Learnlife Blog
Essay Mills and the absence of personal learning
The Twittersphere is ablaze with the news that the UK, after Australia and Ireland, is set to ban essay mills. While the news is unsurprisingly welcome by mainstream institutions, there is remarkably little bold discussion about why it happens in the first place. Is personal learning the true cure?
Time to Think Differently
Learnlife has tackled the challenge to provide a fresh experience of learning, unleash learner curiosity, facilitate learner agency and encourage discovery in a variety of ways.
Learnlife-Acesco Hubling Partnership - hacking the state curriculum
The Learnlife movement is gathering pace, with 11 Hub Partners already onboard during 2021 and a total of 152 interested institutions from 42 countries. Amidst the numbers which tell the story of momentum and shared vision, we wanted to share a wonderful example of partnership with you.
What it means to make learning personal (and what it takes)
We need to replace traditional learning, which is no longer fit for purpose, with personal learning where learners forge unique learning paths.
Change in education is happening on all fronts
In Learnlife we think a lot about change. In the Learnlife Alliance, we talk a lot about change. In the Learnlife hubs, hublings, communities and partnerships, we push for change and try to show and share with others how it might look, as we learn and grow together.
Scale or spread? A partnership case study between Learnlife and Intrinsic
The Learnlife movement is growing, but is it scaling, or spreading? What do these words mean to you?
How the role of an educator must change to suit the 21st century
What does the word “educator” mean to you? Those of us working in such roles have likely used different words to describe what we do. Teacher, mentor, coach, learning guide. It never used to be so diverse, but such is the way of change. The words evolve, because the role itself is changing.
The word and the why - the broken language of learning
At Learnlife, we are conscious of how we use words to describe learning, because we believe we have a responsibility to be part of something better. Join us on an exploration of the word, and the power it has to take us forward.
How personal learning can reignite your children's love of learning
Personal learning sounds like a logistical nightmare to the top brass of education, who have had us marching lockstep for centuries. The truth is that if you try to personalize learning within the same old traditional system, it is almost impossible. But when the learner takes over, it really can be done. Let’s look at the personal learning approach of our Home Hub programme, and why it really is the future.
What is Your Ikigai?
We talk a lot about Ikigai at Learnlife, as a way of distinguishing something beyond passion or purpose. Ikigai is really your reason for being, and the thing that gives you direction and motivation, but we thought we would take this opportunity to zoom in a little bit more on the concept, and why it is at the heart of what we do.
Does the future belong to the generalists?
The traditional model of education tells us that as you progress, you narrow and specialise. But the future needs generalists too, who can connect the dots and see beyond the boundaries of specialism. So why do we still tell our children to choose one thing and do it well?
Education has broken down. Let’s start it up together
The world is full of successful entrepreneurs who were told in school that they would never amount to anything. So many people succeeding in spite of their education instead of because of it tells us not only that the current system is broken, but gives us a yardstick to measure progress towards something better. When the entrepreneurs find their place in mainstream education again, we might actually be getting somewhere and, to be honest, we’re not about to wait.
7 questions about literacy at Learnlife
We received such a warm response to our article on numeracy at Learnlife that we decided literacy had to be tackled next. Literacy is not only the skill of reading and writing, but how we interact with the world around us, how we influence it, and how it influences us. How do we support learners to develop such a critical part of who they are? Let’s find out with 7 questions about literacy at Learnlife with learning guides Harriet and Annette
Wellbeing for children is not a priority, but THE priority.
As governments and institutions rush to respond to the post-pandemic landscape in education, wellbeing for children is finally at the heart of policy. Dig just a bit deeper, however, and you’ll see that the majority of these strategies are temporary reactions. We discuss why wellbeing is the fundamental priority of learning environments and why that commitment needs to be permanent.
Interlingualism in learning
Interlingualism is quite a new word, but the concept is as old as the human story itself. At Learnlife, we welcome interlingualism as the chance to share together in the beautiful diversity of sounds and stories within our community, and to instil global citizenship at the heart of our experience. So what is it, and why does it matter?
Neuroscience and the joy of learning
Last month, we wrote about the neuroscience of learning and we gave fair warning that we would return to the topic. Sooner than you thought, perhaps, but we just couldn't wait. We wanted to zoom in on one particular area, and that is the joy of learning.
Community story: From the school of life to lifelong learning
Jago Bakshy shares his unique learning journey; from his birthplace in the UK, to India and most recently to Barcelona, Spain, where he is part of the cohort of the Explorers programme at Barcelona’s Learnlife Urban Hub.
7 questions about numeracy at Learnlife
Maths trauma is a real thing, and that should be an alarm bell for the way numeracy is approached in the traditional education system. From balancing our books to balancing our tables, numeracy skills are functional skills we need in today’s world. So how do we approach numeracy at Learnlife? What exactly is “soccermatics”? We put 7 questions to Learning Guide Adria Balcazar and got an exponential return.
The neuroscience of learning - 3 things we need to tell to learners and parents
The neuroscience of learning is starting to come of age. Much is still speculation, but more and more conclusions are being widely accepted. Here are three things we feel parents and educators ought to know about the brain.
What we learned during the shift to remote learning
As doors open and normal service resumes, we look back at what we learned from a sudden shift to remote learning, and how it has made us stronger as a learning community.
