobs and even careers</a> many times in one lifetime. We <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lealane/2016/01/15/are-millennial-travel-trends-shifting-in-2016-youll-be-surprised/#35451b5636a8">travel more</a>. It seems like we adapt to new technologies almost weekly. </p>
<p>What hasn’t changed is that human beings need to learn so they can adapt and thrive in new circumstances. Is this possible for older people? It’s common knowledge that children are voracious learners but the famous cliche suggests that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. This simply isn’t true. </p>
<p>As research conducted by my colleagues and I <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301269434_South_Africa">has shown</a>, learning is a lifelong process. It’s also life-wide: we learn in all kinds of situations besides schools and colleges – in our families, workplaces, communities and through leisure activities. And it’s life-deep: it’s about emotions, morality, cultural and spiritual development, not just the intellect.</p>
<p>Here’s what you need to know to continue on your own lifelong learning process, and to encourage others around you to keep learning.</p>
<h2>What older people have going for them</h2>
<p>Ageing brings a slight deterioration in functions like short-term memory. But it has the advantage of accumulated experience. <a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/8f2e/d03cff023530d4377a73d3665d48fb3c654b.pdf">This means</a> you know what you want to learn and how you want to apply it, and can link it to experience and concepts you’ve already acquired. Children at school typically learn a prescribed curriculum for future application. Adults tend to choose their learning and want it to count here and now.</p>
<p>Learning as an adult is not easy. You have to admit what you don’t know. Sometimes past learning experiences have been negative and associated with feelings of fear and failure. And adults have multiple responsibilities: work, family, social involvements and ageing parents, to name a few. Learning means negotiating these commitments and your own feelings. When you decide to embark on new studies, it’s important to let those around you know; explain how it will change things and enlist their support. </p>
<p>It’s also good to learn with others so that you can share the challenges and triumphs. <a href="http://fortune.com/2016/03/08/mount-st-marys-firing-simon-newman/">Isolation</a> can drive people away from learning at <a href="https://theconversation.com/distance-learning-the-five-qualities-student-teachers-need-to-succeed-86550">any stage</a> of their lives. Study groups and learning partners, whether online, face-to-face or both, can be a great way of deepening and sustaining learning.</p>
<h2>What and where</h2>
<p>But what, and where, should you study? Firstly, it’s important to realise that not all, or even most, learning is formal. There’s an enormous modern emphasis on educational institutions, which for the masses is generally only a few hundred years old. And so the ways that humans have always learnt are often taken for granted.</p>
<p>We often learn the most important things informally from others and from experience: how to parent, how to get on with our neighbours, how to surf the Internet, where to find a job; and, perhaps most importantly, how to direct our own learning. Developing social capital – networks of friends, mentors, advisers, instructors – is as important for learning as it’s ever been. </p>
<p>These networks also allow us to connect with people whose voices we don’t usually hear; that helps us to avoid ghettoising our own minds and opens up new opportunities for thought and action.</p>
<p>Local organisations such as churches, mosques and temples often offer learning opportunities. NGOs as diverse as the <a href="http://www.wwf.org.za/act_now/f2f/">World Wildlife Fund</a> and <a href="http://www.aasouthafrica.org.za/">Alcoholics Anonymous</a> provide both face-to-face and eLearning opportunities. </p>
<p>In South Africa, community-based organisations such as <a href="http://saveact.org.za/">stokvels</a> – financial cooperatives – can be a great way to learn about money and saving. Keeping the country’s own radical tradition alive, <a href="http://populareducation.co.za">Popular Education South Africa</a> is a catalytic project that “seeks to inspire alternative forms of education provision that benefit working class and poor people”. </p>
<p>The government system of Community Learning Centres, linked to a Community College in each province, offers adult basic education and an alternative route to writing the <a href="http://www.dhet.gov.za/SitePages/CommunityCollege.aspx">National Senior Certificate</a>. This is the final school-leaving exam (“matric”) that can equip you to enter tertiary institutions. Although these centres are of uneven quality, many do an <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/project/Efficacy-in-adult-learning-centres-what-makes-them-work">outstanding job</a> under difficult circumstances. </p>
<h2>Navigating the Internet</h2>
