Towards a paradigm of learning to learn for lifelong learning : Vancouver School Board teachers' conceptualizations and practices

What does 21st century learning look like? What are the skills and attitudes needed for lifelong learning in our present world climate? Today's climate of globalization and constant technological change presents new challenges to an education system founded during the industrial revolution on a world and way of learning that in many ways is no longer representative of current times. Learning to learn is a widely-discussed concept, deemed a necessity for lifelong learning, but few attempt to define it in any concrete terms. Even fewer have made practical attempts to implement and integrate learning to learn concepts into the curriculum of school systems. This study analyzes how a group of 'Vancouver elementary school teachers conceptualize learning to learn, how they attempt to implement learning to learn skills and dispositions in their classrooms, and how they feel our present school system helps and hinders the development of lifelong learners. It furthermore compares and contrasts between these findings and the best practices on learning to learn culled from the literature.Education, Faculty ofEducational Studies (EDST), Department ofGraduat