Download - Lynn D. Dierking, Ph.D. John H. Falk, Ph.D. Institute for Learning Innovation Annapolis, MD
Science & Technology Learning across the
Lifespan: Connecting School, Free-Choice and
Workplace Learning
Lynn D. Dierking, Ph.D.John H. Falk, Ph.D.
Institute for Learning InnovationAnnapolis, MD
“Whether in school, at work or engaged in free-choice learning, the purpose of
education is to connect personally with the learner in order to meet and facilitate
his/her lifelong learning needs.”
J.H. Falk & L.D. DierkingLessons without LimitAltaMira Press, 2002
Learning Society
• We live in a Learning Society; learning is 24 – 7 – 52 – 80+
• Learning is rapidly becoming the number one industry and leisure activity globally
• We learn about science and technology in school and universities, during our free-choice learning time and in the workplace
Science & Technology Learning
Infrastructure
Learning Society
Print Media (Books,
Magazines, Newspapers
WorkplaceCommunity Organizatio
ns
Friends & Family
Science Centres & Museums
Libraries
Electronic Media (TV, radio,
film)
Schools &Universities
Learner
Internet
Learning Sectors
School & University Workplace
Free-Choice
School & University Learning Sector
• Centerpiece of most societies’ educational efforts
• Provides foundation for development of basic skills
• Introduces students to new knowledge• Higher education (universities, trade
schools, etc.) offers opportunities for specialization in a field of the student’s choosing
Workplace Learning Sector
• Little recognized as a learning sector; here learn skills necessary to do productive work and earn income to sustain our lives
• As workplaces automate and embrace new technologies, the ability to learn and adapt to new situations is crucial
• Employers no longer can predict the skill sets they will need in the work force, but seek staff who are adaptable and able to learn new skills.
Free-Choice LearningSector
• Guided by needs and interests; engaged in throughout lives
• Exploration of what is useful, compelling or just plain interesting
– From Internet to IMAX, educational television, and museums, more opportunities than ever before
– Might surf Internet in local library to track down information, attend amateur astronomy club, watch a nature documentary on TV or visit local science center.
Learning Infrastructure, cont.
• Depending on a person’s interests and abilities, he/she accesses the resources of these three learning sectors at different points in his/her life
• Despite this fact, currently there is unequal recognition, use and support of these three learning sectors by citizens of all ages
Creating Tomorrow’s Learning Society
• Restructure Departments of Education at local and national levels to Departments of Learning, encompassing all types of lifelong learning
• Establish a lifelong learning budget for every citizen and create structures that enable him/her to wisely spend their learning budgets at any time in their life and throughout the learning infrastructure
Creating Tomorrow’s Learning Society, cont.
• Insure that funding for education is more equitably distributed to all parts of the learning infrastructure
• Appreciate that each person is both a lifelong learner and an educator; as global societies we need to figure out how to support and encourage each person to be both a learner and an educator
What Does this Mean for the School of
Tomorrow?• The School of Tomorrow can not just be
a school……the lines are blurring….the lines are blurring….• The focus should be on facilitating
individual learners rather than on reforming any single institution
• Ideally the School of Tomorrow integrates free-choice and workplace learning and allows students to meaningfully use these learning resources to accomplish their learning goals and……
What Does this Mean for the School of Tomorrow cont.?
• Adults and children in free-choice and workplace learning settings are equally respected teachers and facilitators of science & technology learning as classroom teachers (as are the students themselves)
• This pervasive and integrated network is accessible to citizens of all ages, not only school-age children
• We should remember what Pablo Picasso said: “Everything you can imagine is real.”