Learnlife Blog

We need to replace traditional learning, which is no longer fit for purpose, with personal learning where learners forge unique learning paths.

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.

The Learnlife movement is growing, but is it scaling, or spreading? What do these words mean to you?

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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?

The world is full of successful entrepreneurs who were told in school that they would never amount to anything. So many people succeed ‘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 entrepreneurship finds its place in mainstream education, we might actually be getting somewhere and, to be honest, we’re not about to wait.