SYMPOSIUM | RPIC341: Empowering Learners To Be Future-Ready

In this era of relentless change, education in the twenty-first century must strive to develop learners to be self-directed so that they have the lifelong learning skills to be future-ready. Singapore’s Ministry of Education (MOE) devised a New Framework for the 21st century whereby students should possess lifelong learning goals and life-ready competencies such as creativity and innovation. It is our collective vision that every student will become a confident person, a self-directed learner, an active contributor and a concerned citizen (MOE, 2010). From an educational initiative to a pedagogical paradigm, it is increasingly important to foster a culture of lifelong learning and empower students to be future-ready. Lifelong learning or learning for life may relate to continuous learning and learning throughout one’s lifespan. From an educational psychology perspective, lifelong learning refers to the motivation for learning and competence to apply successfully in learning situations. From social and education policy perspective, lifelong learning relates to the ability to handle change and transition in life, in response to rapid technological and global changes. The term “lifelong learning” can thus be explored from multiple perspectives, depending on the context. To date, educational research related to lifelong learning across varied contexts is still in its infancy phase. The present paper conceptualized lifelong learning in schools and K-12 educational contexts. It explained the various perspectives of lifelong learning, with potential challenges of implementing lifelong learning in schools. Implications and future directions for the education of lifelong learning were discussed. Reference Ministry of Education. (2010, March 9). MOE to enhance learning of 21st century competencies and strengthen art, music and physical education. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.sg/ media/press/2010/03/moe-to-enhance-learning-of-21s.php

The rapid rate of technology change in the 21st century has increased the pressure for educational institutions to provide learning opportunities across people's lives. From reskilling due to AI-driven job changes to developing enough technology literacy necessary to stay abreast of the global pandemic, individuals across all ages must be ready to keep learning both for economic and non-economic reasons (Tan, 2017). Between informal public service announcements and formal re-education initiatives (e.g., returning to university), there exists a growing need and opportunity to develop more deliberate and effective approaches to supporting learners (i.e., “non-formal” learning supports; c.f.,Van Merriënboer et al., 2009). Games and play, given their ubiquity and the growing body of work supporting their role in formal and informal learning, may be particularly effective when applied to non-formal learning as well. That is, though investigations into games and play-based learning have made significant advances over the past two to three decades, research has largely focused on formal (e.g., K-12) education (e.g.,Clark et al., 2016), informal learning (e.g., Pearce, 2011), and the development of children (Golinkoff & Hirsh-Pasek, 2006) rather than on learning that is structured, and goal-oriented, but not as formal as classroom learning or certifications (Commission (EC), 2001). This presentation briefly reviews and summarizes current research on play-based learning, starting with early childhood development and ending with post-work senior life. It then proposes new directions for research to explore the potential for lifelong non-formal, play-based learning. References Clark, D. B., Tanner-Smith, E. E., & Killingsworth, S. S. (2016). Digital Games, Design, and Learning A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research, 0034654315582065. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315582065 Commission (EC), E. (2001). Making a European area of lifelong learning a reality. Author Brussels. Golinkoff, D. G. S. R. M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2006). Play= Learning: How play motivates and enhances children’s cognitive and social-emotional growth. Oxford University Press. Pearce, C. (2011). Communities of play: Emergent cultures in multiplayer games and virtual worlds. MIT press. Tan, C. (2017). Lifelong learning through the SkillsFuture movement in Singapore: Challenges and prospects. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 36(3), 278–291. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2016.1241833 Van Merriënboer, J. J., Kirschner, P. A., Paas, F., Sloep, P. B., & Caniëls, M. C. (2009). Towards an integrated approach for research on lifelong learning. Educational Technology, 3–14.

Techno-pedagogical approaches have been harnessed in many ways to prepare future-ready learners - learners who possess both subject domain expertise as well as 21st Century competencies. In recognizing that it is not just technology alone, but sound pedagogies that optimize technological affordances and advances, a techno-pedagogical approach was designed and refined for WiREAD+ (Tan et al., 2017). The techno-pedagogical design of WiREAD+ has two key learning affordances: (i) multimodal social dialogic learning (a learning space with scaffolding scripts to guide students’ critical discussions of texts), and (ii) dynamic visual learning analytics (a dashboard with a blend of data-driven visualizations). These key affordances are in turn underpinned by four embedded learning and pedagogical frameworks: (i) Multiliteracies pedagogical framework, (ii) Dialogic learning; (iii) Assessment for learning, and (iv) Computer-supported collaborative learning. Taken together, the design allows teachers to (i) choose and integrate appropriate multimodal textual resources in their lessons, (ii) embed critical reading pedagogical scaffolds based on Paul-Elder’s ‘wheel of critical reasoning’ multiliteracies pedagogy to prompt students’ thinking, as well as dialogic indicators of collective creativity and criticality, and (iii) continuously monitor learning progress and adapt pedagogical strategies to stimulate students’ deep multimodal engagement and rich peer-to-peer critical interactions around texts, both during and beyond formal class time. The present research investigates students’ experiences with WiREAD+ in terms of its ease of use and how well it supports student learning processes. The findings from primary, secondary, and junior college students indicated that WiREAD+ enhances their content knowledge, enriches their learning experiences, and encourages them to think critically. WiREAD+ has shown to be a promising tool for promoting lifelong learning as it motivates students to be active learners, enhances the development of 21st Century competencies, and supports both online and face-to-face learning, as found in the study. Reference Tan, J. P.-L., Koh, E., Jonathan, C. R., & Yang, S. (2017). Learner Dashboards a Double-Edged Sword? Students’ Sense-Making of a Collaborative Critical Reading and Learning Analytics Environment for Fostering 21st Century Literacies. Journal of Learning Analytics, 4(1), 117–140. https://doi.org/10.18608/jla.2017.41.7

The emergence of the knowledge economy has increased uncertainties of school-to-work transitions to the extent that traditional markers informed by events such as enrolment into higher education, attainment of specialized skills and clarity of age-graded roles and responsibilities are rapidly being altered by increasing individualization, adaptability to social disruptions and boundaryless careers. Accordingly, the contemporary perspective of post-school transitions is now viewed as a prolonged, risky and complicated process (Hutchinson & Kettlewell, 2015). Constant pressures to realise unrealistic expectations and coping with consequences of poor choices have contributed to amplified levels of anxiety and frustrations among youths in transition (Côté, 2019). In Singapore, concerns of post-school readiness have also been regularly featured in national surveys and news media channels. Youths in transition voiced concerns of future uncertainty, expectations of adult responsibilities, sufficiency of opportunities to pursue their aspirations and having a good career. Difficult lived and perceived realities can hamper efforts at fostering continuous learning and well-being. Yet such experiences are not universal as many young people continue to flourish despite challenging circumstances. This presentation examines research findings from a recent large-scale multi-cohort study of educational transitions among post-secondary students in Singapore. A primary focus is to gain deeper insights of the educational pathways that students take after leaving secondary school, the various personal, contextual and educational factors that influence these choices and the relationships with positive youth outcomes. As the nature of the world of work evolves rapidly, the frequency of transitions that learners’ experience will increase in parallel. Contributing to lifelong learning research, this study hopes to initiate awareness of the challenges and opportunities that young people face and the resources they have access to as they negotiate youth and education pathways. References Côté, J. E. (2019). Youth development in identity societies. New York: Routledge. Hutchinson, J., & Kettlewell, K. (2015). Education to employment: complicated transitions in a changing world. Educational Research, 57, 113-120.