<p>The Internet offers a flood of learning opportunities. But how do you negotiate the deluge of options and pathways? It is important to check out the credentials of the websites you use because search engines don’t discriminate. Look out for websites that are linked to universities and research institutes. These and other credible online sources abound.</p>
<p>Though Wikipedia often gets a bad rap, it’s a vast public resource of information on almost every conceivable topic and a fascinating human invention. It’s a good spot to supplement your learning or answer quick queries.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ted.com/">TED Talks</a> are devoted to “ideas worth spreading”, usually in the form of short powerful talks. You can learn anything from how to <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/pamela_meyer_how_to_spot_a_liar">spot a liar</a> to how to <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/fred_jansen_how_to_land_on_a_comet">land on a comet</a>. Each talk also offers access to a transcript, a reading list for more sources and an option for posting your own comments and joining the debate. </p>
<h2>Learning as never before</h2>
<p>It doesn’t matter whether your learning preferences are formal or informal; institutional or self-directed; online, face-to-face or blended.</p>
<p>We live in a learning world as never before, and the quality of our learning as a species is likely to determine our future. So don’t let cliches about old dogs hold you back: keep learning.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/85776/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Rule works for the Centre for Higher and Adult Education at Stellenbosch University. He has received funding from Umalusi to investigate efficacy at adult learning centres.</span></em></p>It’s common knowledge that children are voracious learners but the famous cliche suggests that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. This simply isn’t true.Peter Rule, Associate Professor, Centre for Higher and Adult Education, Stellenbosch UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/659792016-10-05T07:29:09Z2016-10-05T07:29:09ZRemembering Sol Plaatje as South Africa’s original public educator<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/139433/original/image-20160927-14618-7iac11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sol Plaatje never stopped learning, nor teaching.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/flowcomm/13902788208/in/photolist-nsKpmb-nbxpmu-nbxqyY-6MtoQj-6n9wpR-nqZmNo-nbx5o9-nsKGCW-nuNE4F-nbxkbx-nbxkFv-nt584A-nt2pST-nbxmPc-nbxikv">Flowcomm/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/pebble.asp?relid=7894">Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje</a> was born 140 years ago in what is today South Africa’s Free State province. When he was 40 years old, he published <em>Native Life in South Africa</em>, his great expose of the ruinous effects of the 1913 <a href="http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/natives-land-act-1913">Natives’ Land Act</a>. This legislation almost completely stripped black South Africans of the right to own land.</p>
<p>Plaatje, known as Sol, came from a family that had been associated with Christian missions for three generations. He was also a proud member of the Barolong clan and treasured his African identity and culture. He lived through times of tumultuous change in South Africa, including the <a href="http://www.sahistory.org.za/article/second-anglo-boer-war-1899-1902">Anglo Boer War</a> and the creation of the <a href="http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/union-south-africa-1910">Union of South Africa</a>. </p>
<p>He transcended his own tribal and religious identities to embrace a vision of a common South Africa. He stood up against the forces of white supremacy and segregation and advocated for a united, inclusive nation based on justice, equality and the rule of law. All of this during the darkest of days and at great personal cost. </p>
<p>In honour of <em>Native Life’s</em> centenary, it’s worth revisiting Plaatje’s legacy as one of his country’s greatest public intellectuals. It’s also a good opportunity to reflect on how a man with only four years of formal schooling became a brilliant public educator who promoted a common and inclusive South Africanness. </p>
<h2>Early years</h2>
<p>Plaatje is best known as a leader of the South African Native National Congress, which later became the now-governing African National Congress (ANC). He was also a novelist and journalist. But many may not know that teaching was his first job – and enduring vocation.</p>
<p>He was just 14 or 15 when he was appointed as “pupil-teacher” at the Pniel mission station where he’d completed only three grades of school. He later finished another school year in the city of Kimberley.</p>
<p>Despite his limited formal schooling, Plaatje received what historian Tim Couzens <a href="http://www.oerafrica.org/FTPFolder/guyana/CCTI%20CD/CCTI%20CD/ukzncore2a/documents/core2a.insight.htm">described</a> as “the very best education”. His mother, grandmother and aunts steeped him in Setswana culture and oral tradition. They sparked his fascination with African history, folklore and proverbs, which he later evocatively captured in his 1929 novel <em><a href="http://www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za/book/mhudi/9780143185406">Mhudi</a></em>. It was the first English language novel published by a black South African. </p>
