What defines lifelong learning?
Hively’s co-teacher Janet Jacobson, who has a master’s degree from the college with an emphasis on older learners, developed the curriculum for Educating Learners in Mid-Life and Beyond as part of her work towards a certificate from VAN, which is part of the College of Continuing Education. The only course of its kind in Minnesota, Educating Learners in Mid-Life and Beyond emphasizes the older learner’s capacity to learn and the benefits he or she derives from that process. The class also highlights experiential learning and a give and take of knowledge—a continuous cycle of teaching and learning. Lifelong learners, says Jacobson, “are people who are actively, intentionally, learning new things—right up until their last breath.” Learning, she says, can include formal classes, programs in the community, or self-directed experiences—pursuing a hobby or even reading the newspaper regularly, if done with educational intent. Hively describes lifelong learning as the process of pursuing acti