Learnlife Studios - where the magic really happens
A creative space where you can truly explore? A place to discover, iterate and make an impact? Look no further than Learnlife studios.
A learning community by no other name
Deconstructing buzzwords is something of a hobby at Learnlife, and today is the turn of the learning community. What happens when you open the doors between learners and the “real world” and should there be a door in the first place?
Community Story: In and Out - My Education
Francis Indini Botwey shares his unique learning journey; from his birthplace in Ghana where his learning path began, to France and now Barcelona, Spain, where he is part of the cohort of Change Makers at Learnlife Urban Hub.
What does VUCA learning look like?
Our world is a VUCA world, but traditional education tries to shelter our children from that reality with a neatly packaged system that does nothing to help them prepare for an uncertain world. So what does VUCA learning look like, and what is at its core?
Learnlife’s Rites of Passage: how our learners meet the challenge
We use the transformative power of the rites of passage to help learners develop self-confidence, work with mentors and peers, learn and adapt.
It's time to throw out traditional credentialing
Will we ever move beyond school grades and entry tests? We think so, and employers largely agree. It is time for the gatekeepers in between to accept that in this fast-changing world, something just ain't right with traditional credentialing.
25 Learning Methodologies That Every 21st Century Education Professional Should Know
Schools are being advised that they should employ modern learning methodologies such as Flipped Classroom, Design Thinking and Project-Based Learning. But are they just ‘buzz words’ or a fad?
Parents as partners in the learning journey
Learning is constellational; always expanding and in perpetual motion, but children can and should be supported to see that and embrace it. Collaboration ensures a network of support and shared purpose around the children who are at the centre of it all.
Preparing learners for a future we cannot control
The idea that everything in our future can be perfectly predicted and measured is just not true, and hanging on to that illusion of control is one way in which mainstream thinking is letting us down badly.
Developing a Growth Mindset
In developing a growth mindset, we need dedication and hard work to enhance our abilities and test initially perceived notions about ourselves.
Learning in Nature
Learning in nature takes education out of the classroom and in the environment, using it as a unique tool to acquire knowledge and develop skills.
[RE]LEARN 2020: Reflections from a Young Learner
We must rewire our thinking in order to move towards an educational system where there is authentic and profound respect for learners.
Skateboarding and Learnlife - what's the connection?
In a learning environment like ours, or others who are transforming the system around the world right now, we can see why skateboarders have found somewhere that aligns with the way they interact and the way they learn.
Growing Positive Relationships
We must reframe the widely assumed belief that positive relationships are accidental and acknowledge that they can be deliberately forged.
Learn, Unlearn, Relearn
“The illiterate of the future are not those who can’t read or write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
We’re excited to re-ignite a passion for learning!
We’re not there yet, but it is really happening. We’re stepping back and re-igniting our learners’ passion for learning so that they could take control.
Play-Based Learning Brings Its Own Reward
Play-based learning isn’t a concept just for infants and young children. Doing anything you truly enjoy is play, and you’ll know that by how it feels.
Change in our Education System Begins on Day One
In a new education paradigm we talk more of an onboarding process than matriculation. So what exactly does this mean, and how does it differ?
An alternative education beyond the wall
The wall is often overlooked in discussions of a learning environment, perhaps because they are simply there, and we’ve forgotten what anything else might look like.
Innovation for Education is a word apart (spelling is intentional!)
Innovation for education, and a change in the way we do things, really is much closer than we may think. In fact, this stronger structure is right here.
Learnlife Inspirations: 5 books and articles as recommended by Stephen Harris
Learnlife Co-founder, Stephen Harris, recommends a few books and articles that inspired and advanced our thinking for Learnlife’s learning approach and paradigm.
Community Story: What is Your Why?
If people don’t know the answer to the question “What is your why?”, then they run the risk of allowing others to envision their life for them.
Learning Alliance: A Movement to Deliver Educational Change
The Learning Alliance at Learnlife aims to spread a global learning paradigm that suits today’s learners and prepares them for their tomorrow.
Why Mental and Emotional Wellness is Now Top of Mind
As the pandemic continues and many countries are still in an extended state of quarantine, the topic of mental and emotional wellness now becomes top of mind.
A New Learning Paradigm
Learnlife proposes a new learning paradigm is needed to prepare learners for the future and create the momentum required to drive change in education.
Ikigai for students and purpose-inspired learning
Learning should begin with finding one's purpose, the ‘why’ that propels us forward. And helping develop this ikigai for students is our focus for their future.
Community Story: Lives Matter
Lives matter. Sam Lardner, Director of Learnlife Barcelona, shares a heartfelt letter with our community after the events of the last week in the United States.
One Learner Moves to His Own Beat to Find His Purpose in Life
Stormur is a talented 15-year-old 'Learnlifer' who hasn’t skipped a beat in carving his own path and finding his purpose in life during confinement.
The power of talking about the mental health of students
An interview with Monica Evason, mindset coach, on why now, more than ever, it's important to talk about the mental health of students.
The Shift to Remote Learning
On March 10, we shifted to remote learning — into the homes of over 60 learners in Barcelona and beyond. This post is about what has happened since.