<p>A prodigious polyglot, Plaatje used the limited opportunities at Pniel to increase his repertoire. One day he overheard the missionary’s wife, Elizebeth Westphal, speaking English to a lady in the kitchen. He <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2636726?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">said</a> to her “I want to be able to speak English and Dutch and German as you do”. She gave him extra lessons and introduced him to English literature and classical music. He mastered other South African languages as he encountered them. </p>
<p>During his brief time at school in Kimberley, Plaatje was exposed to a very diverse spectrum of children from the mining town.</p>
<p>The resident priest at the All Saints mission school <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sol-Plaatje-biography-Brian-Willan/dp/0869752529">described</a> the pupils as being </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Cape Dutch [that is, “Coloured”], Bechuana, Zulus, Fingoes, Malays, Indians; and classified in order of creed …. Dutch Reformed, Anglican, Wesleyan, Independent, Roman Catholic; and in addition to Christians, Mahommedans, and Brahmin…‘ </p>
</blockquote>
<p>This thriving polyglot, racially integrated, ecumenical and interfaith school community perhaps gave Plaatje an early taste - not realised in his lifetime - of what an integrated South Africa might mean and how South Africans might learn from each other.</p>
<h2>Lifelong and life-wide learning</h2>
<p>Plaatje was an indefatigable self-directed learner throughout his life. He practised lifelong learning long before it became a <a href="http://uil.unesco.org/fileadmin/keydocuments/LifelongLearning/en/LLPSCollection.pdf">policy buzzword</a>. In his various professions - post office messenger, court interpreter, journalist, politician, author, translator - he found and learnt from mentors, books and life experiences. He made the knowledge his own to share with others. Almost instinctively, he combined the role of public educator with everything else that he did.</p>
<p>In his first adult job in Kimberley as post office messenger, one of the few positions available to educated Africans in the Cape Colony, Plaatje learnt the importance of bearing the message from sender to receiver. From this he perhaps gained insight into the power and importance of the word in connecting people.</p>
<p>He continued this “in-between” role when appointed court interpreter in Mafeking in 1898. The job was about more than just translating. It involved mediating the world of the English and Dutch magistrates and prosecutors to African plaintiffs and vice versa. He made possible, through his voice and person and the virtue of listening, a dialogue between these worlds. </p>
<h2>A pioneer</h2>
<p>Plaatje was also a pioneer of African independent journalism. He launched and edited a number of newspapers such as <em><a href="http://hpra-atom.wits.ac.za/atom-2.1.0/index.php/koranta-ea-becoana-tsala-ea-becoana-and-tsala-ea-batho">Koranta ea Becoana</a></em> (1901-1906). These newspapers published articles in English and Setswana, targeting the country’s small minority of mission-educated Africans. His titles gave this group a public voice and educated them about current affairs. </p>
<p>Plaatje’s newspapers also attacked unjust laws and racial discrimination in the Cape Colony and later the Union of South Africa. He also wrote very widely in English medium newspapers like the <em>Diamond Fields Advertiser</em> and <em>The Star</em>, educating their white readerships about black experiences and perspectives. </p>
<p>Plaatje’s journalism gave him a national profile and he was elected as Secretary General of the newly formed <a href="http://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/formation-south-african-native-national-congress">South African Native National Congress</a> (SANNC) in 1912. A response to the white-dominated Union of 1910, the SANNC united Africans across tribal, regional and language divisions. Later to become the ANC, it gave them a national political voice and identity. </p>
<p>Plaatje travelled to England as part of the congress’s delegation to protest against the Land Act. He joined a second delegation in 1919, where he visited North America as well. On these visits, he addressed hundreds of gatherings to present the “native case”.</p>
<p>His publication in 1916 of <em>Native Life in South Africa</em> was part of this campaign. This and his travels took his role as public educator to an international audience. Although these delegations were ultimately unsuccessful, they laid roots for the later anti-apartheid movement.</p>
<p>Plaatje returned from his travels disappointed by the failure of the delegations to effect change and heavily in debt. He resumed his journalism and travelled the country showing films – a novel technology – to black African audiences. These showed the progress that black Americans had made in politics and education. </p>
<p>Again, this was an effort to educate and connect people. But, in a rapidly urbanising and industrialising South Africa, Plaatje’s messages of educational self-help and moral improvement did not resonate as they once had. </p>
