LLinE Lifelong Learning in Europe

Editorial by Kristiina Kumpulainen: World is changing. How about lifelong learning policies and practices?

Many critical voices have been expressed from different sectors and disciplines towards the present-day educational practices for lifelong learning. Education is regarded as not meeting the complex reality of today’s world; educational structures and practices are seen as failing to adapt to the needs of increased diversities of populations and individuals that they serve. The continuous development and emergence of technological possibilities, that are presenting themselves with an accelerated pace in the social practices of everyday life undoubtedly challenge education even more. Technology and culture evolve so rapidly that it has become impossible to confidently predict the future and conditions for our existence.

In acknowledging not only the complex world in which we live today but also the interdisciplinary nature of modern knowledge creation, it feels justified to suggest that lifelong learning research, its policies and practices start to explore more the potentiality of new partnerships and new forms of collaboration to advance its policies and practice. Questions, such as, how to build democratic learning opportunities for diverse populations and unique individuals in our present-day society? are likely to profit from cross-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary discussions and collaborations. Here, researchers, practitioners and policy-makers who represent different sectors and diverse disciplines harness their cultural knowledge for solving a collective challenge or a joint problem. This collaboration should also involve non-academic communities who join in the collective problem-solving from their angle of visions. Although this collaboration may not always be easy, causing tensions and conflicts, it can be a powerful practice to go forward. At best, we can create new understandings of learning and education - both for educational research on lifelong learning as well as for its policies and practice.

In the midst of our celebration of the tenth anniversary of LLinE Conference, we are perhaps more than ever confronted by the fact that the world around is constantly changing with an accelerated pace. The uptake of the theme New Partnerships and Lifelong Learning for our first issue of LLinE 2008 is very much guided by the need to create new forms of collaboration, networks and partnerships in order to tackle the educational challenges the present dynamic and complex society is posing upon us both as individuals and collectives.

With new partnerships we are referring to the potential of bringing in and forming new teams and groups of experts and expertise, i.e. individuals, organizations, social groups and their cultures, to solve problems in collaboration for the creation of new educational possibilities to the advancement of lifelong learning. In addition to forming innovative and creative teams that step beyond the boundaries of expected and common, we also refer here to the importance of harnessing the funds of knowledge generated within and across different social and cultural contexts.

I hope that this issue of LLinE with its rich and diverse articles embedded in different cultural settings and guided by diverse educational needs and questions - both local and global - enriches our thinking about the possibilities of new partnerships for lifelong learning. Yet, as these texts also suggest, we have still a lot to do.

Professor Kristiina Kumpulainen
Editor-in-Chief of LLinE
Director of CICERO Learning
University of Helsinki