Lifelong Learning and
Innovative Learning Environment
Reijo Aholainen, European Commission, DG Education and Culture
Lifelong Learning and
Innovative Learning Environments
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5.
EU role in education and training
Education and training 2010 (ET2010)
Lifelong Learning (LLL)
Innovative Learning Environments (ILE)
European Year of Creativity and
Innovation 2009
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1) EU in education and training
Some history
• Education was not originally in the agenda
• Cooperation since the 70:ies
• COMETT, Erasmus and other programmes since
the 80:ies
• Legal basis after the Maastricht Treaty
• Via Socrates and Leonardo to Lifelong Learning
programme
• Education and Training 2010 Work Programme
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EU in education and training
The Mandate
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Treaty of Rome: Cooperation in Vocational Training;
Case “Gravier”;
Legal basis in the Maastricht Treaty 1992:
1. Contribution to the development of quality education by
encouraging cooperation between Member States
2. Implementing a vocational training policy which shall support
the Member States
3. Respect to the responsibility of the Member States for the
content of teaching and the organisation of education systems”
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Lifelong Learning Programme
- Best known EU practice
Comenius
School
education
Erasmus
Higher education
& advanced
training
Leonardo da
Vinci
Vocational
education and
training
Grundtvig
Adult
education
Transversal Programme
4 key activities – Policy Cooperation; Languages; ICT; Valorisation
(Valorisation = Dissemination and exploitation of results)
Jean Monnet Programme
3 key activities – Jean Monnet Action; European Institutions;
European associations
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2) Education & Training 2010
(ET2010) Work Programme
• Common objectives
– Quality, Access and Openness to the wider world
• Lifelong learning approach
– Covers all parts of lifelong learning from pre-primary to adult learning,
including Higher Education and Vocational Training
– Member States committed to adopt national LLL Strategies
– Key Competences Recommendation
– Efficiency and Equity – no trade off
– European Qualification Framework
• Quality Assurance
• Credit Transfer
• Open Method of Coordination
– Indicators and Benchmarks, Peer Learning, Evidence Based Policy
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EU Recommendation (2006) on
Key Competences of Lifelong Learning
1. Communication in the mother tongue;
2. Communication in foreign languages;
3. Mathematical competence and basic competences in
science and technology;
4. Digital competence;
5. Learning to learn;
6. Social and civic competences;
7. Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship; and
8. Cultural awareness and expression.
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EU Recommendation (2008) on
European Qualification Framework
(EQF) for Lifelong Learning
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•
Relates national qualifications systems to a common
European reference framework
Describes “learning outcomes”
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•
Eight reference levels
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What a learner knows, understands and is able to do
National qualifications are placed at one of the central reference levels
Applies to all types of education, training and qualifications
Encourages countries to relate their qualifications
systems or frameworks to the EQF by 2010
Supported by Quality Assurance and Credit Transfer
Systems
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Participation in lifelong learning in
the EU member states in 2005
Percentage of population aged 25-64 participating in education
and training in the four weeks prior to the survey
Source: Eurostat, Labour Force Survey
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3) Why Lifelong Learning?
Why now?
• Globalisation
• Changing skill needs of the knowledge society
• more and more jobs require higher education
• less and less jobs are possible for those who do not have qualifications
• Demographic changes
• Ageing
• Migration
• Employment, growth and competitiveness
• Active citizenship, equal opportunities and democracy
• Education as a basic human right
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EU definition (2001)
of Lifelong Learning
• “All-purposeful learning activity, undertaken on an
ongoing basis with the aim of improving
knowledge, skills and competence”
• From cradle to grave
– High quality basic education is the basic requirement
– Formal, non-formal and informal learning
• Life-wide learning
– learning environments: family life, leisure time, everyday working
life
• Active citizenship, social cohesion and employability
• All Member States committed to national LLL strategies
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Lifelong Learning is more than
the education systems provide
• A) Education and training system
– High quality and equity of the education system as the basis
– High educational level, learning skills and learning motivation
• B) Continuous maintenance and development of
competences also outside education systems
– On-the-job learning, in-service training and non-formal adult education
– Open university, eLearning
– Informal learning
• C) Strengthening the requirements of lifelong learning
– Guidance and counselling services
– Personalisation
– Access to and skills for eLearning, social web
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Innovation and creativity for
improving lifelong learning
• Learning requires motivation and confidence
• Learning as a cognitive process
– utilising various learning approaches and methods
– activating our different types of intelligences
– involving the social cooperation in learning
• Modern learning takes use of the ICT potential
• Partnerships and networks as learning tools
• Encouraging learning environment
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ICT for Lifelong Learning
Outside school: social computing
• Changing learning habits
– Social and interactive eLearning with Web 2.0
• ICT and new social software grow rapidly
– Internet, Google, Wikipedias, YouTube, Delicious, Facebook
Flickr etc.
• User-centred / user-owned / user-created learning
• Social computing applications enable interaction
and collaboration
– Users are participants (co-creators not end-users)
– Networks of individuals and communities become collective
resources
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5) Perspectives on
Innovative Learning Environments
• Physical
A building, a space
Architecture, Space planning, Design
• Social
Human interaction
Social psychology, Group processes, Communication
• Technological
Educational use of ICTs
Information sciences
• Local
Places outside school
Pedagogy, Learning Organizations
• Didactic
environment that supports learning
Didactic and pedagogic models
Source: Manninen et al: Environments that support learning, NBE, 2007
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Innovative Learning Environments
(ILE)
• Learning paths planned in cooperation with
various actors:
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–
teachers
museum specialist
museum pedagogy specialist
representatives from business & industry
university department
Source: Manninen et al: Environments that support learning, NBE, 2007
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Innovative Learning Environment
as a modern schooling idea
Curriculum approach
Learning Environment approach
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teacher directed
focus on teaching
curriculum based
delivery of information
collaborative
focus on learning
problem based
construction of knowledge
•
individualistic work practices • team work practices (team of
(teacher + class)
teachers & partners)
• school as a ”closed”
organisation
• interaction with school and society
• working alone
• networking
Source: Manninen et al, 2007
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5) What is the European Year of
Creativity and Innovation about ?
• The overall objective is to promote creativity and
innovation in society and economy
– in particular in and through learning
• Awareness raising
– events, information and initiatives
• Promote policy debate
– At European, national, regional and local levels
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Creativity is the infinite
source of innovation
• Creativity is about thinking - cognitive – and behaviour
– All children are creative, all have some sorts of special gifts
– Creative thinking, thinking out of box
– Synthesize and combining data and information
• Creativity concerns all fields
– Creativity is not only about culture and arts
• Creativity requires open environment and creative
people from different fields
– Learning cities, learning regions
– Florida’s 3T framework: Talent, Technology, Tolerance
• Can be encouraged, supported and improved
– But impossible to impose!
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Basic concepts
• INNOVATION =
A new or significantly
improved product (good or
service), or process, a new
marketing method, or a
new organizational method,
business practice,
workplace organization or
external relations”
(OECD, Eurostat 2006)
• CREATIVITY=
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Imaginative thinking or
behaviour
purposeful activity directed
to
generation of something
original and
of value.
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European Year of
Creativity and Innovation
• Covers all creative and innovative sectors of society
– Including arts and culture, design, fashion, science, business,
enterprise, regions, industries, services, technologies, etc.
• Decentralized structure and networking
– At European, national, regional and local level
• Invites all interested to participate, organize and act
– Networking and partnerships
• Excellent opportunities to associate with
– No specific funding
– But there will be resources when there is will
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Happy New Year 2009 !
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