<p>In his final years he increasingly turned to literary concerns: a book about Setswana proverbs and folktales, and a translation of Shakespeare into Setswana. These works bear testimony to his profound and visionary engagement in a dialogue between the oral and the written, Setswana and English, the past and the present.</p>
<h2>A fitting tribute</h2>
<p>Plaatje died of pneumonia in 1932. His riches lay not in material wealth but in the range and depth of his contribution to society. </p>
<p>As his daughter Violet recited as his funeral:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>For here was one devoid of wealth/But buried like a lord. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Perhaps the greatest testament to these gifts, for a man who valued education and learning so deeply, is the living memorial just around the corner from his Kimberley house at 32 Angel Street: the brand new <a href="http://www.spu.ac.za/">Sol Plaatje University</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65979/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Rule does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>How did Sol Plaatje, a man with only four years of formal schooling, become one of South Africa’s most brilliant and committed public educators?Peter Rule, Senior Lecturer, Adult Education, University of KwaZulu-NatalLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/482892015-10-11T10:16:30Z2015-10-11T10:16:30ZWhat Nelson Mandela can teach us about lifelong, dialogue-rich learning<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/97773/original/image-20151008-9688-1huc0oi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Nelson Mandela was a lawyer, an activist, a political prisoner and a president. He was also a man who loved learning.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reuters</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Nelson Mandela’s life and writings reveal his fascination with education. The late statesman’s autobiography, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Long-Walk-Freedom-Autobiography-Mandela-ebook/dp/B0015T6G2G">Long Walk to Freedom</a>, often profiles characters by their education and what he learnt from them. Mandela pursued his own learning actively, curiously and indefatigably in many different settings. </p>
<p>He is also an exemplar of a lifelong learning that is profoundly <a href="http://www.ecswe.org/wren/documents/Article3GallinDialogicLearning.pdf">dialogic</a> in nature. This entails a kind of learning that involves continuing, interlinked dialogues with others, oneself and the world around one. It is central to developing as a person. In Mandela’s case this learning was based on the values of openness, humility, critical reflection and commitment to justice.</p>
<p>So, what lessons can others who wish never to stop learning draw from Mandela’s example?</p>
<h2>Traditional learning and lessons in leadership</h2>
<p>Mandela’s education can be understood as a layered cake but with interfusing ingredients. The first layer was a traditional <a href="http://www.mandelamagic.co.za/heritage">Thembu</a> upbringing in South Africa’s rural Eastern Cape province. This steeped him in oral tradition and history. His civic education came from watching Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo, the acting regent of the Thembu people, hold court at his Great Place.</p>
<p>These were tribal meetings to discuss matters of importance to the Thembu. All Thembu were free to attend and anyone who wanted to speak did so.</p>
<p>In this way, Mandela learnt a style of leadership which emphasised listening to everyone’s views – including criticism of the leader himself – as well as discerning, summarising and “endeavouring to find a consensus”, as he recalls in his autobiography. Democracy, he learnt, meant hearing everyone and taking a decision together as a people.</p>
<h2>Formal schooling</h2>
<p>The second layer was a formal primary and secondary schooling at Wesleyan mission institutions. Although he rebelled against colonial attitudes and authorities, he retained an abiding legacy of mission education: he admired parliamentary democracy, a Christian value system of service, decorum and good conduct, and the English language as a unifying force against ethnic divisions.</p>
<p>Mandela’s higher education was perhaps not as significant for its formal instruction as for relationships and informal learning. At what was then the <a href="http://www.ufh.ac.za/">University College of Fort Hare</a> he was exposed to African role models like academic, author and African National Congress (ANC) stalwart <a href="http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/professor-zachariah-keodirelang-matthews">ZK Matthews</a>.</p>
<p>At the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, the man who would one day become South Africa’s first democratically elected and first black president met progressive law students of different races and backgrounds. His professional education included his law degree – but more profoundly, his practical law experience. </p>
