RE: Mastery in Education Specialty:Reflective Educators & Mastery Demonstration - Research Paper Example

Reflective Educators & Mastery Demonstration Lifelong learning is an activity of learning undertaken throughout life to improve knowledge, skills, and competence. A lifelong learner is a self-motivated person in pursuit of knowledge for personal or professional use. Lifelong learning is voluntary and not confined to school, age, or to a certain situation but happens throughout a person’s life. Professional educators carry the vision of the world. They are persons who have skills to impart other people’s life in diverse ways.

To sustain and acquire knowledge, a professional educator needs lifelong learning skills. Besides acquiring knowledge to remain competitive in the market, lifelong learners acquire knowledge for social inclusion, active citizenship, and personal development. Professional educators contribute to constant reviews needed in areas of their speciality. They do this either through personal initiatives or when called upon to formulate laws and policies that fit certain situations. It is possible for a professional educator to do this through familiarising themselves with what is happening in other similar areas of the world and through constant learning.

Where professional educator is a teacher, then lifelong learning is inevitable. Teacher needs to be ahead of the students at all times. Teachers should have answers to every question that a student may raise. This way, students will have confidence in teachers and accept them as a role models. Teachers can draw a lot of respect through the knowledge their knowledge.Teachers in the public school system can take several measures to integrate the lifelong learning process. First, such persons should endeavour to meet needs of adult learners.

Adults working as professionals learn best through interactions with their peers. Therefore, setting forums where teachers can share knowledge on various issues will enhance lifelong skills. Topics for adults need a motivational aspect to keep them alert. According to Ferguson as quoted in tech trends journal, an educator can learn best when new knowledge is immediately applied to their work environment (Brown, Dotson, & Yontz, 2011). Therefore, to foster long learning skills to an educator in the teaching profession, applying the new knowledge on students will help.

Secondly, an educator can set aside time to spend reading and exploring on existing knowledge. It is essential to have discipline in learning and this can be achieved through setting aside time to read. Statistics prove that setting time to learn in the morning has better results since learning requires a fresh mind.Thirdly, education is a purposeful human activity crowned by learning. The role of a teacher in such a setting is to support learning experience by sourcing the content and identifying tools needed.

An educator need adopt an open mind that can learn or teach in a non-educational setting (Lane, & McAndrew, 2010). Improving browsing skills enabled by technology will increase lifelong learning skills. Internet provides an avenue to learn through collaborative websites that allow individuals to discuss issues with others on the web. Lastly, a change of behaviour will go a long will in encouraging lifelong learning skills. For instance, it is possible to find a job that encourages learning, start a project you do not know, or actively seek information that contradicts your worldview (Young, 2012).

ReferencesBrown, C., Dotson, L., & Yontz, E., (2011). “School Library Media Professionals: Elements for Success” Tech Trends, 55(4), 56-62Lane, A., & McAndrew, P., (2010) “Are open educational resources systematic or systemic change agents for teaching practice?” British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(6), 952–962Young, S., (2012) “15 steps to cultivate lifelong learning” Life Hack, Retrieved from, http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/15-steps-to-cultivate-lifelong-learning.html