HELEN A. ABEJUELA - Forum 2 Dr.

Maria Ines Asuncion

Guro 21- Batch 6 Class 33 FLT

Forum 2: Who is a Lifelong Learner? By C. Medel- Anonuevo, et al. (2001)

REFLECTION

Every person, at every stage of their life should have lifelong learning opportunities to acquire
the knowledge and skills they need to fulfill their aspirations and contribute to their societies.

The entire education system is designed to facilitate lifelong and life wide learning and the
creation of formal, non-formal and informal learning opportunities for people of all age. The
concept of lifelong learning requires a paradigm shift away from the ideas of teaching and
training towards those of learning, from knowledge-conveying instruction to learning for
personal development and from the acquisition of special skills to broader discovery and the
releasing and harnessing of creative potential. This shift is needed at all levels of education and
types of provision, whether formal, non-formal or informal. (source: UNESCO Education
Strategy 2014-2021)

The acquisition of knowledge, skills, competences that lifelong learning should enable is not
limited, in its conceptual understanding, to that of foundational skills, but also encompasses a
larger panel of skills, bearing in mind the emergence of new skills deemed critical for individuals
(as learning to learn, skills for global citizenship, entrepreneurial skills, and other core skills).

A skilled population is the key to a countrys sustainable development and stability. As a

consequence, policy attention to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is
increasing worldwide.

Lifelong learning is about meeting the diverse and context-specific learning needs of all age
groups, including the acquisition of basic literacy technical skills through both formal education
and effective alternative pathways to learning. Adult learning and education, TVET and literacy,
all represent significant components of the lifelong learning process.

As a reflected on my reading about lifelong learning, teaching grade one for 24 years, I may say
that students/pupils will listen to us much more effectively outside the world. It is almost an act
of cruelty to force them to sit all day listening and not by talking. They should be engaged
outside the room. The room should be where they drop their bags and come back to discuss what
they have learned. Learning is not by sitting, and its all by experience. Yes, if we let our
students/pupils observe about a flower going out and looking at real ones is much more potent
than a picture book or reading about it. The energy changes and they are engaged not switched
off. They will listen to us much more effectively outside in the world. We are now in the 21st
century. This means that we have to offer new and relevant knowledge to our students that would
equip them in the future. The bright one's will always cause trouble because they are bored and
they get punished for being bright. This is what I observed and heard. The reality is, students
and pupils want changes.

I had a talk with one of my friend John in the internet; He was punished for being like bored
always because they always like a dog tied in the kennel. He always a class clown in their class.
He said, He drive himself insane inside the classroom always sitting down and always sit up
straight. He added, but if the teacher will send them out, wow! What a lesson! They all
understand more, than sitting the whole day. He said, he only went to school because there were
none left on the street everyday so any one to play with him. Yes, it is a cruel to do like that.
What a poor little creature so full of energy and forced to sit. We teachers can teach our learners
to other dimension, more sitting under a tree than in a brick room. Other said, schools are like
army barracks or prisons. Letting the children get out from the four walls of the classroom is
more sense than inside.

Sometimes, I used to share during our faculty meeting but others teachers refused and don't like
my idea. Is the main goal in the public system, give them enough skills in reading and writing to
run the machine. Why not train our young pupils to go out from the room, pair by two's and let
them discover the world outside the room. Its good to let them go out from time to time.

I listened to what my friend John says about his way of doing things and I will find it very
inspirational. My other colleagues will look at me from head to foot. They don't like my idea but
I still go on of what I think is good for my pupils. I may say that we are still products of the
system. GURO 21 is a big opportunity to help teachers equip with knowledge, skills, attitudes
and values for the 21st century. Most of the teachers including me are still stick to the traditional
way of teaching. That is a very simple thing to understand and we can be a force for change it.
Now I challenge myself to continue my study, upgrade myself to be one of a good 21st century
teacher, and have a potential to lead a school someday. This is what I understand more about
lifelong learning. We cannot tell our future, it's all part of the plan. Someday our students and
pupils will be reaching to the top and we teachers are part of it. Education is a continuous
process. It is a lifelong learning.

haa