<p>As a legal clerk at the only white law firm that would take on black employees, he learnt from his mentor <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/may/27/guardianobituaries.nelsonmandela">Lazar Sidelsky</a> “to serve our country” and that law could be used “to change society”. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/97774/original/image-20151008-9655-60de2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/97774/original/image-20151008-9655-60de2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/97774/original/image-20151008-9655-60de2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/97774/original/image-20151008-9655-60de2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/97774/original/image-20151008-9655-60de2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/97774/original/image-20151008-9655-60de2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/97774/original/image-20151008-9655-60de2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nelson Mandela embraces a graduating university student.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jim Bourg/Reuters</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Later, as a partner in Mandela and Tambo, he was conscientised by the myriad sufferings of black people at the hands of the apartheid machinery. In Long Walk to Freedom he writes:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We heard and saw the thousands of humiliations that ordinary Africans confronted every day of their lives.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>A political education</h2>
<p>Mandela’s political education was strongly influenced by popular struggles. He participated in the <a href="http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/defiance-campaign-1952">Defiance Campaign</a> of the 1950s, a massive and non-violent response to the apartheid government’s racist laws. During the 1960s, after organisations like the ANC had been banned, he remained involved in the movement underground. </p>
<p>The “prison education” of <a href="http://www.robben-island.org.za/">Robben Island</a>, where Mandela spent more than two decades after being <a href="http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/rivonia-trial-1963-1964">convicted of sabotage</a>, was the final layer of learning. </p>
<p>Here, Mandela learned about how to survive in extreme conditions. Prison was another site in the greater struggle to liberate South Africa. While learning the practical value of collective strength and solidarity, Mandela also learnt to cultivate relationships, especially with <a href="https://www.nelsonmandela.org/content/page/nelson-mandelas-warders">prison warders</a>, seeing even hostile enemies as human beings and potential allies.</p>
<h2>Dialogic lifelong learning</h2>
<p>Through all these layers of education, Mandela exemplified dialogic lifelong learning. It was life-wide, lifelong and life-deep. First, he learnt through dialogue with others. These included friends and mentors like Walter Sisulu and Anton Lembede in the ANC Youth League – but also Communists, who were both rivals and comrades. </p>
<p>He gleaned lessons and insights even from enemies like prison warders and National Party ministers. He was able to transcend the dehumanising view of “the other” inculcated by colonialism and apartheid with a humanising view of “another”: a human being with his or her own particular personality, history and formation. Secure in himself, this transcendence did not involve surrendering his standpoint or denying differences.</p>
<p>Second, he learnt through dialogue with himself. At crucial moments, he was able to reflect critically on what had happened and what it meant. Sometimes an uncomfortable encounter prompted this. In the 1940s he met the Basotho queen regent and she reproached him for not being able to speak Sesotho.</p>
<p>“What kind of lawyer and leader will you be who can’t speak the language of your own people?” she demanded. This prompted Mandela’s shift in attitude from Thembu tribalist to a South African nationalist who embraced all of its peoples and languages.</p>
<p>Third, Mandela showed a continuing learning dialogue with the collective of the ANC. Its history, ethos and policies were a constant reference point for him, even though at times he contested policy, disobeyed it and even took secret initiatives leading into uncharted territory. Nevertheless, the collective of the ANC was the frame for his learning through nearly seven decades.</p>
<p>Perhaps the most striking of Mandela’s learning dialogues was with his changing context. He could read and respond to the signs of the times in very different settings – such as when re-entering public life as a septuagenarian in the 1990s in an extremely volatile national and global context.</p>
<p>These four moments of Mandela’s dialogic lifelong learning – dialogue with others, with self, with the collective and with context – are not discrete. They constantly interact.</p>
