Lynn D. Dierking, Ph.D. John H. Falk, Ph.D. Institute for Learning Innovation Annapolis, MD

1. 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 Innovation Annapolis, MD

2. “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. Dierking Lessons without Limit AltaMira Press, 2002

3. 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

4. Learning Society Science & Technology Learning Infrastructure Internet Print Media (Books, Magazines, Newspapers Schools & Universities Friends & Family Learner Electronic Media (TV, radio, film) Science Centres & Museums Libraries Workplace Community Organizations

5. Learning Sectors School & University Workplace Free-Choice

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. What Does this Mean for the School of Tomorrow? • The School of Tomorrow can not just be a school……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……

13. 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.”