The Centre for Lifelong Learning

Would you like to get together with some of your colleagues who are facing similar challenges in their ministry, and chat about what they have tried and found to be useful? Would you like to have access to the acquired wisdom of a veteran worker who can mentor you in your growth plan? Would you like to stay in touch with others on the cutting edge of best practice in your area of expertise?

These are all ways of learning and growing, and can help you to become more effective in what you do. Your colleagues who join you in such a community of learners can reap similar benefits in their ministry. The LifeLearner Network is a set of tools that we are developing to help you collaborate with other people (missionaries, seminary professors, pastors, mentors, and others knowledgeable resource people from a range of cultures and locations) as you add to your effectiveness in ministry.

Lifelong learning takes as many different forms as there are individuals seeking to experience it. Formal learning (schools, courses, degree programs, professional licensure) and informal learning (reading a book, acquiring a skill such as scrapbooking or playing a musical instrument, researching Consumer’s Reports before buying a car) constitute two major facets of adult learning projects. Research on “Adult Learning Projects” shows that 98% of adults engage in such “learning projects” an average of 3 times per year, but only 1 % of the learning projects are actually formal coursework for credit (Tough, 1982).

A third kind of learning, sort of “in between” these two approaches, is called non-formal learning. It is more structured than informal learning (i.e. There are clear goals and identifiable results of a particular project) but it is not designed for certification or credit as formal learning. It is intentional learning, usually accomplished within a group setting, but without an instructor or testing and grading. Assessment of progress is done by the learner himself, and / or his or her peers in the learning group. This kind of non-formal learning has been widely practiced in Europe, particularly in Sweden, where “Learning Circles” are very popular and touch a wide range of topics, demographic groups, and ranges of intensity.

The international, intercultural nature of our work often makes it difficult to gather in one place to join such a learning group. The LifeLearner Network provides a way for you to meet virtually with “far-flung teams” around the world using the technology of the Internet, and software designed to enable and enhance collaboration.

1. The SharePoint Portal System is located on a secure server, using high level encryption and strong password protection to ensure the privacy and security of learning groups and the freedom to share documents and resources, along with threaded discussions and collaborative workspaces for producing collective reports and results. If you already have a username and password for the LifeLearner SharePoint Portal, click on the link at the beginning of this paragraph. If you need a username and password, write to lifelearner@teamworld.org to request one.



2. The LifeLearner Weblog (blog) is hosted on a commercial server (not linked to TEAM), and provides space for registered users to start conversations and comment on others’ conversations, organized both chronologically and by subject. To register, click on the link here, and enter a username and password, and your “real name” and contact information. This site is not encrypted.



3. The LifeLearner Wiki is a website designed for interactive, collaborative development of ideas and themes, using the same software engine as the Wikipedia, the biggest multilingual free-content encyclopedia on the Internet. Registered users can edit, add to, and discuss themes, issues or ideas posted by their colleagues. To register, click here, and enter a username and password, and your contact information. This site is not encrypted.

To get access to the SharePoint Portal, the LifeLearner wiki or the LifeLearner blog, write to lifelearner@teamworld.org

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