The need of lifelong learning towards learning community development in Malaysia

Abstract

Globalization and technological changes demand the countries to seek for economic-based knowledge for economic survival purposes.to ensure their economic survival purposes. A mechanism to do that is through the active promotion and provision of lifelong learning. Malaysia is one of those countries that have been vigorously doing that. In a mission to achieve vision 2020, it is essential lifelong learning be adopted as a New National Agenda in achieving the nation's human capital development. In building the human capital development, students need to be engaged in learning community's environment. Learning communities operationalize a constructivist approach to knowledge (Cross, 1998), whereby knowledge is not simply “discovered” but is socially constructed. As a result, rather than authority (instructor) transmitting information, students actively construct and assimilate knowledge through a reciprocal process (Bruffee, 1995 and Schon, 1995; Whipple, 1987). Hence, this paper will discuss the importance of lifelong learning community development in Malaysia.