Life Through Learning; Learning Through Life

Learning is the lifelong process of transforming information and experience into knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes. A gradual process of dynamic engagement with experience, of gaining knowledge and skills that continues throughout a person’s life. People learn in different ways at different times. It starts from the womb to the tomb. Every individual progresses from one learning level to the next throughout their lifetime.

I believe that lifelong learning can develop each and every potential and natural capabilities of a person. We all have natural and innate capabilities, it may not be apparent but it can be developed if coupled with the burning desire to improve.

There is an old adage that says “Experience is the best teacher.” It is imperative to look back in the past even if it is difficult at sometimes. But lifelong learning provides us the advantage of an actual viewpoint and enables us to find true meaning in the hills and valleys of our past. “Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” – Helen Keller. I suppose that making mistakes is part of life. Being perfect in not human nature but we must take risks, correct our mistakes and learn from it. We need to put our lives in a better perspective. It increases our understanding of the whys and the whats of previous successes and failures we encountered and among other people as well. I also believe that lifelong learning leads to an inspiring life of self-fulfillment.

Individuals now have the autonomy to make their own learning choices. The efficacy of your choice has to be evaluated, bring about, sustain and support the true natural way of learning. It is considered radical for some reasons but it challenges the existing needs to develop necessary life skills and individual abilities. The selection of different learning strategies can be a better avenue for conducive learning more than traditional approaches. But there are times each is confined into the path where every individual finds the comfort of knowledge and awareness. Clearly, life experiences are the unambiguous results that encourage critical thinking and reflective approaches to learning.

"Education is a social process...education is growth...education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.” – John Dewey

Lifelong learning promotes the development of knowledge and proficiencies that will allow each individual to adapt to the knowledge-based society and vigorously take part in all spheres of social and economic life, taking more control of his or her future. The content of learning, the way learning is accessed, and where it takes place may vary depending on the learner and their learning requirements. Lifelong learning is also about providing second chances to update vital skills and also present learning opportunities at more advanced levels. Formal systems of education need to become much more open and flexible, so that such opportunities can truly be tailored to the needs of the learner, or indeed the potential learner.