Force of Change Shaping New Learning - Literature review Example

Force of Change Shaping New Learning Name: Lecturer: Course: Date: Part 1 Group process My group selected ‘Extreme Longevity’ as a force of change and the “Significance of Difference” as our Dimension of Learning. The group faced the challenge of personal and cultural diversity due to the difference in personal experiences. The fact that we all came from different places -- namely from Indonesia, Middle East, France and America -- may also have caused the divergence in opinions. The second group discussed the impact of a globally connected world on institutional locations of learning, while the third group explored the ‘knowledge economy’ impacts on ‘outcomes of learning’. In an exchange with these two groups, diversity also existed in terms of the cultural viewpoint and academic experiences. The willingness to stay loyal to each other’s groups may also have contributed to sharp differences at first. However, while diversity may have complicated the intergroup interaction, it opened the grounds for sharing of diverse perspectives on changes in learning. Personally, I didn’t know what to expect from the two other groups but after the initial meetings, we began to share consensuses through compromises. Indeed some scholars have argued that most homogenous groups generate average results while diverse groups generate substantially superior results since heterogeneity causes competitiveness (Chatman & Flynn 2001). Despite these challenges of diversity, all members in our group freely expressed their ideas while others patiently listened. This enabled us to exhaust each area of discussion we explored. Additionally, a range of viewpoints were put forward and deliberated. On reflection, our group worked and stuck together to resolve disputes, make decisions and find the middle ground amid disagreements (McDowell and Zhang (2009). As we spent more time with the other two groups, we started to attain positive synergy. We also decided to compromise in order to establish openness, flexibility and helpfulness. Teamwork and cohesiveness were in actual fact the most significant aspects of our project (Brophy 2006). Part 2 Forces of change on the dimensions of learning In my opinion, a critical lesson reflected from exploring the forces of change on the dimensions of learning in respect to Extreme Longevity and the Significance of Difference is that people will have to rearrange their approach to their family life, careers and education so as to adapt to the demographic changes. Therefore, individuals may work long, past 65 years so as to have sufficient resources after they retire (Elovainio et al. 2005). Various careers will exist in lifelong learning so as to be ready for the occupational change (Young et al. 2012). I believe that in order for organisations to leverage the future workforce, they will need to reconsider their traditional career paths, as well as create more flexibility and diversity. Overall, I developed an understanding of how extreme longevity, as a force of change, impacts the importance of difference. Further, it became clearer to me that with the rapidly ageing workforce, we have to examine the ways in which we put up our lifelong learners in order to prepare for the multigenerational workforce, as well as steer through a changing work environment (Field 2006) Another group discussed the impact of globally connected world on institutional locations of learning, and reached an understanding that compared to the impact of globally connected world on institutional locations of learning, it could be concluded that the emergence of the internet, smart devices and the social media has made learning more interactive and flexible, by triggering disruptive shifts in the ways in which people communicate and participate in learning. This, in my understanding, implies that white-collar workers can interact and learn electronically in virtual workplaces wherever and whenever they want (Davies et al. 2011). During our group discussions, I learnt that in a typical knowledge economy, organizations are being prompted to reconsider all dimension of learning, as well as acquisition and application of knowledge. In my view, this also shows that a learning revolution called ‘knowledge economy’ is emerging. This is consistent with my group’s discussion on the effects of knowledge economy on the outcomes of learning. We all agreed that knowledge economy describes the shift in the demographic related to the level of skills and knowledge needed for acquisition and maintenance of a job in the global economy. This in my view could be interpreted to mean that organizations have to accommodate new trends to accommodate learners who have lacked the privilege to acquire knowledge using the traditional modes (Kalantzis, M. & Cope, B 2012). Additionally, I learnt about the emerging multimodality and multiliteracies that are rapidly gaining acceptance as the foundation stone of new learning. From our group’s analysis of Robertson’s (2013) work, we established that these multiliteracies comprise collaboration, communication, critical thinking, reflective thinking, competence, technology literacy and information literacy. In agreement with a review made by my group, the concept of knowledge economy means that more positions are set to be available that need tacit knowledge. In my view, this means that within the knowledge economy, workers will need to be equipped with interdisciplinary expertise such as data analysis, listening, judgment, problem-solving, competence and communication (Plomp 2013). I establish that a range of ways of learning is also emerging in order to leverage the potential of individuals in a specific workplace. This