<p>At his trial in 1961, Mandela declared:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The struggle is my life. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>From his life and his struggle, his own dialogic lifelong learning stands out as a key attribute and legacy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/48289/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Rule does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The late South African statesman Nelson Mandela exemplifies lifelong learning that is deeply rooted in dialogue.Peter Rule, Associate Professor, Centre for Higher and Adult Education, Stellenbosch UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/455312015-08-12T04:36:17Z2015-08-12T04:36:17ZRadical adjustments needed if universities are to make it easier for people to study while working<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/91171/original/image-20150807-27571-ys7zox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It's not easy for those who are already working to study towards a degree.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>South Africa’s government <a href="http://www.dhet.gov.za/SiteAssets/Latest%20News/White%20paper%20for%20post-school%20education%20and%20training.pdf">wants</a> to make it easier for more people to enrol in higher education. Part of its mission is to improve access for adults who are already working but wish to qualify for either a first or further tertiary qualification. The reasons for this relate to issues of redress and provision of lifelong learning opportunities for economic, social and personal development. </p>
<p>But for flexible learning and teaching to really work, there must be major structural changes and attitude shifts – both within universities and from companies whose employees want to study further while keeping their jobs.</p>
<p>The University of the Western Cape, led by a team from its <a href="http://www.uwc.ac.za/Students/DLL/Pages/default.aspx">Lifelong Learning</a> division, and the <a href="http://www.saqa.org.za/">South African Qualifications Authority</a> (SAQA) have spent the past three years <a href="http://www.flexiblelearningandteaching.blogspot.com">exploring</a> whether it’s possible to move beyond university education’s familiar binaries. These binaries include the ideas of part-time versus full-time tuition and daytime lectures versus night classes.</p>
<h2>New thinking</h2>
<p>The university is about 20 minutes from Cape Town’s city centre. Over the past few years it has seen the partial closure of after-hours or evening classes. This has been driven by a number of factors: government pressure to increase the number of young students without increased financial support; pressure on academics to publish which limits their capacity to do a double shift; the scarcity of safe public transport in the evenings. </p>
<p>New thinking on the issue has been driven by access for working and first-generation students being a core part of the university’s <a href="http://www.uwc.ac.za/Pages/Mission.aspx">mission</a>. This dates back to when it was established in 1960s. Since the 1980s, in opposition to the apartheid government, it continued to prioritise access for politically and economically disadvantaged students, most of whom were working or needing to work. </p>
<p>Several relevant units have been involved in the research and pilot sites were established in three different faculties – political studies, library and information sciences and public health. </p>
<p>We sought to make the process as participative as possible through:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>developing a working definition of what is meant by flexible learning and teaching provision. This was tested in 31 interviews with senior teaching and learning specialists, deans and academics and a survey across all faculties;</p></li>
<li><p>supporting pilot sites to develop and theorise innovative approaches to teaching and learning; and </p></li>
<li><p>making documentation available regularly to the university’s leadership and to academics through seminars, workshops and Senate committees. This encouraged discussion and the building of “common knowledge”. </p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Institutional change</h2>
<p>This research lays the ground for flexible learning and teaching that will meet the needs of all students. But for it to work, there must be major changes within a university’s own structures.</p>
<p>For starters, universities must have a framework for flexible teaching and learning provision for all students. This should work with all four institutional sub-systems – those for teaching, students, delivery and administration.</p>
<p>There are often blockages to flexibility in all four of these sub-systems. These include regulations around staff <a href="http://www.flexitimeplanner.com/flexi-time-policy.aspx">flexi-time</a>, the use of venues, rules for assessment and admissions.</p>
<p>The next step is to implement, as a pilot, an entire undergraduate degree using flexible learning and teaching principles. This should follow a process of research and development. It would need to be linked to a detailed project implementation plan for a three- to five-year period. It requires political will from university leaders and dedicated funding to work.</p>
<p>There are already pockets of innovative, flexible, quality teaching and learning taking place, which should be rewarded and incentivised. This encourages a sustained culture of educational access and innovation across an institution.</p>
