EDUCATION
THE BENEFITS OF LIFELONG LEARNING
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN IMPORTANT TOPIC FOR US AT insideKENT , BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ’ VE FINISHED SCHOOL , YOU ’ VE GRADUATED UNIVERSITY AND YOU ARE NOW WELL INTO YOUR SUCCESSFUL AND FULFILLING CAREER ? DOES LEARNING JUST STOP ? WELL , THE POWER OF LIFELONG LEARNING DICTATES THAT IT SHOULDN ’ T , AS CONTINUING TO LEARN WELL INTO OUR ADULT LIVES HAS POSITIVE IMPACTS FOR BOTH OUR PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL SELVES – IT HAS EVEN BEEN LINKED TO BATTLING DEMENTIA ! BUT WHAT IS LIFELONG LEARNING , WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS , AND HOW SHOULD ONE GO ABOUT IT ? JESS MARSHALL GETS EDUCATED ...
So , what is lifelong learning ? The simple answer is that it can be a lot of things : going back to school to pursue that PhD you ’ ve always wanted , taking casual courses online in a subject you ’ ve always had a secret passion for , or simply watching a documentary or listening to a podcast when you have a spare second – these are all demonstrations of lifelong learning . Lifelong learning does not mean staying in school forever . It doesn ’ t even necessarily mean completing courses or earning certificates ( though it certainly can !). When we talk about lifelong learning we are simply talking about the pursuit of knowledge on topics you are passionate about ; whether that be cooking , writing or astro-physics . The key to lifelong learning is to focus on things that are important to you . If you have always had an interest in history that has laid dormant for decades while you focused on your career , why not use these peculiar times to do some research ?
But why should we all be taking up lifelong learning ? Well , as Hugh Viney , head of academics at Minerva ’ s
Virtual Academy ( www . minervavirtual . com ), puts it ; ‘ Think of lifelong learning as a reward to yourself ; giving yourself the space and the time to learn and discover new things is perhaps one of life ’ s greatest gifts .’ Continuing to pursue education after graduating school can improve not only our work life , but also our personal life , by inspiring that spark of creativity inside us , and making us better , well rounded humans . Lifelong learning also improves memory . Although the brain isn ’ t a muscle , it works very much like one , and constant education
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