followed the perspectives we developed that the driving force of extreme longevity and the probability that age is not a barrier to workplace opportunity is likely to have a significant effect, as well as disrupt the significance of the differences (Davies et al. 2011). On reflection, it is also significant to note that workplaces that team with former, current and future learners can drive about the learning environments, which are creative as well as adaptable. In effect, tthese reflect knowledge construction. As discussed by different group, knowledge construction is an essential skill needed in the society that perceives knowledge as a commodity, through which learning provides learning opportunities to develop skills and knowledge. I view this as implying that learning institutions provide opportunities to generate learning outcomes such as skills and competences. To this end, I believe that individuals seeking future work opportunities will strive to undertake formal education for purposes of knowledge acquisition, in order to fit in the knowledge economy, where lifelong learning is essential. After elaborating on the ongoing trend where workers who move into the next decade will have to continually familiarize themselves with the changing work environment and develop new skills during our group discussion, I conclude that learning institutions will have to develop new curriculum that integrates these learning aspects (Helyer & Lee 2012). Additionally, fine-tuning the educational programs to put up with ‘lifelong learning’ will become crucial. Based on the diversity in the personal experiences of each of the group members, from Indonesia, Middle East, France and America, we arrived at a consensus that workplace trends vary in countries. For instance, some countries have more supporting employment structures compared to others. In such instances, there exists an option for the aged workers to continue learning or seek early retirement ((Elovainio et al. 2005). After a period of sustained researches together with members of my group, I agree that organizations may improve through sharing of skills between individuals of different generations and the future work environments. discussed that the experience of learning has gone through radical change from classroom to become computer-based and interactive in nature (Davies et al. 2011). This has brought about the concept of social learning. At the same time, learning has become more interactive, social and personal. In my view, educational institutions are in a large part a product of technology infrastructure and social situations of the past and need to conceive how to adapt to the changing environment quickly. Ultimately, I realise that what mattered most is that as a group, we were able to learn from our experiences. During the process of discussion, situations did crop up to tests our scales of decision-making and addressing pressures. I conclude that performance of the team is dependent on the kinds of the individuals who make up the group. Additionally, testing shows that particular grouping of personality-types tends to perform more effectively than others. However, the answer to effective team work is how the team manages to analyse its performance before adapting the situation to achieve the results. In reflecting the forces of change on the dimensions of learning, in respect to Extreme Longevity and the Significance of Difference, I conclude that people will have to restructure their approach to careers and education so as to adapt to the demographic changes and the emerging concept of knowledge economy. In my perception therefore, individuals may work long, past the retirement age, so as to have sufficient resources after they retire. Various careers will exist and lifelong learning so as to be ready for the occupational change. Critically, this would be enabled by the flexible and interactive learning brought about by technology. Reference List Brophy, D. (2006). A Comparison of Individual and Group Efforts to Creatively Solve Contrasting Types of Problems. Creativity Research Journal, 18(3), 293-315 Chatman, J & Flynn, F 2001, "The Influence Of Demographic Heterogeneity On The Emergence And Consequences Of Cooperative Norms In Work Teams," Academy of Management Journal, vol. 44, no. 5, 956-974. Davies, A, Fidler, D & Gorbis, M 2011, Future Work Skills 2020, University of Phoenix Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA Elovainio, M., Forma, P., Kivimaki, M., Sinervo, T., Sutinen, R. & Laine, M. 2005. Job Demands and Job Control as Correlates of Early Retirement Thoughts in Finnish Social and Health Care Employees, Work & Stress, vol. 19, pp. 84-92. Field, J. 2006, ‘Lifelong learning – a design for the future?’ in Lifelong learning and the new educational order, 2nd rev. ed., Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent, pp. 9-43 Helyer, R., Lee, D. 2012, ‘The twenty-first multiple generation workforce: overlaps and differences but also challenges and benefits’, Education + Training,vol. 54, no. 7, pp. 565 -578. Kalantzis, M. & Cope, B. 2012, ‘New learning’ in New learning: elements of a new science of education, 2nd edn, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 17-37 McDowell, W & Zhang, L 2009, "Mediating Effects of Potency on Team Cohesiveness and Team Innovation," Journal of Organizational Leadership & Business, 1-10 Plomp, T. 2013, Preparing education for the information society: the need for new knowledge and skills, International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 3-18 Young, R, Desjardins, B, McLaughlin,K, Poulain, M & Perls, T 2010, "Typologies of Extreme Longevity Myth," Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research 1-12 Read More