<p>For this to happen, leaders at all levels of an institution must undergo professional development that teaches them about these concepts. This kind of training is available through organisations such as the Cape Higher Education Consortium, which <a href="http://www.chec.ac.za/about.html">represents</a> all four of Cape Town’s universities.</p>
<p>Many of the processes followed during the research, and the resources created, have been gathered <a href="http://uwcflexiblelearningandteaching.blogspot.com/">in one place</a> so that institutions can access them and explore the role of flexible learning and teaching for themselves. Popular materials are also to be disseminated by SAQA.</p>
<h2>Employers have a major role to play</h2>
<p>Employers also need to make some changes so that their employees can take advantage of flexible learning opportunities.</p>
<p>They need to check their own study leave policies against the country’s labour laws and make sure that what is offered is adequate. Working learners then need support in the form of bursaries, flexi-time facilities and negotiated access to and use of computers for study purposes.</p>
<p>Crucially, working learners’ newly acquired knowledge must be affirmed and drawn on to add value to the workplace. Studying while working must be seen as what it is: something to be celebrated, which carries forward the government’s goal and improves both individual’s lives and their company’s capacity.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/45531/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shirley Walters receives funding from National Research Foundation and the National Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS).</span></em></p>Flexible learning and teaching can help those who want to study while working. It requires structural changes and attitude shifts within universities and companies whose employees want to study.Shirley Walters, Emeritus Professor, University of the Western CapeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/315332014-09-12T13:15:55Z2014-09-12T13:15:55ZLong-term strategy on adult skills needs political will … and this has been lacking<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58798/original/dtfkgx4j-1410437819.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">MPs call for new campaign on literacy and numeracy.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jjpacres/3293117576/sizes/l">jjpacres</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>With England once again in the spotlight for having poor <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/the-puzzle-of-uk-graduates-and-their-low-level-literacy/2015689.article">adult skills</a>, it’s timely that we have a <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/business-innovation-and-skills/news/adult-literacy-numeracy-bis-report/">new report from MPs</a> calling for a campaign to fix the problem. But while there is lots of evidence out there on what needs to be done, there is a lack of real commitment from government on a long-term strategy to address the adult skills gap.</p>
<p>Once one of the most marginal areas of the post-school educational world, adult literacy and numeracy has moved to centre stage internationally with the creation of league tables of achievement from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The latest of its surveys, the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) was <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-survey-of-adult-skills-2012">released in October 2013</a>. England’s relatively poor performance prompted the parliamentary enquiry on which this new report from the business, innovation and skills select committee is based.</p>
<h2>A basic right</h2>
<p>The recommendations in this cross-party report are sensible and welcome, and call for a new campaign on adult skills. The emphasis on literacy and numeracy as basic rights that should be freely supported is a refreshing change from the language of the dubious “human capital theory of literacy”. This has been in the ascendancy for many years now, based on a belief that increased literacy skills have a straightforward economic pay-off. As I will go on to explain, this has not been that easy to prove.</p>
<p>The MPs’ report calls for further support for the workplace programme of the <a href="https://www.unionlearningfund.org.uk/">Union Learning fund</a> and a return to the creative publicity campaigns that the UK has pioneered ever since <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-27254465">Bob Hoskins starred in adult education series On the Move</a> in the 1970s. </p>
<p>In their report, the MPs emphasise the synergies of adult and child literacy through family learning programmes instead of treating them as competing sectors. They also recognise the value of flexible access routes for adults and informal starting points for learning, both of which are <a href="http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=-HsgcZyNCvYC&pg=PA53&lpg=PA53&dq=Literacy,+Lives+and+Learning+%28Literacies%29&source=bl&ots=ise4ISWpLH&sig=jsOmmMZ4g5I4_rAtcAKr0qCD1B0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=K9oRVOTdDqTQ7AaR4oGACg&ved=0CFQQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=Literacy%2C%20Lives%20and%20Learning%20%28Literacies%29&f=false">well supported by evidence</a>. </p>
