LIFEPLACE LEARNING What is it

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LIFEPLACE LEARNINGWhat is it?

• Dr Margaret Blair

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• Generally recognised that learning is done in all
  areas of life
• In non formal environments (home, play,
  relaxation etc.)
• In more formal environments (workplace, community
  projects)
• in definite formal learning environments (school,
  college, university).

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• Yeaxlee (1929 p. 155) states
• Much adult education will never know itself as
  such, and will be recognized only by leaders and
  teachers of real insight. It will go on in clubs,
  churches, cinemas, theatres, concert rooms, trade
  unions, political societies, and in homes of the
  people where there are books, newspapers, music,
  wireless sets, workshops, gardens and groups of
  friends

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• Learning done in all of these areas is valuable
  and could be utilised by students to fulfil
  programme requirements
• This could be a valid method of continuous
  learning
• We propose the concept of the recognition of
  previous, current and future lifeplace learning
  as valid learning and of using it to attain
  accreditation and qualifications.

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• The learning environment is termed the
  lifeplace and includes all of these areas.
• Learning done in the lifeplace can be accredited
  in HE
• Might enhance the flexible concept of learning
  and be useful for the diverse range of students
  now accessing, or interested in accessing, higher
  education
• Will allow credit for things that interest and
  for everyday knowledge/experience vital for
  society to function and progress .

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• Lifeplace Learning consists of two parts
• The possibility of accreditation and recognition
  of academic or non-academic knowledge learned in
  non-academic environments or not forming part of
  academic studies in academic environments whether
  from past or current experience or from future
  studies
• Using lifeplace environments for learning and the
  techniques, resources and tools for study within
  these environments.

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• Leadbetter (2000) More learning needs to be
  done at home, in offices and kitchens, in the
  contexts where knowledge is deployed to solve
  problems and add value to peoples lives.
• Learning already does go on in these places it is
  just the recognition of it and its value that is
  in question.
• Coffield (2000) suggests that even with all of
  the talk of lifelong learning and the learning
  society the focus remains on formal provision,
  qualifications and accountability.

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• Lifeplace Learning accreditation opens doors to
  the diverse range of learners in society today
  and the push currently to have a more inclusive
  educated society.
• Allows people who cannot or do not wish to attend
  university to achieve valuable qualifications
  (valued by society) and to have the knowledge and
  skills that they value recognised by society.
• This will also increase confidence in own
  abilities and consequently encourage further
  learning.

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• Formal learning tales place in education and
  training institutions leading to recognised
  diplomas and qualifications
• Non formal learning takes place alongside the
  mainstream systems of education and training and
  does not typically lead to formal certification,
  e.g. learning and training activities undertaken
  in the workplace, voluntary sector or trade union
  and through community-based learning
• Informal learning is experiential learning and
  takes place through life and work experiences. It
  is often unintentional learning. The learner may
  not recognise at the time of the experience that
  it contributed to the development of their skills
  and knowledge. This recognition may only happen
  retrospectively through the RPL process, unless
  the experiences take place as part of a planned
  experiential or work based learning programme.
  (SCQF)

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• Lindman (1926 4-7) suggested that
• Education is life
• Adult education should be non vocational
• We should start with situations and not subjects
• We must use the learners experience.

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• Yeaxlee ( 1929) says learning in adulthood needs
  to be prepared for right from the start of our
  learning careers particularly encouragement of
  continuous education in primary and secondary
  education
• adult education is as inseparable from normal
  living as food and physical exercise. Life, to be
  vivid , and strong, and creative, demands
  constant reflection upon experience, while work
  and leisure are blended in perfect exercise of
  body, mind and spirit, personality attaining
  completion in society.

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• The fact that people learn in different ways also
  has to be taken into consideration - Without
  noticing, we are unconsciously learning
• Nakayama suggests that we are learning
  automatically as we live our live, whilst walking
  aroundsubconscious learning could be considered
  an efficient way to absorb elements.
• If we are learning all of the time in any
  environment and we do not have to pay attention
  to learn then why should academia restrict the
  gathering of the knowledge to that which is
  taught on campus
• If we do absorb information subconsciously then
  is this information not as valid as that taught
  to us or from which we get from books?

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• Lifeplace Learning is
• any learning done throughout life, in any
  environment, for whatever reason or however
  learned

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• Society must recognise the value of this and that
  this learning can be recognised in a formal
  manner at an appropriate level.
• Who dictates that what academia holds out as
  valuable is more valuable than everyday life
  knowledge, that motherhood knowledge is not
  worthy of formal recognition or less valuable
  than engineering, that what is learned through
  experience in the home is less valuable than what
  one learns at college, or that taught learning is
  more valuable than self-taught .

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• The fact is that we learn throughout life.
• We gain knowledge from official and formal
  sources such as school and university and books
  but we also learn from other sources and in other
  ways too.
• We learn from experience, we learn from our peers
  and from custom, habit and from socialising.
• We learn from watching television even when we do
  not officially recognise that we are learning.
• This knowledge is invaluable in the way that we
  get through life.

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• Extensive literature searches reveal no major
  studies relating to formalisation of learning in
  the lifeplace or accreditation of the knowledge
  gained from previous, current or future
  life-based study.
• Lifeplace learning represents learning and
  knowledge which derives from the motivation and
  interest of the learner and involves learning
  through learner negotiation with the educator.
• Lifeplace learning is integral to everyday living
  environments and hence the blend of explicit and
  tacit knowledge combined with knowledge based
  skills will complement and underpin global
  society alongside that achieved by conventional
  on-campus learning

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• There is a variety of activities that the person
  is involved in which all involve learning and
  therefore knowledge creation, some of which is
  from formal learning activities, some from
  informal, some which is conscious, some
  subconscious, some tacit and some explicit.
• The education systems that we currently have put
  the emphasis on the formal, explicit, conscious
  learning done it a formal on-campus or formal
  off-campus environment
• Lifeplace learning captures the other
  knowledge sub-conscious nor normally accepted as
  valuable learning and the conscious, tacit which
  is not usually accredited.
• This is life knowledge, that we gain through
  experience and practice, that we choose to learn
  for interest or need to learn to carry out life
  activities.

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• Lifeplace Learning is an attempt to bring to
• education a process for recognising and
  accrediting
• all knowledge irrespective of where or why it is
• gained or its type.
• By enabling the accreditation of all knowledge we
  can
• value not only the knowledge but the learner too.
  
• Since the world revolves and continues to operate
  by
• the combining of knowledge types and utilising
  all the
• information sources that we have why should only
• some be capable of accreditation within an
  education
• system that proposes to be for the 21st century

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• Education systems have to change from the
  earliest
• Parents must begin to show that there is value in
  what we do in our life learning from the start of
  a childs life.
• Proper standards need to be adhered to if a
  qualification is required to ensure its
  credibility
• If such a concept was to be adopted training for
  staff would be important.