<p>They re-emphasise the importance of collaboration across government departments and with charities and other third sector organisations who are already developing powerful partnerships like the new <a href="http://www.readongeton.org.uk/">Read On-Get On campaign</a>, to get all children reading well by 11-years-old.</p>
<h2>Next step after ‘Skills for Life’</h2>
<p>We’ve been here before. <a href="http://rwp.excellencegateway.org.uk/Archive/Policy,%20strategy%20and%20archive%20resources/">Skills for Life</a> (funded by the previous New Labour administration to the tune of £5 billion between 2001 and 2007) was the first ever serious attempt in the UK to address adult literacy, numeracy and English for speakers of other languages. It set up a high-profile media campaign featuring <a href="http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=398793">the Gremlins</a>, introduced professional qualifications for adult literacy and numeracy teachers, a core curriculum, standards and a national test. </p>
<p>The strategy was founded on the belief that increased literacy skills have an economic pay-off for individuals – and for the country as a whole. But it has been <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/berj.3110/pdf">hard to establish</a> the effects of this investment of public funds, especially in the short-term. </p>
<p>Some hard evidence does come from the PIAAC findings. Although they show there is still an urgent problem for many people, they also indicate significant improvement compared to earlier survey results in the 1990s. The UK <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246534/bis-13-1221-international-survey-of-adult-skills-2012.pdf">has edged up</a> to the OECD average for literacy. </p>
<p>What has not improved are the inequalities in achievement across the UK population, despite more people entering higher education than ever before. England is one of the most divided nations in Europe with even graduates showing huge variability in assessed basic skills, according to new indicators <a href="http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/education/education-at-a-glance-2014_eag-2014-en#page38">released by the OECD</a>. </p>
<p>The PIAAC findings received a muted response in the UK media. The Coalition government responded not with a practical policy but by setting up this enquiry and by announcing a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-sets-up-world-leading-adult-literacy-and-numeracy-research-centre">£2.9m research initiative</a> with the Behavioural Insights unit to discover “what works” in adult literacy and numeracy.</p>
<h2>We know what works</h2>
<p>In fact we already know a lot about what works. At the <a href="http://www.literacy.lancs.ac.uk/">Lancaster Literacy Research Centre</a> our work has emphasised the role of the cultural and social environment in supporting reading and writing development. We were part of a national consortium that applied the efforts and talents of academics across the country to produce a <a href="http://www.nrdc.org.uk/index.asp">seminal body of research</a> and reports between 2001 and 2008.</p>
<p>Nevertheless the enquiries set in motion by PIAAC have renewed a sense of urgency about adult literacy and numeracy after a period in which the infrastructure set up by the Skills for Life strategy has begun to dissolve. Funding for <a href="http://news.tes.co.uk/further-education/b/news/2014/02/10/163-460m-cuts-to-adult-skills-budget-quot-will-lead-to-jobs-and-courses-being-cut-quot-colleges-warn.aspx">adult participation in college courses</a> has been cut back by £460m as part of more general austerity measures and compulsory professional qualifications for literacy and numeracy teachers <a href="http://www.nusconnect.org.uk/news/article/teachingandlearning/Revoking-the-need-for-teaching-qualifications-in-FE/">have been removed</a>. </p>
<p>There is no lack of academic and practical knowledge about how to address the literacy and numeracy needs of the adult population. By comparison, the political will to invest and persist in the longer-term in this area is much more fragile, especially in times of austerity. </p>
<p>Jobs are <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-places-available-at-university-but-future-precarious-for-many-school-leavers-30440">becoming harder to come by</a> for low-skilled adults and the demands of communication are continuing to change and grow across our lifespans. We need to adjust our national sights beyond school to understand that the fates of the next generations are bound up with family and community cultures, opportunities in the workplace and our willingness to take adult learning seriously.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/31533/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mary Hamilton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>With England once again in the spotlight for having poor adult skills, it’s timely that we have a new report from MPs calling for a campaign to fix the problem. But while there is lots of evidence out…Mary Hamilton, Professor of Adult Learning and Literacy, Lancaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.